Week 14 of the NFL regular season concluded in Texas with a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals punted that ball away after their opening drive tapered out. Dallas’ KaVontae Turpin returned the kick 20 yards to the Cowboys’ 40 yard line.
Dallas converted a 14-yard pass on 3rd and 1 for a first down near midfield. Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush then completed two straight passes to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, bringing the ‘Boys to the Cincinnati 20 yard line. An eight-yard rush by running back Rico Dowdle set the Cowboys up with a 3rd and 2 from the Bengals’ 12, but Cincy held Dowdle to a one-yard gain on a 3rd and 2, forcing Dallas to go for it on fourth down. On 4th and 1, Rush threw an 11-yard fade pass to CeeDee Lamb in the corner of the end zone to go up 7-0 with 8:55 remaining in the first quarter. That TD snapped a five-game scoreless streak for the 2023 All-Pro.
Cincinnati responded with its own 17-play, 75-yard scoring drive. With 2:45 left in the first, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase made a five-yard touchdown catch near the front corner of the end zone to tie the game 7-7. Coming into this game, Chase led all players in the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns on the season.
🙌🙌🙌@JoeyB ➡️ @Real10jayy__ #CINvsDAL on ESPN/Disney+ pic.twitter.com/XUrXQS0mIx
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2024
CeeDee Lamb reversed field on a bubble screen, resulting in a 43-yard catch and run to the Bengals’ 24 yard line. Soon after, Rico Dowdle rumbled forward for another 12 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, Cooper Rush threw a pass that bounced off one defender before falling into the hands of the Bengals’ Geno Stone, giving Cincy possession deep in their own territory.
After getting the ball to the 19, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 24-yard gain. After that, Cincy was flagged for holding, giving them a 3rd and 13 from their own 46 yard line. The Bengals completed a pass on third down but failed to convert on a fourth down try, so the Cowboys took over on their 44 yard line with 9:51 left in the first half.
Cooper Rush moved the ball into Cincy’s territory with a ten-yard reception by Rico Dowdle. On the next play, Dowdle broke a pair of tackles on a handoff for another 19 yards. Rush would be unable to complete a pass on 3rd down, so the ‘Boys settled for a 35-yard field goal and the 10-7 lead.
On a 3rd and 7 from Cincinnati’s 39 yard line, Burrow found wideout Andrei Iosivas for a 23-yarder. One play later, Chase took a short pass to Dallas’ 14. Following a five-yard reception by Mike Gesicki, running back Chase Brown took a check-down pass to the house for a 19-yard touchdown, giving Cincinnati a 14-10 lead with 3:30 remaining in the second quarter.
Once they got the ball back, Dallas faced a 3rd and 11 due to a false start by tight end Jake Ferguson. That led to Cooper Rush being sacked and Dallas’ first three-and-out of the game. A 12-yard punt return let Cincy set up shop at their own 45 with less than two minutes to go in the second quarter.
On the first play of the drive, Burrow connected with Chase for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Burrow hit Chase again – this time for 16 yards. Cincinnati would take its first timeout of the game with 52 seconds left at Dallas’ 22 yard line. On third down, Burrow overthrew Chase, leading to a Bengals field goal and a 17-10 halftime lead.
Dallas opened the second half with the football. While avoiding a pass rusher, Cooper Rush completed a 16-yard pass to KaVontae Turpin on third down to put the Cowboys at Cincy’s 41 yard line. Shortly afterward, a 27-yard Rico Dowdle run moved Dallas to the six. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks would haul in a three-yard touchdown reception to tie the game 17-17 with 10:32 left in the third quarter.
we’re COOKin’ 🧑🍳
📺: #CINvsDAL on ESPN
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/tQGNS7dUms— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 10, 2024
Cincinnati wouldn’t answer back right away. Following an ineligible downfield pass penalty, Burrow overthrew Chase, giving Cowboys safety Malik Hooker an easy interception at the Dallas 18 yard line with 6:50 to go in the third.
A 20-yard catch and run by Jake Ferguson put the ‘Boys at the 37, setting up a third down sneak by Cooper Rush to the Dallas 45 yard line. A 10-yard gallop by Turpin out of the wildcat formation put the Cowboys on Cincinnati’s 43. Rico Dowdle picked up seven yards on a 3rd and 3 for a fresh set of downs at the Bengals’ 29. However, a foolish post-play shove would cause Dallas to be flagged for unnecessary roughness, moving them back to the 45 yard line. Though the drive stalled, the Cowboys opened the fourth quarter with a 20-17 lead after a successful 47-yard field goal from kicker Brandon Aubrey.
Cincinnati responded this time, starting its drive with gains of 15, 11, and nine yards to get the ball to Dallas’ 33. Joe Burrow threw to Mike Gesicki on back-to-back plays for 19 yards. With a 3rd and 2 at the Dallas 10 yard line, Joe Burrow missed a pass in the corner of the end zone to Tee Higgins. This led to a Cincinnati field goal and a 20-20 tie with just over ten minutes left in the game.
On the next drive, the Bengals’ defense would force its third three-and-out of the night, getting the ball back on their own 25 with 9:33 remaining.
Burrow completed a 19-yard pass to tight end Tanner Hudson on a second down play to put the ball at the 49 yard line. Joe Burrow was sacked and stripped of the ball on a third down play. It’s worth noting that the referees missed a facemask penalty on Joe Burrow during the aforementioned play. Cincinnati was lucky to recover the ball but still had to punt it away to Dallas who started the drive on their own 20 yard line.
Dallas would only move the ball 14 yards before punting back to Cincinnati. The Bengals took over at their own 14 yard line with 5:31 left in the game. Burrow hit Chase for 16 yards and followed that up with a five-yarder to Iosivas. An 11-yard defensive pass interference would set Cincy up at their own 49. That’s when penalties derailed the Bengals’ momentum. Andrei Iosivas was flagged for holding to make it 2nd and 16 from the 40 yard line. Immediately after that, offensive lineman Cody Ford was penalized for holding to push the ball back to the 30. Joe Burrow was sacked on 3rd and 19, bringing the game to the two-minute warning and the Bengals to fourth down.
The Cowboys blocked the Bengals’ punt on the play after the two-minute warning. That’s when things took a strange turn.
.@the_maema !!!!!
Watch on ESPN/Disney+pic.twitter.com/ixQfZw8ETM
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2024
The blocked punt was first touched by a member of the Dallas Cowboys, making it a live ball. This meant that whichever team recovered the ball would get possession of it with a new set of downs. Since the Bengals recovered the loose ball after it was touched by the Cowboys, Cincinnati was given a fresh set of downs at the 43 yard line. Three plays after the recovered punt block, Joe Burrow threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase for the wide receiver’s second TD of the night, giving Cincy a crucial 27-20 lead with 1:01 left in the game.
The Cowboys would get a chance to tie it. Cooper Rush would start with a 15-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb, moving the ball to the 45. On an eventual 4th and 7 from the Cowboys’ 48 yard line, Cooper Rush overthrew Jake Ferguson, giving Cincinnati possession of the ball as well as the 27-20 victory.
