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Colts DeskThe TapeGame center →

Colts hold a late lead, then give up 509 yards in a 27-23 loss to Cowboys

Indianapolis went 3-for-13 on third down and lost the yardage fight by 238 yards, and a fourth-quarter fumble and a 46-yard completion decided it.

2327The TapeL 23–27vsCOWBOYS
By Colts Desk, Pigskin NightlyNov 8, 5:30 PM ET3 min read

The deciding stretch

The Colts lost Week 9 in the fourth quarter on three plays. At 9:54, Jonathan Taylor ran up the middle for minus-2 yards to the Dallas 20 and fumbled. Q.Williams forced it, S.James recovered at the Dallas 19, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Dallas moved the ball to midfield. Win probability dropped 20 points for Indianapolis on that snap.

S.Shrader's 50-yard field goal at 1:37 pushed it back 21 points toward the Colts. D.Prescott answered with a 46-yard shotgun completion to R.Flournoy, down to the Indianapolis 19, and that single throw took 29 points away.

Then J.Williams ran up the middle for 8 yards to the 11. A penalty on G.Stewart for illegal use of hands, enforced at the 11, took another 26 points off the board. Dallas won 27-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The swing

The score said four points. The line of scrimmage said more. Dallas gained 509 yards to Indianapolis's 271, a gap of 238, and held the ball for 35:08 to the Colts' 24:17.

The Cowboys ran it for 180 yards at 5.5 a carry. The Colts managed 105 at 4.6. Indianapolis ran well enough on its better snaps, but the Colts converted 3 of 13 third downs and punted away five three-and-out drives. Dallas had two.

The Colts did make Dallas work on third down. The Cowboys went 5-for-16 there. But their 14 penalties for 153 yards did not stop them from moving the chains, and 22 first downs to the Colts' 15 shows where the possession time went.

Indianapolis's longest drive covered 72 yards in four plays and ended in a fumble. Dallas's longest was 75 yards in four plays and ended in a touchdown. Each team turned it over twice.

Who moved the needle

Protection held up better than the passing numbers suggest. Daniel Jones was sacked twice for 14 yards, against three sacks and 6 yards for Dallas. Jones finished 20 of 34 for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and the Colts averaged 4.6 yards per pass. Net of sacks, the passing game produced 166 yards.

The big plays came in short supply and from a few hands. Ashton Dulin caught one pass, a 55-yard touchdown. Seth McGowan carried six times for 45 yards, a 7.5 average, with a 36-yard long and a touchdown. Taylor carried 13 times for 46 yards, 3.5 a carry, and no run longer than 7.

Tyler Warren caught four passes for 44 yards on seven targets. Keenan Allen caught four for 26 on eight targets, and Josh Downs caught three for 24 on six.

On defense, Hunter Wohler made 16 tackles and Bryce Boettcher 12. CJ Allen had 10 with a tackle for loss and a pass defensed. Jaylahn Tuimoloau recorded the Colts' lone sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a pass defensed among his three tackles.

Where it leaves them

Indianapolis is 2-7 and has lost five straight. The Colts are 1-3 at home and 1-4 on the road. They have scored 184 points and allowed 249, a difference of minus-65.

In the AFC South they sit third. Jacksonville is 6-2, Houston is 2-5, and Tennessee is 1-7. The Colts rank 13th in the conference.

The next test is at Lucas Oil Stadium again. The Dolphins visit on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS. The film to watch is the third-down line: the Colts went 3-for-13 against Dallas, and the offensive line has to give Jones and the backs more to work with on early downs.

How this was reported. Every number in this piece comes from the play-by-play, drive, injury and snap data Pigskin Nightly collects for every game. EPA (expected points added) is from the open nflverse model. We do not use anonymous sources or invent quotes. Read how we write; spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it in the open.