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Micah Parsons couldn’t stay until the finish. He struggled with the blunder that cost the Dallas Cowboys a chance at beating the Bengals. In the aftermath, Mike McCarthy appeared as Captain Obvious after the epic gaffe late in the fourth quarter, according to espn.com.
“Just do the math,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Obviously, we're not even back to even. We're still in a hole. So, we need a tremendous amount of help. Just being Captain Obvious here. This one stings. We had to have this one. That's the way we approached it.”
Cowboys find a new way to lose under HC Mike McCarthy
The Cowboys were in a position to win their third straight game when linebacker Nick Vigil blocked a Bengals punt after the two-minute warning. The punt went past the line of scrimmage and bounced into the waiting arms of Dallas cornerback Amani Oruwariye.
Problem: Oruwariye should not have tried to field the ball. Left untouched, the Cowboys would have gained possession in Bengals territory. Oruwariye muffed the scoop attempt, and the Benglas recovered.
Pleased with the second chance, Joe Burrow led the Bengals on a drive that capped with Ja’Marr Chase’s 40-yard touchdown reception. That turned out to be the game-winner in a 27-20 decision.
Mike McCarthy tried to defend Amani Oruwariye
“AO was in a vice situation,” McCarthy said. “And then he heard the roar of the crowd and when he turned — he understands the rule once the ball crosses the line — his response was when he turned, when he heard the crowd, the ball was there. And he reacted to it. So, obviously a big play in the game.”
Yep. Obviously. The biggest reason is because the Cowboys have the best kicker on the planet. They would have gained possession at the Bengals’ 43-yard line. They didn’t even need a first down to take the lead. In fact, they could have run three straight no-gain plays and still been in Brandon Aubrey’s field goal range.
This would have been especially important because quarterback Cooper Rush didn’t perform very well in his previous opportunity with the score tied in the fourth quarter. On first down, with no pressure from the Bengals’ defense, Rush threw fading away and off balance on a short out route to Jake Ferguson. The pass missed badly. Two more incomplete passes by Rush forced a Cowboys punt.
But if the Cowboys had gained possession after the blocked punt, they didn’t need anything from Rush to take the lead — and likely win the game.
Fortunately for Oruwariye, his teammates had his back, too.
“We can't judge him,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “None of us played a perfect game. You can't judge anybody by one decision. He thought he can make a play. Can't judge him for that.”
