By Paul Dehner Jr., Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Rebecca Tauber

The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys came close, but it was the Bengals who ultimately prevailed on Monday night, breaking a three-game losing streak by defeating 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 by a receiver this season. Chase also tied Travis Kelce and Cooper Kupp for the most receptions in a game this season with 14.

The crucial moment came with less than two minutes left, when the game was tied 20-20 and the Cowboys were on offense. Dallas’ Amani Oruwariye mishandled a blocked punt that Cincinnati’s Maema Njongmeta recovered to give the ball back to the Bengals as the clock expired. Chase capped a dominant game by scoring his second touchdown of the night to give Cinncinati a 27-20 lead.

In addition to the loss, Dallas suffered a second blow with an injury to linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who went down with an apparent knee problem and had to be taken off the field to the X-ray room in the fourth quarter. Last year, Overshown had to miss the entire rookie season due to a torn ACL.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on DeMarvion Overshown’s knee injury: “It’s serious. … It didn’t look good.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 10, 2024

The Bengals’ win puts both teams at 5-8. Cincinnati next travels to Tennesee to play the Titans, while Dallas travels to North Carolina to play the Panthers, both on Sunday.

Burrow sets his sights on Chase – and it pays off

QB Joe Burrow said this week that he wants to play an entertaining brand of football despite the Bengals’ lack of relevance in the playoffs. He also said he was aware of Chase’s pursuit of the Triple Crown. He didn’t disappoint when he hit either of those areas Monday in Dallas.

Burrow force-fed Chase, including for the game-winning goal, in which he traveled 50 yards to the house. The 18 goals were the second most of his career. The philosophy didn’t always work out, as Burrow twice brought down Chase at crucial points, one that failed to convert a third down in the red zone and another that ended up being intercepted by safety Malik Hooker.

Still, Burrow to Chase never gave up and the final shot was the decisive blow for the long, explosive game he had been looking for all night. He surpassed 5,000 receiving yards in his career and put this game in the books in a big moment. — Paul Dehner, Bengals senior writer

Brown comes through for the offense

Looking for bright spots in a season where there aren’t enough of them, Chase Brown continues to prove himself to be a game-changing weapon for this offense. Brown crossed 100 scrimmage yards for the fifth time this season and has over 50 yards receiving in three of the last four games. He has become an electric weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, most notably on his 19-yard checkdown for a touchdown where he showed an elite burst tiptoeing down the sideline.

Part of the Bengals’ move away from Joe Mixon this offseason was about finding more explosiveness in the passing game from the running back position. Since taking the full-time job, Brown has more than delivered. — Dehner

The Bengals find victory for a change

A Bengals team that had found ways to lose all year was shown a masterclass in concept up close, with the Cowboys touching down on the blocked punt to breathe new life into the Bengals.

The Bengals had a chance to tie the game on offense near midfield, but committed two consecutive penalties and were sacked on third-and-19. It felt like another missed opportunity that resulted in another heartbreaking defeat. But the Cowboys gave them a second chance and Burrow to Chase got the win, ending a three-game losing streak. — Dehner

Dallas’ special teams take the loss

This loss is due to the Cowboys’ special forces unit. The defense delivered. Even after the huge blow in the face of losing Overshown to what appeared to be a serious knee injury, that side of the ball did its part against Burrow and Cincinnati’s potent offense. They held the Bengals to 20 points with two minutes to play.

But Oruwariye’s mishandling of the blocked punt was the difference. In this situation, you simply can’t give Burrow another chance. If it hadn’t been the game-winning TD pass, it would have been a game-winning field goal. It was a stunning way to lose a game, but I don’t blame the loss on the defense. — Jon Machota, Cowboys staff member

Cowboys offensive problems

The Cowboys did enough defensively to win the game. The Cowboys’ offense was efficient but suffered from ineptitude late in the game. Play calling was a problem late. On a day when Rico Dowdle averaged 7.3 yards per carry and had just completed a 14-yard run on a drive late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys threw the ball three times in a row and ended up punting. The offense could have relied on Dowdle’s play, but they let it slide 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 let it dry. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys employee

Required reading

(Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)