The Cincinnati Bengals offense cuts through the chase with wild Monday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys

CNN
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Week 14 of Monday Night Football saw two teams struggle through disappointing seasons.

With both teams’ hopes of making the playoffs all but gone, the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals played like a team with nothing left to lose.

In the end, it was a punt blocked by Dallas that actually doomed the Cowboys, who lost the game at home in stunning fashion, 27-20.

Things seemed to be going well for the Cowboys in the Big D when the Dallas defense made a clutch stop and forced a Bengals punt with just two minutes left and the game was tied.

Cowboys fans at AT&T Stadium erupted in an uproar when Nick Vigil blocked the Bengals’ punt, but joy turned to despair when Amani Oruwariye mishandled the blocked ball. Since Oruwariye touched the ball beyond the line of scrimmage, it was a live ball and Maema Njongmeta recovered for the Bengals.

With new life, the Bengals wasted no time in reaching the end zone.

The three-play Cincinnati scoring drive was fueled by a 10-yard run by running back Chase Brown, followed by a 40-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver JaMarr Chase for the game-winning touchdown, his second of the game.

“We needed a break. We needed a break,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said after the game about the blocked punt recovery. “We didn’t get many this year. It was nice to get that, nice to come out of it with a win.”

The Bengals’ offense looked good from the start as Burrow, who is having an amazing statistical season, threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, including 87 yards and a TD to Chase.

Cincinnati took a 17-10 halftime lead after Burrow connected with Brown, who walked a tightrope down the sideline for a 19-yard touchdown. The running back then jumped into the Cowboys’ Salvation Army red cauldron in celebration, but had to wait for a replay to confirm the score after officials initially ruled that Brown had left the field.

Dallas responded in the second half by scoring 10 unanswered points and taking a 20-17 lead after a 3-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Rush to Brandin Cooks and a 47-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey.

The Bengals tied the game at 20 when Cade York made the second field goal of the game.

York, who was signed by Cincinnati on Wednesday, made his Bengals debut ahead of his girlfriend, Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Zoë Dale.

After the bitter defeat, the ‘Boys’ fell to 5-8 on the season and 1-6 at home.

Cincinnati’s two chases were key to the Bengals’ victory. Ja’Marr Chase finished the game with 177 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Chase Brown meanwhile scored 123 all-purpose yards and a touchdown of his own.

Burrow finished the game with 369 passing yards and 3 touchdowns as the Bengals failed in three games and improved to 5-8.