Another game, another peculiar ending in the NFL.
After yet another potential game-winning/tying field goals was blocked this weekend, this time by Bryan Bresee of the New Orleans Saints to hand them a 14-11 win over the New York Giants, it feels like a strange pattern has emerged:
Between curious clock management decisions, missed extra points and well-timed special teams plays, games that were once almost “sure things” going into the final few seconds are very much no longer such.
Dallas Cowboys Lose In Brutal Fashion
Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals encapsulated what has been a – sadly not uniquely – frustrating season for the Dallas Cowboys.
With the game all squared at 20-20, the Bengals punted from their 29 yard line with two minutes to go, in what would have given Cowboys quarterback, Cooper Rush, plenty of time and all three timeouts to work his way down the field methodically.
Instead, Cowboys linebacker – and ironically former Bengal – Nick Vigil blocked the punt, sending it flying towards the 40 yard line, where safety Amani Oruwariye attempted to corral it, only to fumble it and send it into the arms of Bengal special teamers, Maema Njongmeta and Tycen Anderson.
The Cowboys blocks the punt… but it was then touched by a Dallas player… and then recovered by the Bengals 🤯
Chaos. @Bengals ball pic.twitter.com/Uw0l4ebH3v
— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
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This game-altering mistake that ultimately lead to a second Ja’Marr Chase touchdown and another Dallas defeat, moving their record to 5-8 – at the cusp of playoff elimination with 4 games left.
Micah Parsons Had Visceral Reaction To The Game’s Ending
Micah Parsons; 3 x All Pro linebacker, and the leader of this Cowboys defense clearly felt this loss as strongly as any that he has faced in his Cowboys career since being taken with the 12th overall pick in 2021, per Jon Machota.
Cowboys DE Micah Parsons: “I’m hurt. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody. You can’t put that into words. … It seems like we’re paying a due that’s not fair. I don’t know if it’s bad luck, karma.
“This one hurt me more than any loss this year, probably even worse than the playoff…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 10, 2024
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Parsons emotive words are certainly understandable – a blocked punt, subsequently fumbled and turned over is undoubtedly one of the more brutal ways to lose a game.
But the Pro Bowler – and Dallas fans in general – should not lose sight of the fact that Cooper Rush regained possession of the ball with a minute to go holding all three timeouts. Whilst having to score a touchdown on that drive made things more difficult, it was by no means an insurmountable position to find themselves at the end of the game.
The ugly truth is that the Cowboys are no longer able to consistently win in the regular season with backup Cooper Rush in the regular season (despite him going 3-1 in 2022), and Dak Prescott is not able to stack wins in the postseason. If Dallas had not just sent him a 4 year, $240 million deal, we might be asking if the team needs a new QB all together.
