The Dallas Cowboys survived the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a game that was much closer than it should have been. Here’s what we learned.
The defense continues to start fast
The Cowboys defense started the game by forcing four punts on five drives, with the lone score coming from an offensive turnover at the Dallas 19. All but one punt came after the defense forced the Colts into three-and-outs. This was the second week in a row they held their opponent to just one score in the first half.
Caleb Downs notched himself a sack on a blind
side blitz while the defense never let Jonathan Taylor establish himself on the ground. The interior of the defensive line held their own, forcing quick throws and swallowing up the opposing running back. The wounded linebacker and defensive back groups also held up well.
The defense once again showed up early while giving time back to the offense to figure themselves out in the first half. As frustrating as it was to watch Dak Prescott and the offense destroy themselves with penalties, the defensive performance through the first two quarters was impressive.
The offense needs to find its rhythm earlier
The Cowboys scored a commendable 17 points in the first half. You can’t be too disappointed with them. Unfortunately the offense also gifted seven points to a terrible Colts team while taking potential points off the board with drive-killing penalties. This offense had a chance to put up more points but stalled near midfield multiple times.
Dak Prescott looked off on a few throws and the offensive line struggled to consistently protect the quarterback. Running backs Javonte Williams and Tyler Goodson averaged 4.3 and 6.3 yards per carry respectively on a combined 17 rushing attempts before halftime. Dallas moved the ball well, struggling though to cash in on too many drives though.
The Colts defense didn’t do a ton early to stop this offense other than hurrying Dak Prescott and landing some hits. The failures that the Cowboys offense saw through two quarters were mostly self-inflicted.
The Cowboys demonstrate resilience in a game that should have been a blowout
This game against the Colts was frustrating on multiple levels. If you told any fan that an NFL team would throw for 329 yards and run for another 179 while while limiting their opponent to 271 total yards on the day, they’d say the game was a blowout. That’s just not going to be the case for the Cowboys seemingly ever in the 2026 season.
This game had all the makings of a Cowboys blowout. But in classic Cowboys fashion, they allowed the Colts to claw their way back in to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. Thanks to miscues and penalties, the Cowboys failed to cash in on points throughout the day.
Still, even through the extremely frustrating performance, the better team did win in the end. The Cowboys didn’t make it easy on themselves but did finish the day with a massive touchdown drive thanks to a big play from Dak Prescott to Ryan Flournoy, finished off with a Javonte Williams touchdown.
No matter how many yards your offense creates, a mistake-filled performance like this won’t net you many wins in the NFL. But for just this week, the Cowboys were able to survive and walk away with the win.
