Cowboys edge Colts in fourth-quarter thriller
Javonte Williams scored the winner with under a minute left as Dallas overcame 153 yards of penalties to stop a slide.
By Robert Ward ·
The Dallas Cowboys entered the fourth quarter facing a familiar problem: protecting a lead.
They trailed the Indianapolis Colts 23-20 with 1:37 remaining on Sunday. Dak Prescott needed 29 seconds to change the game. He connected with Ryan Flournoy on a 46-yard pass. Two penalties against Indianapolis followed. Javonte Williams then ran in from the one-yard line with 1:08 left. Dallas held on for a 27-23 victory.
This win snapped a recent trend for the Cowboys. They blew a 14-point lead to lose in overtime to Arizona one week earlier. Prescott said the team executed the plan. “We got it done,” he said. “It wasn't the prettiest, it wasn't the best second half from the whole team, but we got it done.”
Dallas dominated the stat sheet despite the messy finish. They outgained Indianapolis 508 yards to 271. CeeDee Lamb caught 10 passes for 195 yards. That total is the second-highest of his career. Williams added 101 rushing yards, his second 100-yard game this season. Prescott completed 21 of 34 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys made 14 penalties for 153 yards. That is their highest total since 2021. One unsportsmanlike conduct flag came on linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. He ran onto the field in street clothes to celebrate a takeaway. Lamb also had a costly error. He failed to get both feet down on a second touchdown catch in the first half. He then fumbled the ball away in the Indianapolis 15-yard line. Prescott also lost a fumble at the Dallas 19-yard line.
Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen chose to give the ball to Dallas with time left. “Yeah, we let them score,” Steichen said. “I mean they've got four shots from the 1-yard line so we have a chance to get the ball back. If not, they're bleeding the clock.”
The loss was likely the last for Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones in Indianapolis. Both players may be traded before Tuesday's deadline. Taylor rushed for 46 yards on 13 carries and lost a fumble. Jones was intercepted by Caleb Downs with 35 seconds left. The Colts lost their fifth straight game. Keenan Allen passed Tim Brown for eighth on the all-time receptions list with 1,095 catches.
Three Cowboys starters were inactive, including receiver George Pickens. Tight end Jake Ferguson left the game with a left knee injury. For Indianapolis, linebacker Jaylon Carlies and right tackle Jalen Travis did not return after first-half injuries. Dallas begins a three-game homestand next Sunday against San Francisco. Indianapolis hosts Miami in what could be a matchup of rebuilding teams.
