The 2024 Dallas Cowboys have found a new way to lose.

Jerry Jones’ club lost 27-20 to Cincinnati on Monday night after the Bengals capitalized on a Cowboys punt-blocking fumble.

Dallas forced a punt after the 2-minute warning, which was subsequently blocked by Cowboys linebacker Nick Vigil. However, Amani Oruwariye touched the ball after it flew over the line of scrimmage — essentially a muffed punt — and couldn’t hold on to the pigskin, and the Bengals recovered.

Instead of Dallas getting the ball with excellent field position and winning the game, Cincinnati danced in the end zone three plays later and the Cowboys eventually fell to 5-8.

“Of course, this locker room is really devastated by the turn of events surrounding the blocked kick,” Jones said on the team’s official website. “Obviously we called a block kick, made it play and then turned one of many chances against us.”

The play brought back memories of Leon Lett’s Thanksgiving celebration in 1993, but it happened recently in Dallas.

According to Opta Stats, only twice in the last 10 NFL seasons has a partially blocked punt that traveled less than 20 yards been touched by the receiving team and recovered by the punting team for a new set of downs. Both came against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium (Broncos in 2021, Bengals in Week 14). Dallas would also lose this game to Denver 30-16, but would finish the season 12-5.

After the fumble by Oruwariye, who had just been placed on injured reserve before the game, All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons was at a loss on the sideline.

“I didn’t even really understand what was going on,” Parsons said. “Nick made a great play and then I asked the referee to explain what happened. He told me that (Amani Oruwariye) touched the ball. It was definitely a big momentum shift. I mean, we had just hit a big stop.”

“We went into the two-minute drill. It’s just very difficult because you think and believe that you can play the game in this situation. That hurts.”

It hurts, but not everyone blames Oruwariye. Jourdan Lewis supported his DB colleague after the defeat.

“Big plays happen and everyone sees it,” Lewis said. “We have to stick with him and continue to encourage him. We don’t want this moment to define him. Blame him for trying to make a play.

Unfortunately for the veteran former fifth-rounder, his play ended in the Bengals’ favor.

The loss left the Cowboys at 5-8 this season. Dallas is already out of the NFC East race and is not mathematically out of the postseason race. However, Next Gen Stats puts their chances of making the playoffs at less than 1%.