The Cowboys left Indianapolis with a win, but the trip came with a pile of problems that could make Week 10 a lot tougher. Dallas got its fourth victory of the season, yet the injury list is growing at the wrong time with San Francisco coming to town and the 7-1 49ers waiting.
Brian Schottenheimer laid out the situation plainly when he talked through the damage from the Colts game.
“Busy week in the training room for us,” Schottenheimer said. “PJ Locke will not be available this week.
Jake Ferguson and Tyler Goodson should both miss multiple weeks. We’re working through that.”
That’s a rough hit for a roster that already needs to be sharp in every phase. The Cowboys have to keep getting stops on defense, but they also need the offense to do more with the chances it creates.
The biggest blow is at running back, where Tyler Goodson is expected to miss time after playing through the injury in Week 9. The 25-year-old left in the first half and spent time in the sideline medical tent, then came back after halftime and finished with 33 of his 77 rushing yards. He and Javonte Williams combined for 178 yards on the ground, and Goodson’s 6.4 yards per carry stood out.
After the game, Goodson made it clear he’ll try to suit up if he can.
“I’m going to do everything I can to get out there on the field,” Goodson said after the win. “If it’s just a little pain, I’m going to go. But if it’s something where I just can’t go, then I won’t go.”
Jake Ferguson’s absence also lands hard, especially with the Cowboys trying to find more consistency on offense. Dallas is already dealing with a stretch where the defense is doing its part and the offense keeps giving possessions back.
That showed up against Indianapolis. The Cowboys were up 10-7 in the second quarter when the defense forced three straight three-and-outs.
Dallas gave the ball right back three times. On the final one, Williams opened with a 14-yard run, then CeeDee Lamb was flagged for a false start, the penalties stacked up, and the drive ended with a punt on fourth-and-18.
It took a fourth straight Colts punt before Schottenheimer and Dak Prescott finally made the defense pay. Prescott took over at the 25 with 49 seconds left and hit Lamb for a 44-yard touchdown before halftime.
The defense had its own standout performance, and Caleb Downs kept building his case as one of the top defensive players in this draft class. After showing flashes earlier in the season, the rookie delivered his most complete NFL game yet. Downs and Quinnen Williams were the best defenders on the field Sunday, and Downs finished with a sack, a PBU, and a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys are also carrying a long list of players whose status will need to be monitored as the week goes on, so the injury picture could shift again before kickoff.
Schottenheimer also pointed directly at the penalty problem, and he didn’t hide from how much it has hurt Dallas. Through nine games, the Cowboys are tied for the second-most accepted penalties in the league with 42 and lead the NFL with 667 penalty yards against them.
“It wasn’t good enough, and that’s why that came down to the way it came down,” Schottenheimer said. “That game should’ve been where we win by a couple touchdowns maybe, but we let them hang around, we put ourselves behind the sticks on offense a bunch. Explained to the guys, if we don’t clean that up, it’s going to hurt our ability to do what we want to do.”
And while the Cowboys sort through their own issues, the rest of the NFC East took a turn that Dallas fans will notice. The Eagles, mired in a seven-game losing streak and having dropped three straight against division opponents, traded star nose tackle Jordan Davis to the Jaguars on Monday afternoon, less than a day before the trade deadline. It came eight months after Philadelphia signed him to a three-year, $78 million deal.
For Dallas, the win in Indianapolis kept the season alive. But the injuries, the penalties, and the thin margin for error all showed up at once.
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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 🡒]
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Caleb Downs Just Gave The Cowboys Something They Desperately Needed
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Downs was especially effective when the Colts tested him, limiting their success in coverage and earning the highest coverage grade among the defenders in the game. For a Cowboys defense that has been searching for steady play and timely stops, his performance stood out as one of the clearest reasons the team was able to finish the job. [Read more 🡒]