Brandon Aubrey had a chance to tie an NFL record that was taken away by an inexcusable mistake by the Cowboys.
The Dallas kicker hit a 66-yard field goal into the goal post just before the end of the first half.
However, just as Aubrey began his kicking motion, the officials jumped in to try to stop the play, but the kicker had already begun the kick.
The officials called a delay of possession on the Cowboys, invalidating a kick that would have given Dallas a 23-3 lead over the Browns by halftime.
Aubrey made the kick from the Browns' 48-yard line, even though it didn't count.
The record for the longest field goal was set in 2021 by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
Aubrey made field goals of 57, 50, 46 and 40 yards for Dallas.
The Cowboys had two timeouts remaining, making the mistake even more inexcusable, and after Dallas was pushed back five yards by a penalty, head coach Mike McCarthy held his kicking unit alone for a moment while he considered whether to let Aubrey take the 71-yard try.
But the Cowboys coach brought Dak Prescott back onto the field to attempt a Hail Mary play to close out the second quarter.
“He did it. I saw the clock going down and I don't know why he didn't take a timeout,” Tom Brady said of the play from the Fox broadcast booth.
Former NFL punter turned sports media personality Pat McAfee also weighed in on X.
“Brandon Aubrey being taken off a 66-yarder is just a real tragedy. It's just a shame.” [out] “Great for him. The guy is phenomenal,” McAfee wrote.
Aubrey had already impressed players with his leg strength early in the game, easily slotting a 57-yard field goal into the goal post with 2 minutes, 11 seconds left in the game.
