That one did NOT hurt. It helped them WIN THE GAME.
A successful three-yard (or ten-yard) pass would also have helped, but carried the added cost of putting the Cowboys in FAR BETTER position to win the game if the pass were defended or dropped as Richard Rodgers had done just two plays earlier.
To assume a hypothetical pass play would have been successful as justification against the actual play that was successful despite losing yardage is ridiculous.