The shocking mistake didn’t sit well with Jones
The Dallas Cowboys‘ playoff hopes took a devastating hit on Monday night following a 27-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The defeat wasn’t just painful – it was embarrassing. A costly fourth-quarter mistake left team owner Jerry Jones visibly frustrated in his suite and led to a post-game confrontation with Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel.
With just two minutes remaining in the game, the Cowboys made a critical play by blocking a Bengals punt, setting themselves up for a potential game-winning drive. But instead of seizing the moment, cornerback Amani Oruwariye mishandled the recovery.
Dallas Cowboys fans are so stressed and frustrated with the team that they started smoking at the stadium
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The Bengals regained possession, and just a few plays later, quarterback Joe Burrow connected with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for the game-winning touchdown.
The shocking mistake didn’t sit well with Jerry Jones.
According to NFL reporter Ed Werder, Jones immediately confronted Fassel as he entered the locker room after the game. While it’s not unheard of for Jones to have post-game discussions with coaches, Fassel acknowledged that this interaction was different.
“Cowboys ST John Fassel said owner Jerry Jones engaged him about the blocked punt and subsequent mistake by Amani Oruwariye almost as soon as he entered the locker room,” Werder reported.
“Fassel said it wasn’t the first time but wouldn’t describe such a conversation as a normal occurrence.”
Fassel explains what went wrong
Special teams coordinator John Fassel took responsibility for the blunder, but he also shed light on what went through Oruwariye‘s mind during the play.
“[Oruwariye] said that he heard the crowd, which was significant, so he turned back to see what happened and the ball was bouncing at him,” Fassel explained. “He didn’t know that it got blocked. He didn’t know if it was a fumble, he didn’t know that the ball was where it was. And so he just reacted like I would – see ball, get ball.”
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, that reaction wasn’t fast enough, and the Bengals capitalized on the mistake. The loss dropped Dallas‘s record to 5-8, effectively dashing their playoff chances.
To have any hope of making the postseason, they’ll need to win their remaining games against the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.