INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts fought their way back from down 10 in the second half and took control late in the fourth quarter, but the thrill of stealing a comeback win was short-lived as Dak Prescott led the Dallas Cowboys on a game-winning touchdown drive inside the final minute to escape with a 27-23 win.
The fifth-straight loss spoiled a furious rally and wasted another heroic performances from Spencer Shrader, who nearly outdueled All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey with the roof open and the wind
bristling throughout Lucas Oil Stadium. Aubrey broke the ice with a 45-yard field goal on Dallas’ opening drive, but finished 2-for-3 on Sunday. Shrader connected on field goals from 47, 59 and 50-yards out, but his go-ahead field goal to give the Colts a late lead would not be sustained.
Colts edge rusher Laiatu Latu raced around the edge of left tackle Tyler Guyton, got a firm grasp of Prescott twice from behind, and knocked the ball loose for a strip-sack. Rookie edge rusher Caden Curry recovered the fumble and returned it inside the red zone to give Indianapolis the takeaway it desperately needed. Curry, a Greenwood, Ind. native, had a breakout performance and secured his first sack in his first NFL start.
The Colts leaned on their ground game as rookie running back Seth McGowan finished the six-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown to take an early 7-3 lead. McGowan provided a spark for the rushing attack, finishing with 45 rushing yards on just six carries, less than half of the carries of Indy’s workhorse.
Dallas answered with a methodical, 18-play scoring drive. Toward the end of the first quarter, an unnecessary roughness penalty from rookie linebacker C.J. Allen gifted Dallas a first down. Faced with fourth-and-2 from inside the 10, Prescott laid a perfect pass on a corner near the back pylon to tight end Jake Ferguson, who rose above the defender to haul in a touchdown and put the Cowboys back ahead 10-7.
Indianapolis struggled to generate any offense during the first half as quarterback Daniel Jones was held to just 50 passing yards, while Dallas’ pass rush found a way to wreak havoc in the pocket. Cowboys rookie safety Caleb Downs blitzed untouched for a blindside sack to force another punt and had a breakout performance in his first matchup against his older brother, Josh.
Four consecutive possessions for Indy in the second quarter resulted in a punt, controlling just six minutes on the game clock for a total of 40 net yards. The Cowboys closed the first half with a pair of deep shots to receiver CeeDee Lamb, with the latter striking for a 44-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 17-7. Prescott recognized the Cover 2 zone, found Lamb with his hand raised and fired a missile to beat the defender for the explosive score. Lamb was virtually unstoppable, hauling in 10 catches for 195 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Jones’ stats were inflated late in the third after he hit receiver Ashton Dulin on a screen, then the speedster broke through the initial tackle before racing 55 yards into the end zone. The most explosive offensive play for the Colts brought the score to within 20-17 and injected life into a restless crowd that had watched its offense struggle through nearly three quarters.
Perhaps the most momentum-shifting play happened early in the fourth. Faced with 3rd-and-12, Prescott stayed in the pocket and took a big hit, but found a wide open Lamb diving to secure the catch inside of Colts territory. The All-Pro receiver was never touched or down by contact, so he got up and tried to race for the end zone, but lost the football as the turf knocked the ball out of his grasp, allowing Cam Bynum to recover and seize the momentum. Lamb was initially ruled down by contact, but Colts head coach Shane Steichen challenged the play to reverse the ruling.
The Colts chance to capitalize unraveled after a 40-yard defensive pass interference penalty against Bland moved Indianapolis into scoring position. Running back Jonathan Taylor was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and coughed up the football, wasting another scoring opportunity as linebacker Shemar James recovered the lost fumble.
Midway through the fourth, McGowan broke free on a left zone run for a 36-yard gain to breach Cowboys territory. Shrader delivered on a 59-yard field goal to level the score at 20, then later added a 50-yarder to take a late 23-20 lead with just 1:37 left to play.
On the very first play of Dallas’ final true drive, Prescott launched another missile downfield and receiver Ryan Flournoy hauled in the 46-yard catch over cornerback Sauce Gardner to instantly set the Cowboys inside the red zone. After consecutive Colts penalties set Dallas up at the 1-yard-line, running back Javante Williams plunged into the end zone from 1-yard out to score the go-ahead touchdown with just 1:08 remaining.
The Colts final drive lasted just three plays, featuring intentional grounding and another incompletion before Jones’ lofted an awful pass over the middle of the field, which Caleb Downs picked off to terminate the last chance to steal a victory.
Taylor was held to just 46 yards on 13 carries. Jones finished 20-of-34 for 180 passing yards, with one touchdown and one interception. For Indianapolis, the comeback demonstrated the ability to fight back when the game appeared out of reach, but multiple defensive lapses, along with a pair of costly turnovers ultimately overshadowed the effort. The stampede once again left the stadium to boo’s, listening to “Here we go” cadences, and “How ‘bout them Cowboys” chants.
Despite Dallas’ offense piling up more than 500 yards, Indy still had a chance to get one final stop with the lead. Instead, the Colts allowed the Cowboys to flip the field into the red zone on one play, then reclaim the lead in under 30 seconds.
The Colts host the 1-8 Miami Dolphins next Sunday inside Lucas Oil Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
