Ranking the 3 most exciting Cowboys games from the 2022 season

3. Week 2 vs. Cincinnati Bengals

All signs pointed to the Bengals winning this game even before the contest took place. Dak Prescott was out with a thumb fracture and wide receiver Michael Gallup was also inactive in this one.

Cincinnati entered the game as seven-point favorites on the road. But Cooper Rush didn't let them cover the spread. Rush delivered when it mattered most down the stretch, and the defense did its thing against Joe Burrow and company.

It was a back and forth game to the very end.

The Bengals marched 83 yards down the field -- also converting a two-point conversion -- to tie the game at 17 with 3:45 remaining in the game. Then the Cowboys punted the ball back to Cincinnati with around two minutes remaining in the game.

However, the Dallas defense stepped up, stopped the Bengals' offense, and gave Rush the ball back with just one minute remaining. The Cowboys' quarterback completed three straight passes to get the team into field goal range with four seconds to play.

That's when Brett Maher made the game-winning 50-yard kick as time expired to give the Cowboys a 20-17 win.

Even without Prescott, Dallas turned it up a notch against the defending AFC champions. The Cowboys came out on top in an exciting game. If this matchup happened later in the year, it might have been higher on this list.