LANDOVER, Md. — It was a awesome special teams game Sunday between the Cowboys and the Commanders.
There were two kickoffs for touchdowns by the Cowboys in the fourth quarter, the first time in franchise history and the 15th time in league history multiple scores were made on kickoffs. 'sending.
We saw a blocked punt, three missed field goals and two missed extra points.
“In my opinion, I thought what a wild special teams moment of blocked punts, kicks, kickoff returns, blocked field goals, just a number of things going to that spot,” he said. Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
The majority of the action took place in the fourth quarter when returner KaVontae Turpin returned a kick 99 yards to give the Cowboys a 27-17 lead. Turpin missed the kickoff at the goal line and when he ran to the 5, he got away from some defenders and took off along the Commanders sideline before breaking the final three yards in the end zone.
“I always do it when I have nowhere to go,” Turpin said of the spinning move. “When they have me on both sides and I have to go down the middle, I bring out something people have never seen before. I've been doing it since I was little. I'm glad I had the chance to film this.
Turbo Turpin! See photos as TD kick return highlights Cowboys' wild win
Turpin's score with 2:49 left didn't seal the game.
The Commanders responded with a 51-yard field goal by Austin Seibert with 1:40 left to cut the deficit to seven. Seibert attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Jalen Tolbert. But the Cowboys couldn't close out the game as the Commanders forced a three-and-out.
With 21 seconds left, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels found receiver Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 27-26.
Seibert's extra point to tie the game went left. Holder Tress Way handled a low snap and straightened the ball in enough time for it to be kicked.
“It made no difference,” Seibert said. “It’s on me.”
Washington attempted another onside kick that safety Juanyeh Thomas fielded, and instead of kneeling like Tolbert, he returned the kick 43 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Cowboys a 34-26 lead with 14 seconds left.
“I think in my brain they’re going to throw it at me,” Thomas said. “Then as soon as he kicked it, they can't hit me until I hit it, so I kind of waited a second and was like, 'Should I try ?' Should I try? I said, 'F— that.' I went ahead and caught it and I think I'm going to score the ball.
Additionally, kicker Brandon Aubrey attempted four field goals, blocking a 35-yarder and missing the right sideline on a 42-yarder. In his two seasons, Aubrey missed four field goals at Washington, with two blocks.
“There's really nothing special about this place, an outdoor stadium, a bit of wind. I had two blocked here that were good kicks, good (surges), we’ll figure it out,” Aubrey said. “The two (career misses) that hit the post, the first one was a bit of a mental error last year where the (consecutive) streak was broken and I wasn't focused and (we were) win the match quite easily. That's a mental breakdown.
“This one (Sunday) I hit it pretty well a little bit off the point, didn't go through the wind, I played it to the left but it came loose a little bit to the right. And the wind was pushing it to the right, so not enough to get through there.
Aubrey showed empathy for Seibert during his missed attempt that would have tied the game.
“He’s fine,” Aubrey said. “He’s a pro, he’ll bounce back. If you look at (the) missed extra point at the end of the game, they're lucky to make that one with where the snap was. I wouldn't be too hard on him.
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