Amani Oruwariye lost his mind. Micah Parsons lost his will. And on a wild, woeful night in Arlington, the Dallas Cowboys lost both a game and their hopes of a miracle run to the playoffs.
Oruwariye's colossal late-game blunder led to a 27-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, which both prompted Parsons to storm off the field and buried the 5-8 Cowboys' chances of even remotely dreaming of the postseason.
For all the wrong reasons, we might have to make room for this on in the Cowboys' Top 10 most memorable games on Monday Night Football. For now, we also have 10 observations:
10. LEON LETT, YOU HAVE COMPANY: In 1993, Cowboys' defensive tackle Leon Lett attempted to recover a blocked field goal in the snow on Thanksgiving and wound up making one of the most infamous blunders in NFL history. On a memorable Monday night at AT&T Stadium, Oruwariye joined him in franchise flub lore. In a 20-20 game with 2:00 remaining, the Cowboys had the Bengals facing 4th-and-27 and were poised to get the ball back with a chance to win, improve to 6-7 and keep their playoff hopes alive. Oops. It started when Nick Vigil broke free and partially blocked Cincinnati's punt. The ball wobbled to Cincy's 30-yard line, where it took a big bounce upfield. Inexplicably - like Lett 31 years ago - Oruwariye attempted to catch the ball on a bounce but it wound up grazing his left arm for a fumble. (I can't help but think Oruwariye had visions of being a high-risk, high-reward hero like Juanyeh Thomas was with his late-game touchdown return of an onside kick last month against the Washington Commanders.) The Bengals recovered and their 43 and three plays later Ja'Marr Chase's 14th catch of the night turned into a game-clinching, season-ending touchdown grab in a gut-punch 27-20 loss for the Cowboys.
9. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ... FUTBOL??!!: Just before kickoff someone named John Sutcliffe grabbed the in-stadium microphone and began yelling - I mean over-exaggeratedly screaming - in an attempt to fire up the crowd. Epic. Fail. No one in the stadium knew that Sutcliffe, a familiar voice on ESPN Deportes, was celebrating his 300th Monday Night Football game. Fans were merely flabbergasted that Sutcliffe seemingly forgot he had a microphone, and was adamant about raising his voice to levels so that everyone heard him anyway.
8. TROY ACHE-MAN: He's a long-time friend, a Cowboys' legend and ... well, let me say this in his parlance: "I'm not sure that Troy Aikman is an elite broadcaster." The three-time Super Bowl champ and Hall of Famer obviously knows a thing or two about football. It's just a tad frustrating to some of us how he consistently dilutes his opinions with cushion-couch softness. Examples? Sure. On Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow: "I don't think there's another quarterback in the NFL that throws with as much anticipation." On a roof-open AT&T Stadium: "I'm not sure there's a better-looking stadium that televises at night." With just a small tweak, those spot-on opinions could be transformed from milquetoast "I don't think" and "I'm not sure" into strong, demonstrative declarations. Aikman did deliver a Texas-sized zinger when ESPN partner Joe Buck dared to question the old saying about Texas Stadium - and now AT&T Stadium - having a hole in the roof so God could watch his favorite football team. "That's the way it is," Aikman dead-panned. "He's watching tonight."
7. SEVEN DEADLY SINS: When Cooper Rush forced a pass to CeeDee Lamb near the goal-line in the second quarter that was deflected and ultimately intercepted, it turned into the Cowboys' seventh Red-Zone turnover of the season. That's not only seven too many, it's the most in the NFL this season.
6. SIMPSON FOR SIX: Rush punctuated Dallas' opening drive with a perfectly lofted touchdown pass to a wide-open Lamb in the right corner of the end zone. Over on the Disney+ Simpsons version of "Football Funday," an animated Homer Simpson threw an equally beautiful pass to Lamb.
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5. FAB FIVE: After a productive first drive, Lamb went over 1,000 yards for the season and joined Randy Moss, A.J. Green and Mike Evans as the only receivers to top the milestone mark in each of their first five seasons. Lamb's score also ended Dallas' eight-game streak without a first-quarter touchdown.
4. PRE-CHRISTMAS CHEER: Very cool story about Bengals' receiver Ja'Marr Chase taking time to meet with two-time cancer survivor Brixton Wood of Georgetown, Texas. Chase apparently promised Wood he would score a touchdown, and then afterward accessorized the first-quarter score by doing the "Griddy" celebration in honor of his new, young fan. Chase went above and beyond for Wood, catching 14 passes for 177 yards, two touchdowns and the game-winning 40-yarder with a minute remaining. Though our world would be a much better place without the existence of childhood Leukemia, Ja'Marr and Brixton at least momentarily softened it.
3. RUSH TO JUDGEMENT: Rush is only effective when he protects the ball. He threw a costly interception, dropping Dallas' record to 1-4 when he has a turnover compared to 6-0 when he doesn't. The Cowboys also fell to 0-7 when trailing at halftime. Only the New York Giants (0-9) are worse in the league this season.
2. NOT DIGGIN' IT: With the return of Trevon Diggs came a quick reminder that there isn't a more disinterested tackler in the NFL than Trevon Diggs. He can yell "Deez Nutz!" at the media all he wants, but on Chase Brown's 19-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter Diggs wanted no part of making the tackle or even taking on Cincinnati's lead blocker.
1. TREY TIME: There is zero reason that Rush should take another snap at quarterback this season. He wasn't the sole reason for this loss, of course, but over the last five games since Dak Prescott's injury his lack of arm strength, mobility and accuracy have been exposed. The Cowboys' season is officially over. Even if they win out, 9-8 will not get them into the playoffs. The only goals left are to develop young players and protect what should be a lofty draft pick come next April. We've seen enough of Rush to know he's not the future of the Cowboys. It's time to see if we can say something different about Trey Lance.
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This story was originally published December 9, 2024, 11:49 PM.