By Paul Dehner Jr., Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Rebecca Tauber
The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys kept it close, but it was the Bengals that ultimately prevailed Monday night, breaking a three-game losing streak by beating the Cowboys 27-20.
The game belonged to Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, whose two touchdowns and 177 receiving yards marked the fourth-best performance this season by a receiver. Chase also tied Travis Kelce and Cooper Kupp with the most receptions in a game this season at 14.
The key moment came with less than two minutes left, with the game tied 20-20 and the Cowboys on offense. A muffed punt by Dallas’ Amani Oruwariye, recovered by Cincinnati’s Maema Njongmeta gave the ball back to the Bengals as the clock ticked down. Capping off a dominant game, Chase scored his second touchdown of the night, to help bring Cinncinati ahead 27-20.
In addition to the loss, Dallas took a second blow with an injury to linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who went down with an apparent knee issue and was helped off the field to the X-ray room during the fourth quarter. Last year, a torn ACL took Overshown out for the entirety of his rookie season.
The Bengals’ win leaves both teams at 5-8. Cincinnati next heads to Tennesee to play the Titans while Dallas travels to North Carolina to play the Panthers, both on Sunday.
Burrow targets Chase — and it pays off
QB Joe Burrow said this week he wants to play an entertaining brand of football despite the Bengals’ lack of relevancy in the playoff picture. He also said he was aware of Chase’s quest for the triple crown. He didn’t disappoint in fulfilling either of those areas in Dallas on Monday.
Burrow force-fed Chase, including for the game-winner where he took 50 yards to the house. The 18 targets were the second most in his career. The philosophy didn’t always pay off, as twice Burrow overthrew Chase in key spots, one failing to convert a third down in the red zone and another that ended up intercepted by safety Malik Hooker.
Still, Burrow to Chase never quit and the final hit was the knockout blow for the long, explosive play he was searching for all night. He crossed 5,000 receiving yards for his career and put this game in the books in one big moment. — Paul Dehner, Bengals senior writer
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Brown comes through for the offense
When searching for bright spots in a season lacking enough of them, Chase Brown continues to deliver as a game-changing weapon for this offense. Brown crossed 100 scrimmage yards for the fifth time this season and went over 50 yards receiving in three of the last four games. He’s become an electric weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, specifically on his 19-yard checkdown for a touchdown where he showed off an elite burst tiptoeing down the sideline.
The Bengals’ move away from Joe Mixon this offseason was partially about finding more explosiveness in the passing game out of the running back position. Since taking over the full-time job, Brown has more than delivered. — Dehner
Bengals find the win for a change
A Bengals team that found ways to lose all year was given an up close and personal view of a masterclass in the concept with the Cowboys touching the blocked punt to give the Bengals new life.
The Bengals had an opportunity near midfield to put the game away on offense but committed back-to-back holding penalties and got sacked on third and 19. It felt like another squandered opportunity setting up another heartbreaking defeat. Yet, the Cowboys gave them a second chance and Burrow to Chase made good on it for the win, snapping a three-game losing streak. — Dehner
Dallas’ special teams own the loss
That loss is on the Cowboys’ special teams unit. The defense delivered. Even after the enormous gut punch of losing Overshown to what appeared to be a significant knee injury, that side of the ball did its part against Burrow and the high-powered Cincinnati offense. They held the Bengals to 20 points with two minutes to play.
But Oruwariye mishandling the blocked punt was the difference. You just can’t give Burrow another shot in that situation. If it wasn’t the game-winning TD pass, it would’ve been a game-winning field goal. It was a stunning way to lose a game, but I’m not putting that loss on the defense. — Jon Machota, Cowboys staff writer
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Cowboys offense struggles
The Cowboys did enough defensively to win the game. The Cowboys’ offense was efficient but was mired by ineptitude late in the game. Play calling was an issue late. On a day Rico Dowdle was averaging 7.3 yards per carry, and had just rattled off a 14-yard run on a late fourth-quarter drive, the Cowboys threw the ball three consecutive times and ended up punting. Dowdle’s game should have been enough for the offense to rely on but they went away from it when the game mattered most.
Cooper Rush was decent, aside from a red zone interception in the first half, but an effective running game is any quarterback’s best friend, especially a limited backup. The Cowboys had that but chose to leave it out to dry. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys staff writer
Required reading
(Photo: Cara Owsley / USA Today)
