The first of three straight contests against teams with a losing record for the Dallas Cowboys was their Sunday night matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Cowboys need to take care of business during this crucial stretch since they are still trailing the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
They did, however, make a statement on this occasion, destroying the Colts 54-19 in a lopsided victory.
As the game went on, Dallas’ defence just outplayed Indianapolis, and the fourth quarter devolved into a feeding frenzy. Four of the unit’s interceptions—three of which came in the fourth quarter—and two fumble recoveries were recorde.
Malik Hooker recorded an interception and a fumble recovery, returning the latter for a score. Hooker was originally selected by the Colts and played the first four years of his career there. He accomplished this, making history as the first Cowboys defender to do so since Dennis Thurman on September 11, 1983, in St. Louis.
He wasn’t alone, though; rookie cornerback DaRon Bland also hauled in two picks, and the defence as a whole finished with three sacks and limited Colts quarterback Matt Ryan to a dismal passer rating of 59.9. Jonathan Taylor, the rushing champion from the previous season, was only allowed 82 total carries for just 3.9 yards per carry.
Dallas’ balanced offensive strategy saw them run the ball 34 times and drop back to pass 31 times on the opposing side of the ball. 220 running yards were produced by the ground game, with Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott both contributing 91 of those yards.
Even if you’re not looking right now, the Cowboys might already have their top wide receiver. CeeDee Lamb was outstanding. He started moving more than any other time in his career, and he finished with 71 receiving yards off of five catches with one touchdown. Dak Prescott, the quarterback, completed 66.7 percent of his passes for just 170 yards, but he also had three touchdowns and just one interception, giving him a rating of 100.7. Michael Gallup also made it into the end zone twice.
The Cowboys set a new team record by scoring 33 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Before the Dallas offence got going, there was a series and an immediate disadvantage. The Cowboys immediately fought back and forced their way down the field on a 12-play, 73-yard drive after the Colts took a 3-0 lead with a 52-yard field goal. Elliott and Pollard had eight carries for 32 yards in total, with the former picking up six of those yards on fourth down.
However, Prescott also contributed, completing three passes for 41 yards, the last of which was a 20-yard pass to Lamb. Lamb crossed over a would-be tackler, never touched the ground, and spun off for the goal line and his sixth touchdown of the season, already matching his career high.
However, the home team’s advantage was short-lived. Using a significant 45-yard gain, Colts quarterback Ryan initially scorched Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown on the right side. Two snaps later, Ryan successfully fooled teammate corner Trevon Diggs into biting on a fake, freeing up receiver Ashton Dulin to score in the left side of the end zone.
End Of period
The Colts were forced back to their own 16 after blitzing safety Donovan Wilson intercepted Ryan on third-and-4 at the Indianapolis 25-yard line. Donovan’s effort and the subsequent Indianapolis punt put the Cowboys at their own 44-yard line, where it took them just six plays to score once more.
Starting off with a 17-yard run off the left tackle, Pollard finished the series with a dart up the middle for two yards, setting up the touchdown. Between those two plays, Lamb increased his total with a catch and run down the left sideline of 22 yards.
Sadly, Prescott threw his seventh interception of the season—his fourth late in the first half—with just under three minutes left in the second quarter. Stephon Gilmore, a cornerback, secured the pick this time and returned it 31 yards to the Dallas 19-yard line. The Cowboys’ defence held up, but Indianapolis cut the lead to one with a 34-yard field goal.
Before the half, however, the Cowboys had another opportunity when Brown tipped a Ryan pass with Hooker waiting to catch the ball. With 55 seconds left and all three timeouts in hand, Dallas took over when the safety stood up and ran 26 yards to the Indianapolis 26-yard line.
Dallas had more than enough time to return to the end zone. The Cowboys extended their advantage to 21-13 at the half as Prescott found Gallup racing over the middle on third-and-9 at the 13-yard line. Gallup then forced his way into the end zone.
Third Quarter
The Colts’ lengthy 15-play drive in the third quarter, which covered 90 yards and took 8:00 off the clock, tightened things up once more. On fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 13-yard line, Indianapolis decided to go for it, with Ryan keeping the ball to get the necessary yardage and advance the chains. The quarterback found Alec Pierce for the touchdown two snaps later. Indianapolis attempted to go for two but the pass was unsuccessful. Brown of the Cowboys was forced to leave the game due to an ankle injury during the drive. Kelvin Joseph, his replacement, was the victim of the touchdown that sent the Colts back to within two.
Final Quarter
Dallas quickly responded once more, starting its own 10-play, 75-yard drive that continued into the fourth quarter. The team did receive a break when a nearly intercepted pass in Colts territory was not only overturned, but also moved to the opponent’s 20-yard line thanks to an Indianapolis penalty. When given a second chance, Prescott connected with a running Lamb across the middle for a 17-yard gain that brought the ball down to the 3-yard line before again focusing on Gallup for the score. The receiver’s third multi-touchdown game of his career occurred that day.