INDIANAPOLIS – Being the best in the NFL in something is usually a good thing.

No, it's not the offense or the defense or the special teams or coaching. None of that is at the top of the league, and that's why the Cowboys' overall record is right there below .500 after this win.

But my Lord, does anyone in the entire NFL play more entertaining games than this? Two weeks in a row, the Cowboys dominate the stat sheet and/or the scoreboard for the better part of three quarters, only to see a below-average quarterback rally his team back in the game.

Only this time, the Colts left too much time on the clock, and Dak Prescott, who hadn't led the offense to a touchdown drive in the second half, went to work and marched the team quickly – almost too quickly – into position to go win the game. This week, the Cowboys made the plays on offense, and then the defense held it down for the final minute.

Wow, the Cowboys narrowly win this game 27-23 despite nearly doubling up the Colts in total offense.

Oh, speaking of doubling up, how about the Cowboys with 153 penalty yards to just 67 for the Colts? I get it, that's not exactly twice as much, but it's a lot more and was about to be the difference in winning and losing this game.

Honestly, as I sit on this crowded bus trying to figure out how to put what I just watched into words, all I can think about is, "What if?" And I know you're not supposed to do that, but man, I just can't imagine what might have happened had the Cowboys not pulled out this game.

Sure, they had injuries to key players. Obviously, the Cowboys are a different team when George Pickens, Joey Porter Jr. and DeMarvion Overshown are not on the field. Well, I mean not on the field playing in the game. Overshown made his way to the field, I guess. Still can't believe that happened – because it should never happen. But that's one of those plays and moments we would talk more about had they not pulled this game out.

But somehow, the Cowboys managed to win it. I'm not really going to get too deep into the notion that "you've got to beat bad teams like this." I know people are going to say that because I've already heard it and read it. But let's be honest, the Cowboys aren't really that far ahead of the Colts. Sure, Indianapolis traded away some key players, and the overall direction of the team looks different, but once the Cowboys ruled out their best corner, a Pro Bowl receiver and a linebacker who has recorded two turnovers the last two weeks, it seemed to me the Cowboys were going to have a fight on their hands.

So when I say the Cowboys shouldn't have made it this close, it's really not about the talent or direction of the two teams. That stuff gets tossed out the window as soon as they kick the ball off. What I focus on is what happens in the game.

And inside this game, the Cowboys showed they were more efficient. They moved the ball better, both on the ground and in the air. Dak outplayed Daniel Jones as he should. Javonte Williams and Tyler Goodson were much better than Indy's runners, and that includes Jonathan Taylor, who wasn't much of a factor.

Defensively, the Cowboys were better than the Colts as well, finally coming up with a big turnover to seal the win.

The problem in all of these statements that I doubt anyone would really argue with is how close the Cowboys still made the game. Yeah, we can talk about the officials and how some of those calls were absolutely mind-boggling. The pass interference flags on CeeDee Lamb were moves that every receiver does on every play, yet they made a point to call it twice. Saying that a running back wasn't set when he's literally in his stance for a full second is crazy, especially when we see linemen popping up all the time to make the line calls and they never seem set. It's just a wild inconsistency that was bothersome to me.

OK, so the Cowboys had 14 penalties for 153 yards. That's fine if you're calling it that way. But you mean to tell me the 2-7 Colts, losers of five straight games, are now suddenly so disciplined that they only have 67 penalty yards? That doesn't add up to me. The Cowboys got called for holding so many times, but I know Quinnen Williams got held at least four or five times with no call.

But to that point, the times they didn't hold Williams, the Colts probably should have. He was absolutely dominant in the middle, and I'm glad our Cowboys social media team gave him the Player of the Game award. Sure, CeeDee had some crazy numbers, but he had the most up-and-down 195-yard performance I've ever seen. But Quinnen was a grown man out there today, and he set the tone for a defense that is certainly playing better.

Hey, the Cowboys don't have to score 30 points to get a win. The defense really had a good game, and if you think back to the fumble early on when Indy got the ball at the Cowboys' 19-yard line and scored, this defense really did a nice job of controlling the Colts, who still had some good weapons on their side of the ball.

Look, the Cowboys have played nine games, and they don't have a winning record. We all can see this team has plenty of issues. I think Dak put it best: They're making it harder than they need to. But then again, maybe that's just what this team is right now.

They're not good enough to blow out anyone. They're really not bad enough to get blown out. These games are going to come down to the very end, just like this one did. The Cowboys found a way to pull it out, but it's going to cover up the problems.

So if they're not a great team but not really a bad team, what are these Cowboys? Well, they're damn entertaining, that's for sure!