Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals finally caught a break. The Dallas Cowboys were reminded of one of the most painful moments in their history.
Burrow threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase to break the tie after a botched blocked punt by the Cowboys gave the Bengals the ball back in the final two minutes. The Bengals won 27-20 on Monday night.
The Cowboys were about to get the ball back with the score tied after the two-minute warning when Nick Vigil blocked a punt by Cincinnati’s Ryan Rehkow.
Amani Oruwariye tried to field the bouncing ball when leaving it alone would have given Dallas possession. Oruwariye couldn’t hold onto the ball, and the Bengals’ Maema Njongmeta recovered it at the Cincinnati 43-yard line with 1:53 left.
Three plays later, Burrow threw to Chase, who avoided DaRon Bland and ran untouched for the lead with 1:01 remaining. The Bengals (5-8) ended a three-game losing streak.
This second one-score win in a confusing season for the Bengals came after all three losses in their second three-game losing streak — and seven of their eight losses this season — were by seven points or less.
Cincinnati Bengals celebrates after a touchdown
“We needed a break,” Burrow said. “We haven’t got many this year, but it was nice to get that one and nice to come out of this with a win.”
For the Cowboys, the scene that set up Burrow and Chase’s game-winning play was eerily similar to a snowy Thanksgiving Day in 1993 at Texas Stadium.
Leon Lett mistakenly slid to try to recover a blocked field goal in the final seconds, which would have given Dallas a win over Miami. The Dolphins recovered and kicked a field goal on the last play to win 16-14.
Oruwariye’s mistake happened in his first game back after missing five games with a back injury. Fellow defensive backs Jourdan Lewis and C.J. Goodwin kept reporters away from Oruwariye in the locker room after the game.
Special teams coach John Fassel waved frantically from the sideline for all players to move away from the ball after the block, but Oruwariye didn’t hesitate to try to grab it.
“You see why it happened,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “He turns and the ball’s there. And he reacted to it. I haven’t seen the video. I saw it live. It’s definitely a tough learning opportunity.”
The winning touchdown secured Burrow’s fourth straight game with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 369 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Chase. It was his first win in this stretch.
Chase, who leads the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns, had 177 yards on a season-high 14 catches, bringing his total to 15 touchdowns. Chase easily got past Bland on the winning play.
“Me and Joe were on the same page,” Chase said. “He threw to my inside shoulder so I can turn upfield after the catch.”
Cooper Rush threw two touchdown passes, and Rico Dowdle ran for a career-high 131 yards as the Cowboys (5-8) saw their two-game winning streak end after a five-game losing streak.
DeMarvion Overshown leaves after an injury
A fourth consecutive playoff trip was already a long shot for Dallas and is now almost out of reach.
“We understand that we dug ourselves a hole,” McCarthy said. “We had to have this one tonight. This is a very disappointing loss.”
The Bengals ended a five-game losing streak against the Cowboys with their first win in the series since 2004.
The Cowboys also lost linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to a right knee injury in the fourth quarter. This was the first game for Dallas since his spectacular 23-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 27-20 win over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving.
McCarthy said the injury was serious. Overshown missed all of his rookie season in 2023 due to a torn ligament in his left knee.