On fourth-and-27 with 2 minutes remaining, in a tie game, the Cincinnati Bengals stared down the daunting task of punting to returner KaVontae Turpin with another close loss a real possibility.

Punter Ryan Rehkow was likely asked to angle it away from the shifty Turpin, but the ball never made it far enough for that to play out. The Dallas Cowboys blocked it, only for Amani Oruwariye to whiff on the recovery and the Bengals to recover. Chaos.

Somehow, some way, a botched punt was just what Cincinnati needed. Ja’Marr Chase caught a 40-yard touchdown pass three plays later, and the Bengals walked away as 27-20 victors on Monday Night Football.

PFF’s dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.

In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.

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HIGHEST-GRADED PLAYERS

• LB Marist Liufau, Dallas Cowboys (95.6)
• QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (87.0)

Note: Follow along with PFF’s in-game grading as our analysts evaluate every player on every play in real time! Grades will then be relocked 90 minutes after the final whistle as our first-run analysis is reviewed.

Click here to see PFF’s initial grades from this game!

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Ja’Marr Chase is inevitable. He has now scored eight touchdowns in his past four games, headlined by a game-winning catch-and-run against the Cowboys. Chase saw a season-high 18 targets in this game, turning that workload into an elite 90.1 initial PFF overall grade. His 177 receiving yards marked just his third-highest total in a game this season, as did his 81 yards after the catch.

ADVANCED BOX SCORE