FULL BOX SCORE

1. Cowboys find a new way to lose. In a game in which neither team came out on top, Dallas forced a punt that seemed to be crucial to the final result. Former Bengals linebacker Nick Vigil broke through the punt team’s protection and blocked the punt, causing it to flutter toward the Bengals’ sideline, where the Cowboys Amani Oruwariye tried to regain it instead of escaping the live ball. It slipped out of his grasp and the Bengals were able to claw back and keep the ball, which they did. That gave the Bengals new life, what Joe Burrow and Co. didn’t let up and covered 57 yards in three plays, with the last 40 yards being achieved by a Burrow completion Yes’Marr Chase for a game-winning touchdown with just 61 seconds left on the clock. The result of this series was the waste of an overall good night Cooper Rushwho proved that he shouldn’t be expected to win a game in the last minute. Realistically, he should never have been in a position like this. Dallas should have received and prepared the ball with excellent field position Brandon Aubrey for a last-second field goal. Instead, the Cowboys gave the Bengals a second chance and paid for it, highlighting a season full of disappointments of all kinds. A new one emerged on Monday evening.
2. Death, Taxes and Burrow to Chase. In an incredibly trying season for the Bengals, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were two of Cincinnati’s few bright spots. The duo continued their excellence Monday night by tallying 14 scores for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and Cincinnati capped it off with a touchdown in the first quarter and a game-winning trip to the end zone in the fourth quarter. This pair is undoubtedly elite and is the only element of Cincinnati’s offense that can be relied upon, regardless of the surrounding circumstances. Burrow and Chase would probably find a way to score a touchdown from a rooftop in downtown Cincinnati if necessary. A relieved Burrow summed up their relationship in one go afterward, expressing gratitude for the break they received from Dallas before celebrating with a donut – that was it The Simpsons That night, after all – and smashed it into Chase’s face, returning the favor when Chase had previously stuck a donut in his face. Despite the many heartaches they’ve endured this season, at least Bengals fans can feel the warmth of that friendship that continues to be productive.
3. Dowdle scores two goals in a row. If ever there was a night to set a season high, it would be Monday night’s game against the Bengals’ rightly maligned defense. Rico Dowdle did just that, tearing through the Cincinnati defense for 131 yards on 18 carries, averaging an outstanding 7.3 yards per attempt, and breaking through a Dallas offense that needed every single one of his yards to remain competitive. He has now surpassed 100 rushing yards in two consecutive games, tying his career high in back-to-back appearances. It’s a small bright spot in this difficult year for Dallas, which could have used this kind of production months ago. It is all the more impressive that Dowdle delivered such a performance in his first game without a guard Zack Martinwho officially landed on injured reserve before Monday evening. There’s no guarantee that this means a bright future for Dowdle as the Cowboys face an uncertain offseason, but it’s better than the alternative.
4. Cincinnati’s offensive line continues to struggle. Dallas finished the game with a QB pressure percentage under 35, but it definitely felt like more. Burrow was often forced to get up and escape the cauldron on Monday night, and while he made the most of it, the level of difficulty seemed unnecessary. Then again, that could explain Cincinnati’s entire season. The Bengals started Monday night’s game with a tough start at left tackle Orlando Brown ended up inactive and relied on it instead Cody Ford to man the spot against a defense loaded with all-world rushers Micah Parsons. The Cowboys star ended up having more success against right tackle Amarius Mimsregistered four of his team-leading nine pressures against the rookie, but more than just Parsons made a difference in this game. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa recorded five pressures, including two quick pressures, indicating a Bengals line that has struggled to find consistency both on the edges and inside. It was just another minor misfortune for Burrow, who already had to overcome a shaky defense and is still putting up MVP-level numbers. It’s also another sign that these Bengals are asking too much of Burrow. While they certainly need to improve their defense in the offseason, their offensive line could also use some attention. We already knew this, but on Monday evening it was a glaring problem again.
5. Lou Anarumo’s defense scores a small victory. Look, 322 offensive yards allowed isn’t exactly commendable, but the bar is low for these Bengals. That defense is the other side of the equation, which has caused the Bengals to lose four of six games in which they scored more than 30 points. Any minor win is still a win for this group, and in a game where they were deadlocked with 20 players for nearly 10 minutes – on the road in the fourth quarter, no less – this defense prevailed. They forced the Cowboys into two punts in the final quarter, holding Dallas to a total of 13 yards on the two possessions, and when Burrow and Chase regained the lead for Cincinnati, the Bengals went hard on Rush, sacking him and forcing a fourth-yard – Down incompletion for a game-winning turnover on downs. Rush finished 16 of 31 through the air, threw a red zone interception and never found an opportunity to push the Cowboys past the Bengals due to some timely plays by the Bengals’ defense, which at least deserves some credit for Cincinnati’s defense.

Inside the next generation of Bengals-Cowboys stats (via NFL Pro): Ja’Marr Chase caught nine of 11 targets on out-break routes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, the most receiving yards on out-breakers in the last seven seasons. Chase rushed for 75 yards after the catch, giving him 626 YAC this season, the highest in the NFL.

NFL Research: Cooper Rush’s second-quarter interception ended a promising performance by the Cowboys and added to an unfortunate career record for the backup quarterback. Dallas is 6-0 in rush starts when not committing a turnover. However, his record when committing a turnover fell to 1-4 following Monday night’s loss.