Brett's Cowboys Corner

The Bengals beat the Cowboys 27-20 on Monday Night Football.

A tied game at the 2 minute warning, while many will remember a muffed punt by Dallas leading to a Bengals score being the deal breaker, there is a lot that happens in a 60 minute game that led to that point.

The special teams blunder at the two minute warning, saw Nick Vigil make a play by beating his blocker and getting to the punter. This wasn’t a called punt block set, Vigil just made the play.

As the ball is blocked and takes frantic bounces up the field. Amani Oruwariye tries to make a play and recover the ball to give Dallas great field position. The ball bounces weird and hits him in the shoulder, ball goes back to Cincinnati.

In the moment, many players would do the same, I don’t blame Amani for wanting to make the play and being the guy that wins Dallas this game. But the ball was not live, and Amani is not the returner. Typically on special teams, it is taught that the returner can make the play on the ball, on frantic bounces…everyone else should get out of the way.

Bengals Linebacker Maema Njongmeta goes from zero to hero on the play, as he missed his block to allow Vigil to make the block but then he goes and recovers the fumbled ball by Oruwariye.

So What Led to the Cowboys Loss?

Well if not that punt, then it would have to be Ja’Marr Chase, 177 yards and two touchdowns.

Sure that is a lot of yards, but I expected Chase to success this game, as he does all season. He is the superstar in Cincy and that kind of performance is expected of him.

Poor late game play calling dug the Cowboys a hole Monday. Cincy controlled the ball for the primary of the 4th quarter, and two drives where the Cowboys held the ball for a minute and 32 seconds before punting it back to Cincinnati.

Now setting the scene, 10 minutes in the game, tied 20-20. Rico Dowdle is killing a poor Bengals run defense, over 100 yards rushing and averaging 7 yards per carry. In two drives, 7 total plays. Dallas hands the ball to Rico twice.

Two frustrating drives, but starting with the first one. With 10 minutes to go, I don’t expect Dallas to run out the game from this point. But I do expect them to call plays that move the ball and help Cooper Rush.

But in 2nd and 11, instead of making a third and short, they decide the deep ball is the best call. Take a shot why not. And this was a no read, just throw it up. As Cooper caught the snap and began the throwing motion immediately.

There was only one safety deep, so you had the single coverage. The two go routes were Mingo and Turpin, who the ball went to. A great play for Dak, but Rush can’t make that throw.

But that is not my biggest issue with the play. My biggest issue is this.

The stop and turn routes, which I won’t even call curls at this point. These are routes that are given to any receiver that is not apart of the play. McCarthy has done this multiple times, where the ball is going somewhere else, and the other receivers just run five yards out and turn around, usually with minimal effort. If the ball goes to them on that route, it is essentially a dumpoff.

In that terrible triangle, my even bigger problem is the guys who are in it. Ceedee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and Rico Dowdle.

Why are your three best players on the field, the ones running the nonsense routes?

Now it is third and long. Lamb and Cooks run crossing routes and Tolbert runs down the sideline. But we never see any of it develop because –

Here’s the blitzing linebacker. The Bengals send 8 players, as Ferguson is chipping one off screen. The blitz comes and the Cowboys are out numbered, but for some reason there is no dump off route for Cooper to safely get rid of the ball.

Defense Bails Them Out

Cowboys punt the ball, but the defense saves them again.

Early on the season, the defense hurt the offense by not being able to keep scores down and buy enough time for the offense. But as the weeks went on, the defense improved but now the offense has gotten worse.

9 pressures from Parsons, and other than the Ja’Marr Chase catches, the defense came up big for Dallas. Especially here as the give the offense the ball back with less than 5 minutes in the game.

Go Win The Game

80 yards, the Cowboys should drive down the field and ideally take all 6 minutes and score for the win.

The first play, they hand the ball to Dowdle. He’s averaging 7 yards a carry, 100+ yards. And he runs the ball for 14 yards. Momentum.

What would you do next?

Run the ball again? Nope.

Lets fake the hand off and let Cooper Rush win this game with his arm…

A roll out and Rush sails it past Ferguson and hits the official on the sideline.

But it is only 2nd and 10, so you can make 3rd down easier. Throw it short or run it with Rico. Though you should of been running it so the clock would be ticking down, and Burrow wouldn’t see the ball again.

2nd and 10, fake the ball to Dowdle, and a 13 yard curl route to Cooks misses him…3rd and 10.

Immediate pressure again, Rush avoids the sack and throws the ball into the dirt.

Punt team comes out, and though there is still over 5 minutes left, that would be the end of the game for the Cowboys chances.