This season has been nothing short of chaotic for the Dallas Cowboys. For special teams coordinator John Fassel, it’s been a string of heartbreaks and high-pressure moments. The latest disaster? Well, it was a costly mistake by Amani Oruwariye during Monday night’s thriller against the Bengals. And as obvious, some trouble could be easily sensed in the locker room.

After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy appeared in front of the media, where he, via ESPN reporter Ed Werder, said, “There was indeed a conversation between himself, ST coach John Fassel and Jerry Jones after the game regarding the blocked punt.” So, when the reporters asked further about Jerry Jones and his coming up in the locker room to seek information post-game, the HC continued saying “He’s the general manager. He asks good questions.” Although McCarthy didn’t reveal what “good questions” Jones asked him, what happened at Monday’s game can’t be ignored.

With the game tied at 20 and just under two minutes on the clock, linebacker Nick Vigil blocked a punt. The Cowboys were in a prime position to gain possession. But instead of leaving the ball alone, Amani Oruwariye tried to scoop it up. That one decision flipped everything.

Three plays later, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase delivered the knockout blow with a stunning 40-yard touchdown. The Cowboys were left stunned, as they lost to the Bengals 20-27.

On the other hand, when the media approached Cowboys ST coordinator John Fassel, he said, via Werder on X, “Owner Jerry Jones engaged him about the blocked punt and subsequent mistake by Amani Oruwariye almost as soon as he entered the locker room. Fassel said it wasn’t the first time but wouldn’t describe such a conversation as a normal occurrence.” Nevertheless, for now, the special team’s coordinator has taken up the responsibility for Oruwariye’s mistake.

John Fassel’s team’s repeated mistakes are infuriating Jerry Jones

It was reported that Jerry Jones confronted John Fassel saying, “I don’t know if you say anything to [Oruwariye]. We made the mistakes out there. That mistake at the end was really – it was very impactful. That’s all I can say.” Hence, on Tuesday, Fassel came into the spotlight when the media tried to fetch more information from him. Now, Fassel faced two critical issues head-on – Jerry Jones’s post-game questions and the mounting special teams mistakes.

Jerry walked into the locker room looking for answers, which didn’t surprise Fassel. It was a last-minute play, and everyone wanted to know what happened. So, Fassel broke it down by saying that the play call was simple, and Nick Vigil executed it flawlessly. He blocked the punt without risk of roughing, but the deflection didn’t go their way. According to him, it was a low-risk call that just didn’t pan out. However, Fassel is owning up to the mistakes. But he made sure to call special teams the “wild, wild west,” where chaos rules. From a missed blocked punt to an onside kick return, he admitted some errors fell on him. In addition to that, he agrees that he didn’t prepare the players as he should have. He didn’t dodge the heat, instead, he took it head-on, saying, “I get it, it comes with the territory.”

Although Fassel is not shying away from accountability, Jerry Jones’s increasing anger can surely put the team in trouble in the near future!