The little things can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Struggling to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, the Cowboys gave Cincinnati one chance too many when a partially blocked punt – usually a good thing – ultimately led to a 27-20 Bengals win. This dropped Dallas’ record to 5-8, making the team’s path to the playoffs all the more difficult.

Against a defense that is one of the worst in the NFL, the Cowboys were able to gain 322 yards of offense. Running back Rico Dowdle broke the 100-yard mark again after his 100-yard rush last week, rushing for a career-high 130 yards on 18 carries, an impressive 7.3 average.

And they needed every bit of that ground production because the air raid was causing problems again. Cooper Rush was able to distribute the ball, targeting 11 different players and eight recording a catch. CeeDee Lamb led the effort with six grabs for 93 yards and a score, but the short game overall resulted in Rush passing for just 183 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, for a score of 77.8 points.

Conversely, the Cowboys simply couldn’t stop Rush’s opponent in the end despite a valiant effort from the defense. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who is having an MVP season, ended up completing 75 percent of his passes for 369 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, a mark of 112.8.

Burrow’s main target was Ja’Marr Chase, the star wideout, who caught 18 passes for 177 yards and scored on two of them. He was joined by running back Chase Brown, who gained 123 yards from scrimmage.

And when the rain pours down, the Cowboys are once again bitten by the injury bug. Starting center Cooper Beebe did not return in the second half due to a concussion. Then special teams star CJ Goodwin (hamstring) and electrifying linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (knee) had to go to the sidelines in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys couldn’t have asked for a better start in the first few minutes of the game. First, their defense forced a quick three-and-out for the Bengals, after which KaVontae Turpin returned the ensuing punt 20 yards to the Dallas 40. Rush then led the offense with a nine-play drive across the goal line that came when he threw up a high pass that fell right into the arms of Lamb, who was all alone in the back right corner of the end zone.

However, Cincinnati recovered with an 11-play, 70-yard drive of their own to tie the score at 7-7 before the end of the quarter. Chase had a 14-yard run around left end, hauled in a 14-yard pass and then capped the drive with a 5-yard catch for a touchdown.

Dallas was on the move as the second frame began after reaching the Bengals’ 12-yard line. But on the first snap of the quarter, Rush was picked off by safety Geno Stone, and Cincinnati’s interception abruptly ended the Cowboys’ threat.

Not to worry, the defense soon stopped the Bengals on fourth-and-3 at the Dallas 44-yard line, which in turn gave the Cowboys good field position for their next attempt. Seven plays later, Brandon Aubrey came out and split the uprights with a 35-yard field goal.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys went into halftime trailing behind as the Bengals put up 10 points in the final six-plus minutes of the first half. It started with Burrows orchestrating a six-play, 64-yard drive that lasted just 2:53. That ended with Brown making a swing pass to the left side and shooting 16 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.

The Cowboys had time to react, but quickly went for a three-pointer and were forced to punt shortly after the two-minute warning. This led to a 37-yard field goal for the visitors, giving Cincinnati a 17-10 lead going into halftime.

Despite being without Beebe, the Dallas offense came out on its first possession of the third quarter, traveling 70 yards to the end zone in eight plays. Rush hit Turpin on a 16-yard completion and Dowdle gained 27 yards on a run off right tackle. However, Brandin Cooks scored the touchdown with a 3-yard catch, his second in as many games since returning from a knee injury.

And the big men at the front continued the movement of the people. After safety Malik Hooker picked off his second interception of the season at the Dallas 17-yard line, the Cowboys were able to fight their way through midfield late in the third quarter.

However, the drive was hampered by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, but the Dallas offense reached the Cincinnati 29-yard line after Dowdle stormed up the middle on the final play of the third for a 14-yard gain achieved. It was up to Aubrey to open the fourth with a 47-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 20-17 lead.

But it didn’t last long. Burrow and company wasted no time in settling the score once again. Cincinnati managed to get to the Dallas 10-yard line, but on third-and-2, a pass to Tee Higgins in the end zone was well covered by cornerback DaRon Bland, the ball falling incomplete. The Bengals then had to settle for a 29-yard field goal.

With defenses taking control on both sides, the Cowboys thought they would get the ball back when Cincinnati was forced to punt right after the two-minute warning. But although Dallas’ Nick Vigil was able to partially deflect the punt, the ball traveled 13 yards. And there Amani Oruwariye touched the ball and tried to win it back. When he was unable to do so, the Bengals attempted to retain possession.

Three snaps later, Burrows threw a short pass to Chase, who then ran 40 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown, giving the Bengals a 27-20 lead. The Cowboys had one more shot and took possession with 1:01 left, but Rush’s attempted pass to Jake Ferguson on fourth-and-7 at the Dallas 48-yard line went up, the game over.