The Cowboys walked into Indianapolis needing a response, and they got one in a 27-23 win that kept their season from drifting any further off course. After the loss to the Arizona Cardinals a week earlier, Dallas was sitting at 3-5 and had little room left for another slip if it wanted to stay in the playoff hunt.
This one wasn’t clean, but the Cowboys made the plays that mattered late. Both the offense and the defense delivered in the fourth quarter, and that was enough to turn a tense afternoon into a much-needed victory.
The biggest reason for the turnaround was rookie safety Caleb Downs, who put together his first true statement game in the NFL. Downs was a central figure in the win, and his performance earned him this week’s game ball award. It also came against his older brother Josh, marking the first time the two had faced each other in their professional careers.
Downs arrived in Dallas with huge expectations, and through the first eight games of his rookie season, he had flashed plenty without fully taking over a game. That changed Sunday. For the first time in his NFL career, he looked like the player who had dominated at Ohio State.
He and Quinnen Williams were the two most impactful defenders on the field. Downs filled up the stat sheet with a sack, a PBU, and the game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter, showing how disruptive he can be when he’s rolling.
The coverage numbers backed it up, too. Downs posted the top coverage grade among all defenders with a 90.6, and Indianapolis managed only one completion on four targets against him for 12 yards. That was a very different picture from some of the early-season coverage struggles he had shown.
If Dallas is going to climb closer to league average on defense, games like this from Caleb Downs will go a long way.
In Other News...
Cowboys Flipped The Finish When A Colts Star Broke Down
The Cowboys got a timely break in a game that had been tight for much of the afternoon, and it came on a play where Sauce Gardner could not hold up at the end. Gardner had been steady for most of the day, but one crucial lapse helped swing the finish in Dallas favor and left the Colts staring at another loss in a skid that has now reached five straight.
For Dallas, it was the kind of closing sequence that can change the feel of a season, especially against a team already under pressure. Gardners rough ending also renewed the scrutiny around his value since arriving from the Jets, while the Colts now have to sort through both the defeat and a schedule that does not offer much relief ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Linked To A Pass Rush Fix With One Big Catch
Will McDonald IV has emerged as a name to watch as the trade deadline approaches, and the Cowboys are among the teams reportedly poking around. The Jets edge rusher has asked for a trade after seeing his playing time dip this season, which has naturally opened the door for teams looking to add juice off the edge. For Dallas, the fit is easy to understand: the pass rush has been a constant point of emphasis, and McDonald would give the defense another young piece to consider.
The catch is just as important as the interest. McDonald has one year left on his contract, and New York is not in a hurry to move him, which means this is not the kind of deal that happens on Dallas timeline alone. If the Cowboys want to turn interest into action, they may have to wait out the Jets and decide how much they are willing to pay for a player whose situation is unsettled but whose upside is obvious. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Face A George Pickens Decision Fans Never Expected
Speculation around George Pickens has started to swirl at an awkward time for the Cowboys, with the trade deadline approaching and the team trying to steady itself through a rocky stretch. Michael Robinson of NFL Network added fuel to the conversation by suggesting Dallas could be in seller mode, even raising the possibility of Pickens landing with the Chiefs. It is the kind of rumor that tends to catch fire quickly when a teams season feels unsettled, especially around a receiver the Cowboys have publicly described as part of their long-term plans.
The chatter only picked up after Pickens was held out of Sundays game because of injuries, giving the rumor mill another reason to run. For now, though, there has been no official trade and Dallas has not backed off its stated desire to keep him, which leaves the situation in a familiar holding pattern: plenty of noise, a looming deadline, and one of the teams more intriguing offensive pieces at the center of it all. [Read more 🡒]