ARLINGTON, Texas — Joe Burrow threw a tiebreaking 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase after Dallas botched a blocked punt to give the ball back to Cincinnati in the final two minutes, and the Bengals beat the Cowboys 27-20 on Monday night.
The Cowboys were about to get the ball back with the score tied on the first play after the two-minute warning when Nick Vigil blocked a punt by Cincinnati’s Ryan Rehkow.
Amani Oruwariye tried to field the bouncing ball when leaving it alone would have given Dallas possession. Oruwariye couldn’t hold on, and the Bengals’ Maema Njongmeta recovered at the Cincinnati 43-yard line with 1:53 remaining.
Three plays later, Burrow threw to Chase, who evaded DaRon Bland and ran untouched the rest of the way for the lead with 1:01 to go.
The winning TD secured a fourth consecutive game of at least 300 yards passing and three touchdowns for Burrow, who finished with 369 and three scores, two to Chase.
This was the first victory in that stretch as the Bengals (5-8) ended a three-game losing streak. Chase, the NFL leader in yards receiving and touchdowns, had 177 yards and is up to 15 TDs.
The second one-score victory in a puzzling season for the defensively challenged Bengals came after all three losses during their second three-game skid — and seven of their eight defeats this season — were by seven points or less.
“We needed a break,” Burrow said. “We haven’t got many this year, but it was nice to get that one and nice to come out of this with a win.”
Cooper Rush threw two TD passes and Rico Dowdle ran for a career-high 131 yards as the Cowboys (5-8) saw the end of a modest two-game winning streak after losing five in a row.
The Bengals ended a five-game losing streak against the Cowboys with their first victory in the series since 2004.
The Cowboys lost linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to a right knee injury in the fourth quarter. It came in the first game for Dallas since his spectacular 23-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 27-20 victory over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving.
The gaffe from Oruwariye, who was activated off injured reserve after the missing the previous five games with a back injury, was reminiscent of one of Dallas’ lowest Thanksgiving moments.
At snow-covered Texas Stadium in 1993, Leon Lett inexplicably slid in to try to recover a blocked field goal in the final seconds that would have given Dallas a victory over Miami. The Dolphins recovered and kicked a field goal on the final play of a 16-14 victory.
Bengals: LB Joe Bachie was ruled out in the fourth quarter with a right groin injury.
Cowboys: Rookie C Cooper Beebe sustained a concussion and was ruled out at halftime. RG Brock Hoffman, the replacement for injured seven-time All-Pro Zack Martin (ankle), moved to center. T.J. Bass took over at right guard. … Special teams ace C.J. Goodwin was ruled out in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Bengals: At Tennessee on Sunday.
Cowboys: At Carolina on Sunday.
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