ARLINGTON, Texas — Micah Parsons rocked back and forth on the bench in pain after Cincinnati’s winning touchdown following a botched punt by the Dallas Cowboys.
The star pass rusher couldn’t stand the end of the game, so he left the field before the clock hit zero in the Bengals’ 27-20 win Monday night.
Joe Burrow’s tie-breaking 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase with 1:01 remaining allowed the Cowboys to field a blocked punt that would have clinched the win in the final two minutes.
“Oh, it hurts.” Parsons said in the locker room: The usually talkative All-Pro paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. “To be honest, I can’t even put it into words.”
The Cowboys tried to get the ball back with the score tied on the first play after the two-minute warning when Nick Vigil blocked Ryan Rehkow’s punt.
Amani Oruwariye left the bouncing ball untouched and tried to handle it when Dallas had possession. Oruwariye couldn’t hold on and the Bengals’ Maema N Jongmeta recovered at the Cincinnati 43-yard line with 1:53 remaining.
The Burrow-Chase winner came three plays later with 1:01 left. Dallas only made it to the 48-yard line before forcing a turnover on downs with 24 seconds remaining.
The Cowboys (5-8) were not having an easy time making the playoffs for the fourth straight time. That hope is now all but gone. Dallas won two games in a row against Cincinnati after losing five games in a row.
“This loss hurt me more than any other loss this year. To be honest, it was probably worse than a playoff loss because of where we went, how we played and how we played good football,” Parsons said. “I will take this job, but we have to find a way to keep these people alive. “There is still soccer left,” he said.
For the Cowboys, Oruwariye’s mistake was hauntingly familiar from that snowy Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium in 1993.
Leon Lett slid onto the snow-covered field to recover a blocked field goal in the final seconds that would have given Dallas a win over Miami. The Dolphins recovered and kicked a field goal on the final play for a 16-14 win.
On a bitterly cold day 31 years ago, owner Jerry Jones was seen celebrating on the sideline after a block, his smile slowly fading as he realized what was still happening on the field.
The Cowboys were good enough to bounce back and win their second straight Super Bowl, part of the NFL’s first three championships in four seasons.
These Cowboys are trying to win without star quarterback Dak Prescott and seven-time All-Pro right guard Zack Martin. Prescott underwent season-ending surgery on a torn hamstring last month, and Martin is scheduled to undergo season-ending ankle surgery next week.
“That locker room was absolutely devastated by the blocked kick and the turn of events.” Jones said. “Obviously we had a blocked kick call, and there were so many things going against us, and we were all like, ‘Well, why block the kick?’ Just take the kick, score a field goal, and kick it.’ We’ll all be left guessing that.”
Special teams coach John Fassel waved frantically from the sideline to get all the players off the ball after the block, but Oruwariye never hesitated and tried to get the ball.
Two of Oruwariye’s fellow defensive backs, Jourdan Lewis and special teams ace CJ Goodwin, kept reporters away from the sixth-year player in the locker room.
“None of us had a perfect game,” Lewis said. “We can’t judge anyone based on one decision. He thought he could make plays. “All we can do is learn from him and support him.”
McCarthy had no issue with Parsons leaving the bench before the end of the game.
“Without a doubt, everyone is frustrated, and rightly so,” McCarthy said. “I think I’m looking forward to it. Those guys poured their hearts out tonight. “Everyone was disappointed.”
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