Former Lions Pick Single-Handedly Cost Team a Win on MNF in Week 14

Week 14 went about as well as the Detroit Lions could've hoped. The team took care of business despite injury issues and a short turnaround, defeating the Green Bay Packers for the second time this season on Thursday night by a score of 34-31.

That victory not only pushed the Lions' record to an incredible 12-1, but it also secured the team's spot in the playoffs. It inched Detroit one step closer to securing the NFC North title and No. 1 seed in the conference as well.

While this year has been a dream in the Motor City, the same can't be said for several other hopeful contenders. That includes the Dallas Cowboys, who entered 2024 fresh off of a 12-5 finish that netted them the 2-seed and their division crown.

This season has not gone according to plan in Dallas, however, and somehow things got even worse on Monday night -- which a former Lions draft pick had a big part in.

In the final two minutes of Monday Night Football, Cowboys forced the Cincinnati Bengals to punt with the score tied 20-20. Dallas' special teams unit even got home and partially blocked the kick, which would've given the Cowboys a short field once it was recovered by a Bengals player.

However, instead, Dallas cornerback Amani Oruwariye attempted to field the ball while it was bouncing after the block and muffed it. That allowed the Bengals to then recover and regain possession, and Zach Taylor's squad ended up scoring the go-ahead touchdown soon after to put the Cowboys away for good.

Oruwariye's name should ring a bell to Lions fans. He was a fifth-round pick by the team during the 2019 NFL Draft, and he went on to play his first four NFL seasons for Detroit. The Penn State product recorded a whopping nine interceptions and 27 passes defended over his first three years, but he experienced a falling out with the coaching staff in 2022 -- including a demotion from starter -- that led to his exit in the offseason.

The former fifth-rounder then signed with the New York Giants in free agency, yet he was released early on in 2023 without ever playing a snap. He caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad soon after and appeared in a game for them, but he was one of the team's cuts during this preseason.

Oruwariye had enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in Dallas this year prior to his major gaffe. He had appeared in four games before MNF, even making two starts, while recording an interception and three pass breakups against his old team, the Giants, in Week 4.

Considering his mistake cost the Cowboys an obvious win, and all but eliminated them from the playoffs, the CB may be looking for yet another home this offseason.

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