ARLINGTON, Texas – The job of the Dallas Cowboys right now is to just keep winning. That’s what occurred Sunday night, as the Cowboys defeated the Colts, 54-19, for its fourth consecutive win.
Dallas has won five of its last six games, with the only loss, in overtime at Green Bay, coming in a game where the visiting team coughed up a 14-point fourth quarter lead.
At this stage, the Cowboys must stay focused because the next two opponents, Houston and Jacksonville, are a combined 5-18-1.
The showdown with the Eagles on Christmas Eve can’t happen soon enough.
But first, here’s five things of note against the Colts:
Defense goes crazy
It was a solid outing for the Cowboys’ defense that forced five turnovers, including two picks from cornerback DaRon Bland and another from safety Malik Hooker. The Cowboys also saw rookie Damone Clark force a fumble, which resulted in Hooker getting a scoop and score in the fourth quarter.
Dallas’ defense had pressure on Indianapolis quarterback Matt Ryan for a good portion of the evening and there were two sacks from safety Donovan Wilson and linebacker Anthony Barr on blitzes. Wilson came right through the A-gap untouched to get his sack. Barr came off the edge to take Ryan down.
It got so bad for the Colts, they gave up 33 points in the fourth quarter. Dallas’ points were the most it’s ever scored in the fourth quarter in franchise history. This Jeff Saturday thing just isn’t working out for Indianapolis.
The Colts, a strong running team who accumulated 416 rushing yards in its last three games, had 106 for the game. On third down, the Colts converted 4 of 13. The Cowboys made it hard on the Colts and that was without starting cornerback Anthony Brown, who left the game with an ankle injury.
Brown’s injury
While the Cowboys are scheduled to entertain free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Monday, the more pressing matter is the cornerback position.
Brown went out with an ankle in the third quarter and was replaced by Kelvin Joseph. Both players gave up some plays, including Joseph who was charged with giving up a touchdown to Alec Pierce, which at the time cut Dallas’ lead to 21-19. The seriousness of Brown’s injury is not yet known, but he was carted off the field and had a towel covering his face, as a member of the Cowboys’ staff was holding his left leg in place.
The Cowboys have lost two of their three starting corners this season. Slot corner, Jourdan Lewis is out for the season with a foot injury and now Brown is gone. That leaves, Trevon Diggs, Bland and Joseph as the top three corners. However, the Cowboys also employ veteran Kendall Sheffield who is on the practice squad.
Pollard gets the start
For the first time since he’s been with the Cowboys, Tony Pollard started a game with a healthy Ezekiel Elliott on the sideline. Pollard participated on the first seven plays of the game before Elliott entered the game. Both players eventually got significant playing time, as Elliott started the second half. It’s part of a rotation the Cowboys have used all season with Pollard and Elliott but this is the first time the Cowboys started Pollard. When the game was done, Elliott rushed 17 times for 77 yards and Pollard had 91 yards on 12 carries. Once again the Cowboys utilized their best offensive weapons when necessary.
The Gallup and Lamb show
Over the last month or so, CeeDee Lamb has been fantastic. Sunday night he caught a 20-yard touchdown pass, spinning out of safety Rodney McLeod Jr.’s arms and went untouched for the score. Lamb also ran it twice for 23 yards. Lamb finished with 5 catches for 71 yards. Michael Gallup, coming off a strong performance on Thanksgiving Day, caught two touchdown passes, a fade route early in the fourth quarter and late in the first half as Dak Prescott scrambled to find him. Gallup caught 4 passes for 23 yards.
Hooker haunts former team
Hooker tried to downplay his first game against his former team, the Colts, but it was hard not to like his performance on Sunday night. Hooker snagged an interception off a tipped pass late in the first half and early in the fourth quarter scooped up a fumble and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. Hooker was a 2017 first-round pick by the Colts, but injuries derailed any opportunities for him to showcase himself in Indianapolis.
