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Leon Lett’s franchise still doesn’t know when not to touch a blocked kick.
The Dallas Cowboys appeared to have a big punt blocked just after the two-minute warning, which would have given them great field position in a 20-20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Linebacker Nick Vigil’s block was clean. But, as Lett infamously touched a blocked field goal in the snow in a 1993 Thanksgiving game.cornerback Amani Oruwariye did not leave the ball alone after the block. Oruwariye tried to field it, making the ball he lost live. The Bengals bounced back.
A few plays later, Ja’Marr Chase broke for a 40-yard touchdown against a Cowboys defense that should have been out of bounds, giving Cincinnati a 27-20 lead with 1:01 left.
The Bengals shut down the Cowboys’ final drive and held on to win.
The Cowboys (5-8) have had a disappointing season, but with a win they had a chance to put together their first three-game winning streak. But nothing sums up this Dallas season like having a punt blocked and then giving it away because not everyone knew how to get away from the bouncing ball.
The Cowboys’ CJ Goodwin told reporters after the game that Oruwariye would not comment: “That’s my teammate. That’s my brother. We’re not doing any negativity.” Goodwin said, according to DLLS reporter Joseph Hoyt.
Bengals take lead at halftime
The Cowboys got off to a good start. Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush (or Was that Homer Simpson??) hit CeeDee Lamb for an 11-yard touchdown to start the scoring. But they are the Cowboys and the mistakes started to come. Rush threw an interception in the red zone. The offense stagnated a bit. And the defense couldn’t stop Burrow.
Burrow had a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chase and another 16-yard touchdown pass to Chase Brown. Burrow had 207 yards and two touchdowns at halftime and the Bengals led 17-10. Burrow looked very smart, as he has for most of the season, often avoiding rushes and keeping his eyes down the field to find receivers. Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl a few years ago, but he might be playing the best football of his career this season.
Finally, Burrow made a big mistake. The Cowboys tied the game early in the third quarter when Rush hit Brandin Cooks for a 3-yard touchdown. Burrow then tackled Chase downfield and was intercepted by safety Malik Hooker. The Cowboys couldn’t convert it into a touchdown, but they kicked a field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 20-17 lead.
The Bengals (5-8) tied the game at 20-20 with a field goal after that. Both teams came in with losing records, but put on a good show to create some fourth-quarter drama for the Monday night audience.
A fourth closed room
The Bengals got lucky on what looked like a key turnover. Andrei Iosivas appeared to have been stripped of the ball, but a replay review showed that he never managed to catch it while juggling it, so it was ruled incomplete. Burrow was sacked after that (the referees missed a clear mask penalty against Dallas) and punted on the next play.
The Bengals got a stop and that gave Burrow a chance to win the game. He was hit on the previous series, possibly on the sack, and ESPN showed him with a brace on his knee before the series that began with 5:31 left. The drive started well, but two offensive penalties put the Bengals on second-and-26. After a brief completion and a sack, Cincinnati punted at the two-minute warning. That’s when the punt was blocked, leading to the Bengals’ comedy of errors recovering the ball.
Chase is having a monster season, and shortly after Dallas’ mistake, he took a short pass, missed a tackle attempt, and converted it for the go-ahead touchdown.
Micah Parsons stormed off the field after the heartbreaking loss. That image is a good representation of the Cowboys’ entire season.
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