The Dallas Cowboys survived a game they could have given away. Giving away close games is becoming a theme for the 2026 Dallas Cowboys. They couldn’t score a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in a goal-to-go situation at the end of that contest. Then they gave up a game-winning field goal when, at the kickoff, they had seven seconds left. They lost to an undrafted free agent rookie quarterback at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead at AT&T Stadium for the first time in team history to the Arizona Cardinals, and the Colts led 23-20 with under two minutes to go in the game.
The Brian Schottenheimer era has been plagued by inconsistent, self-inflicted issues that keep opponents close only for the
game to slip away late. This time, the defense stood up enough for Dak Prescott to drag the team to a late victory despite losing the turnover battle and committing 14 penalties for 153 yards. It’s only the second win under Schottenheimer in which the team scores fewer than 30 points. There is no such thing as a bad win for a team still able to take their division. Dallas needs to take what they learned from this game and try to start the second winning streak of Schottenheimer’s head-coaching tenure.
The defense can win Dallas a game
For the first time in a full four quarters, the Dallas defense was the best part of the team. The special teams kicked a ball out of bounds and missed a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter. The offense had two turnovers, one that gave the Indianapolis offense the ball in the red zone, and allowed the Colts to stay in the game with poor play for the first two and a half quarters. Without starters DeMarvion Overshown and Joey Porter Jr., the Cowboys' defense forced five three-and-outs, including three straight in the second quarter. They allowed under five yards per pass, a 23% conversion rate on third down, and held Jonathan Taylor to 46 yards on 13 attempts with zero explosive runs. Dallas had a defensive-led victory for the first time in multiple seasons.
Tyler Goodson would've been the RB2
Tyler Goodson already had Cowboys fans and analysts calling for the team to trade KaVontae Turpin because of Goodson's big kickoff returns over the last few games. Still, he hadn’t gotten enough touches on offense to make a big difference. That changed Week 9 in Indianapolis. He made more than 10 attempts for the first time in his career, and it paid off with 6.4 yards per carry. He got 12 attempts and rushed for 77 yards, including three dynamic runs for a team that runs for very few. In the future, the team has no excuse for giving Goodson fewer than 10 touches per game. He had a 25% explosive-play percentage, and that is a dynamic the Dallas offense desperately needs in the run game.
Unfortunately, because this team just can't have nice things, Goodson is going to miss several weeks with a knee injury.
A player can be most helpful and most harmful in same game
If the Cowboys lost this game, most of the blame would likely fall on their best player, CeeDee Lamb. He not only fumbled with Dallas in field-goal range, but he also missed a touchdown by not tapping his foot in bounds on a fade route that any receiver of his caliber would make with ease. That doesn't include his, not one but, two offensive pass interference penalties.
Still,Lamb was probably the best and most impactful player in the game. He had 10 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown, accounting for a large share of the team's big plays. He averaged just under 20 yards per reception and had more yards than Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined today. With George Pickens out and all the coverage planned around stopping him, Lamb put up incredible numbers. He was the best performer and would be the scapegoat in the same contest.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys proved they don't have to blow every close game, here's what we learned
