INDIANAPOLIS – What a wild game with so many back-and-forth moments. The Cowboys were able to do what they didn't last week, and that's rally after losing the lead.
But while this game has so many memorable highlights, let's look at a handful of plays that might be overlooked but certainly impacted the outcome.
Helmet to helmet on Prescott – On the Cowboys' second scoring drive, Dak Prescott was scrambling on second-and-15 and appeared to get just two yards. But as he attempted his slide, he was hit in the helmet by Colts linebacker CJ Allen, drawing a penalty. That gave the Cowboys a first down and moved the ball from the 33-yard line to the 18. After the change in quarter, Jake Ferguson scored for the Cowboys to grab a 10-7 lead. That penalty on Allen prevented the Indianapolis defense from having a third-and-13.
Colts' penalty opens door before halftime – Right before halftime, the Cowboys led just 10-7, and it appeared the Colts were in good position to get some points at their own 40-yard line. But a holding call put them behind the sticks with first-and-20, which allowed the Cowboys to be aggressive, calling their own timeouts to get the ball back. After a stop and a decent punt return by Jonathan Mingo, the Cowboys were able to take advantage with a long touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb for a 17-7 lead. Without that penalty, the Colts likely get to within striking distance to tie the game. Instead, they fell behind by 10.
Don't let Overshown overshadow the moment – No, it's been a while since the Cowboys – or any team – was flagged for a player not in uniform jumping onto the field of play to celebrate. But as crazy as that was – the fourth-quarter penalty pushed the Cowboys offense back 15 yards from its 30 to the 15 – let's not forget the call came after defensive tackle Quinnen Williams forced a fumble on Jonathan Taylor that Dallas recovered to get the ball back.
Downs drops third-down pass – Colts receiver Josh Downs certainly didn't have the best game from the family. His third-down drop on the Colts' second-to-last possession ultimately opened the door for the Cowboys. Not only did he drop the pass, but had the Colts run the ball instead, a full 40 seconds would've run off the clock before their go-ahead field goal. Ironically, Downs dropped the pass, but his brother, Caleb, wouldn't when he got the chance moments later to intercept quarterback Daniel Jones and seal the victory.
Intentional grounding on Jones – The Colts were in a good spot to drive down the field at the end of the game with two timeouts and a minute on the clock. But a first-down penalty on Jones for intentional grounding was a triple-whammy. Not only was it called an incomplete pass, but the penalty pushed the offense back 10 yards, and then there was a 10-second runoff, moving the clock from 58 to 48 seconds. The Cowboys were able to pin their ears back on the next two plays and close out the game with Downs' interception.
