If there is one thing that fans can rely on this season, it’s that Dallas will keep things interesting. Even with the win, the Cowboys and their front office still need to make a decision on what the goal for this season is and how much they trust the current staff to achieve that goal.
In a postgame interview, Dak Prescott acknowledged that this win was crucial. The Cowboys don’t need to run the table to make the playoffs this season; however, games like this are necessary today and going forward.
Time will tell if Dallas is able to get the job done in those crucial games, but on Sunday, they got the job done.
Cowboys 27 – Colts 23: How Tough is this Dallas Team?- Cody Warren, Inside The Star
A chronological recap of the game.
Dak’s throw to Jonathan Mingo on the opening drive was great. Third-and-3, George Pickens out, and Dak goes down the middle to Mingo for 23 yards.
Imagine being the Colts and having to account for Mingo the rest of the game because you gave him that much room while CeeDee Lamb was on the field. A few uneventful plays to Javonte Williams and you just gave Brandon Aubrey a shorter field goal.
8 instant takeaways from Cowboys’ ugly win over the Colts in Week 9- Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Caleb Downs is starting to make a bigger impact.
Downs does so many things well, and blitzing is one of them. Whether it’s due to injuries in the secondary or Christian Parker simply being overwhelmed as a first-time play-caller, he has not blitzed his star rookie nearly enough this season.
Parker went back to that well on 3rd-and-8 early in the second quarter. Downs came flying off the edge and buried Daniel Jones for a 10-yard loss to force a punt. Jones never saw him coming. It was a free shot, so you almost wish Downs had managed to jar the ball loose, but that’s nitpicking what was an outstanding play by the rookie.
Dak Prescott, Cowboys offense persevere vs. Colts: ‘We had to have it’- Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
Dak Prescott is well aware this team will have their backs up against the wall for the remainder of the season. With a Giants team ahead of them that keeps winning, Dallas will need to do the same.
“You get a chance, you got to go win it, you got to go finish it,” Prescott said. “There’s going to be some ups and downs, we can’t ride them, we’ve got to stay focused and stay locked into whatever our job is individually and it’s important collectively. At the end of the game, when you’ve got an opportunity to win or to close them out, you’ve got to do it, you can’t let up.”
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Game Recap, Highlights: Cowboys beat Colts 27-23 thanks to Downs, Lamb- K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
The encouraging aspect of this game is the fact that Dallas was more dominant than the score indicates. However, that may be more of an indictment of the coaching and game plan than a sign of optimism.
But Prescott, inaccurate in the first half, unloaded a deep bomb to Ryan Flournoy on the first play of their final possession. Subbing in for an injured George Pickens, Flournoy proved his value with a 46-yard reception. A few plays later Javonte Williams was running the ball in for a 27-23 lead.
Cowboys’ Narrow Win Shouldn’t Quiet the Conversation Around Jerry Jones and Brian Schottenheimer- Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated
Winning is always the best way to keep your job as a head coach in the NFL. But after the win on Sunday, the front office needs to ask if Dallas won because of the coaching staff or in spite of them.
So, do we simply pass on that conversation because the Cowboys barely beat the fire-sale Colts?
There’s some deserved nuance, of course. The Cowboys were without Joey Porter Jr. and George Pickens, and finally the defense looked close to adequate. Rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs sealed the game with a clutch interception and made a critical tackle earlier in the chaotic waning minutes.
CeeDee Lamb sets NFL record in Cowboys win over Colts- Matthew Lenix, Blogging The Boys
CeeDee Lamb had a great day, continuing a great season thus far, and has had a record-setting start to his career. The Cowboys will need Lamb to continue to produce if Dallas is going to make a bid at winning the NFC East.
In addition to that, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb set an NFL record. With his 10 receptions on Sunday, he now has 641 for his career which passes DeAndre Hopkins (632) for the most by any player before the age of 28.
