The Dallas Cowboys’ 27-20 loss on Monday night involved injury and special teams disaster

The Dallas Cowboys’ winning streak came to an end after they lost 27-20 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. It was a competitive, back-and-forth game and there were three ties before the Bengals delivered the dagger late. The Cowboys football team had some good things going for it, but it wasn’t enough and they fell to 5-8 on the year, 1-6 at AT&T Stadium, and put their hopes of a playoff spot on life support. Here are 10 thoughts on this Monday evening

1. A great start

This game couldn’t have started any better for the Cowboys. The Bengals’ offense finished with a three-pointer on their first possession and the Cowboys’ offense marched down the field and staged a nine-play, 60-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown by CeeDee Lamb in the corner end zone . The Cowboys took a 7-0 lead.

2. EXPENSIVE SALES

The Bengals responded with an 11-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game 7-7. The Cowboys offense seemed prepared to respond with another goal of their own, but those plans changed very quickly. Cooper Rush attempted to hit CeeDee Lamb at an angle, but the ball deflected and landed in the arms of Bengals defender Geno Stone at the four-yard line. Just like that, the Cowboys got away with nothing. This was the seventh time the Cowboys turned the ball over in the red zone this season, the most in the NFL.

3. A BEST CAREER FOR RICO

One bright spot for the Cowboys was the continued resurgence of running back Rico Dowdle. On the night, Rico rushed the ball 18 times for 131 yards, an average of 7.4 yards per carry. For Dowdle it was a new career highlight. The 26-year-old running back looked great weaving through creases and showing a good burst. It’s taken a while, but the Cowboys’ running game is starting to show life and could mean more Dowdle in the future.

4. THE OLINE SHUFFLE

What made the Cowboys’ rushing performance even more impressive was the way they did it against a depleted offensive line. This week the team learned that they would be without Zack Martin for the remainder of the year. They also roll with veteran Chuma Edoga at left tackle over freshman Tyler Guyton. On Monday night, they lost rookie center Cooper Beebe when he left the game with a concussion. This forced Brock Hoffman to move to center and TJ Bass to play right guard. With all the disarray the Cowboys have experienced on offense, it’s crazy that the running game can stay afloat, let alone get better.

5. MORE INJURIES

The offense was without Beebe, but the defense suffered a major blow when linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was sidelined in the second half with a knee injury. The extent of his injury is unclear, but it doesn’t look good. Beebe and Overshown were two of the better young players on this roster and it’s unpleasant to see them go down. The Cowboys have suffered injuries to every All-Pro not named CeeDee Lamb, so it now appears that the wave of injuries is affecting their future All-Pros.

6. WALK BACKWARDS

When Jourdan Lewis was cited for pass interference, the Bengals were at their 46-yard line with 4:10 to play. They didn’t have much time left to reach a game-winning field goal position. It didn’t look good, but then two offensive penalties pushed the Bengals back. The tide had turned and the Bengals were forced to punt at their own 27-yard line, paving the way for the Cowboys to score a game-winning drive of their own.

7. SPECIAL TEAM CRAZY

When linebacker Nick Vigil flew up the middle and got his hands on the Bengals’ punt attempt, the crowd erupted. For a split second we realized that the Cowboys would get the ball within range of Brandon Aubrey’s field goal. But then we watched the ball bounce a little further and saw the disaster before it happened. Substitute cornerback Amani Oruwariye just couldn’t resist and tried to catch the ball with a jump in the hope of returning it. Unfortunately, he mishandled it and the Bengals recovered.

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Now it was Cincy who had a chance to take the lead with great position on the field.

8. A terrible end

After the punt block snafu, things went downhill quickly. The Bengals needed just three plays to jump ahead, thanks largely to a pass to JaMarr Chase, who scampered into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown. Cincinnati took the lead 27-20 with just over a minute to play. The Cowboys simply didn’t have the energy to respond. Cooper Rush fumbled on the breakaway attempt for a three-yard gain, was sacked for an eight-yard loss and then threw a floating duck on fourth down that went incomplete. The Cowboys quickly turned the ball over on downs and the game was over.

9. NO RESPONSE TO CHASE

The Bengals often brought their star receiver into the game early. Chase finished the game with 14 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns. While the Cowboys defense did a good job on teammate Tee Higgins (two catches for 23 yards), they had no answer for Chase. He did a great job of taking the lead and once he had the ball in his hands, he added extra yards. On his game-winning touchdown catch, he caught DaRon Bland at a bad angle and Chase was on his way to running.

10. NO CHANCE WITH RUSH

It’s unfortunate that the Cowboys are able to play well for much of the game but are ultimately held back by the limitations of backup quarterback Cooper Rush. There were times when he delivered some good balls and was far from reckless, but too many times when the Cowboys needed a play on the field it never came. Rush simply doesn’t have the arm strength to make deep shots, nor the accuracy to sustain very many attacks. There really is a small window of opportunity when Rush is leading the offense and the Cowboys haven’t capitalized on those opportunities.