ARLINGTON — Only one way to describe the Cowboys’ Monday night venture into the world of The Simpsons.D’oh! You would not expect an entire season to come down to one bad play from Amani Oruwariye, a player who might not have been in your program and certainly wasn’t on the press box flip cards Monday, but that’s the kind of season it has been for the Dallas Cowboys.Or, I should say, the kind of season it was.In a tie game with the Bengals, the Cowboys were forcing a punt with two minutes to go. Dallas’ Nick Vigil deflected the punt and the Cowboys were going to end up with the ball in Cincinnati territory (meaning already in Brandon Aubrey field goal range), but Oruwariye tried to field the bouncing ball and make a heroic return. It got away from him.So did this 5-8 season for the Cowboys.Oruwariye has been up and down with the Dallas roster this year but he’s no newcomer to the league. The Penn State cornerback began his career in Detroit in 2019, was a regular starter for the Lions for a couple of seasons and has had ample time with special teams. He ought to know the rules, not that different from the Leon Lett fumble on a blocked field goal against Miami at Texas Stadium 31 years ago.“The ball was there, and he reacted to it,’’ Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “Obviously a big play in the game.’’Dallas was this close to adding another improbable win to its list. Joe Burrow came here and did what he does, throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns, but he was just around the 320 mark with two scores when the punt was blocked. Afterward, he hit his favorite target and the league’s best receiver in 2024, Ja’Marr Chase (14 catches, 177 yards, 2 TDs), for a 40yard score with 1:01 to play. On their last-gasp drive, the Cowboys and Cooper Rush never crossed the 50 and the game was over.Quick question: Does the Cowboys’ win streak feel like it was a month or so ago? I mean, it was, in fact, last month — that crazy finish in Washington for a 34-26 victory to stop the bleeding and end a five-game losing skid followed by a more methodical 27-20 win over the Giants, the worst team in the NFC. The Cowboys had been off so long since ...
