The first play after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter on Monday night sent the Cowboys on a roller coaster of emotions.
Linebacker Nick Vigil blocked a kick by Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow and the Cowboys were set to take over possession of the ball in Bengals territory with a chance to win the game. That opportunity evaporated when cornerback Amani Oruwariye tried to field the ball and had it bounce off of him and into the hands of Bengals linebacker Maema Njongmeta.
The Bengals scored the game-winning touchdown a few plays later and the Cowboys were left to lament a painful loss that elicited memories of Leon Lett on Thanksgiving in 1993. That play became a defining moment in Lett’s career, but cornerback Jourdan Lewis said the Cowboys wouldn’t let that happen to Oruwariye.
“Big plays happen and everybody sees it,” Lewis said, via the team’s website. “We have to stay with him and keep encouraging him. We don’t want that moment to define him. We have to stay behind him. That’s just football. Some things roll your way and some things don’t. I can’t blame him trying to make a play.”
The Cowboys of 1993 were able to shrug off Lett’s miscue and win their second straight Super Bowl. These Cowboys almost certainly won’t have a chance at postseason redemption, but that’s because of a lot more than just one play late in Week 14.
