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Cowboys Commit Disastrous Miscue on Blocked Punt to Hand Bengals Win

Ryan Phillips

Amani Oruwariye muffed a blocked punt to give the Bengals new life late in the fourth quarter.
Amani Oruwariye muffed a blocked punt to give the Bengals new life late in the fourth quarter. / Via ESP
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The Dallas Cowboys just can't get out of their own way.

With Monday night’s game against the Bengals tied 20-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys had stopped the Cincinnati offense to force a punt, and were in position to set up a game-winning drive with two minutes to play.

Bengals rookie Ryan Rehkow's punt was blocked by Nick Vigil, but the ball fluttered forward, and Dallas cornerback Amani Oruwariye attempted to make a play. That’s when disaster struck.

The ball bounced to Oruwariye, but he muffed it, making it a live ball. Cincinnati's Maema Njongmeta immediately pounced on the ball, giving the Bengals a first down on near midfield.

You can guess what happened next.

Three plays later, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hit Ja'Marr Chase on the right sideline and he sprinted 40 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:01 remaining.

A final possession for Dallas ended feebly near midfield and Cincinnati escaped with a 27-20 win.

The Cowboys fell to 5-8 thanks to that massive special teams blunder.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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