The Dallas Cowboys led by two-points with 14 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Then, Dallas rattled off 33-unanswered points to get a 54-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
That’s the most fourth quarter points in Cowboys history, and the second-most in NFL history. But that wasn’t the only re-writing of the Cowboys’ record books that happened Sunday night.
Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes. He started the night with the fifth-most passing touchdowns in Cowboys history, and ended the night third on the list. Here’s what the top five looks like now:
- Tony Romo: 248
- Troy Aikman: 165
- Dak Prescott: 156
- Danny White: 155
- Roger Staubach: 153
Here’s how Dak moved up two spots, and everything else you need to know from the highest-scoring Cowboys game this season:
The offense was shaky for three quarters
Before the explosion of points in the fourth quarter, Dallas only mustered up 21 points. Most of the points late in the game were thanks to a handful of turnovers forced by the defense.
Prescott threw for 170 yards and one interception. The pick came on a pass to Michael Gallup, but the veteran WR stumbled after breaking on his route and gave Stephon Gilmore an easy turnover.
We won’t dwell too much on the offensive struggles, but it was very similar to what we saw on Thanksgiving vs. the New York Giants. Dallas’ offense has shown a tendency to start slow, but the defense kept the Cowboys in both games.
The defense balled out
Dallas’ defense forced five total turnovers, four of which came on consecutive drives in the second half. Since Dan Quinn took over as defensive coordinator in 2020, this is the Cowboys sixth game with 4+ turnovers. That’s two more than any other team in that span, per ESPN.
DaRon Bland had two interceptions and Malik Hooker had a pick. Osa Odighizuwa and Damone Clark each forced a fumble.
This was a revenge game for Hooker, who started his career with the Colts but the team opted against exercising his fifth-year option. After the game, Hooker said he had extra motivation facing his old team.
The Cowboys did a great job pressuring Matt Ryan, who was sacked three times. Ryan completed 56% of his passes for 233 yards.
There is some area of concern for the defense, though. Stephen Jones told the media that Anthony Brown may have suffered a torn Achilles, which would end his season. He’s expected to undergo an MRI Monday to confirm the diagnosis.
Dallas is already thin at CB after Jourdan Lewis’ season-ending Week 7 injury.
Cowboys rookies shined
The future is bright in Dallas thanks to some big performances from Cowboys rookies:
- Bland: two interceptions, seven tackles
- Clark: three tackles, one forced fumble
- Sam Williams: one TFL, one fumble recovery, two tackles
- Malik Davis: three carries for 29 yards (9.7 yards per attempt), one touchdown
