The Colts head into Sunday’s meeting with Dallas carrying more questions than answers, and the biggest ones may not even be about the matchup itself. With the trade deadline set for Tuesday at 4 p.m., this could feel like a showcase for several players who might not be in Indianapolis much longer.
Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs, Grover Stewart and even quarterback Daniel Jones are all being viewed as available if the right offer comes along, with draft-pick compensation the focus. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon and interim GM Ed Dodds are trying to load up on 2027 picks after the club moved into a full reboot with the firing of Chris Ballard and trades involving Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. Taylor, in particular, could bring back a meaningful return.
“Everybody wants clarity,’’ said Taylor. “No one wants uncertainty.’’
That uncertainty hangs over a Colts team that has dropped four straight, has lost 11 in a row against winning teams, and hasn’t won the turnover battle in 13 consecutive games - the longest such streak in franchise history. The offense has been especially rough during the skid, with seven turnovers and only five touchdowns, while the Jones-led attack has averaged 14.8 points over those four games.
Indianapolis also hasn’t had a 300-yard passing game in 16 straight contests, and Taylor hasn’t topped 100 rushing yards in a career-long 15 straight. The Colts and the 0-7 Chargers are the only teams this season without a 300-yard passer, 100-yard receiver or 100-yard rusher.
Sunday does, at least, offer a chance to get Taylor rolling. Dallas owns the league’s worst run defense, allowing 5 yards per carry and giving up the most runs of 20-plus yards and 40-plus yards.
Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving gouged the Cowboys for 165 yards on 21 carries, and Arizona’s Tyler Allgeier went for 147 yards on 11 attempts. Taylor has 610 rushing yards, good for eighth in the league, but he hasn’t reached 100 in a game since his 244-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Colts’ overtime win over Atlanta in London in Week 10 last season.
Rookie Seth McGowan has been getting more work to help keep Taylor fresh, but this is the kind of game where the run game needs to show something.
The Colts also have to deal with one of the league’s most dangerous receiver pairings. CeeDee Lamb leads the NFL with 92 targets and ranks third with 60 catches and 709 yards, while George Pickens has added 39 receptions for 533 yards.
Together, they’ve scored eight touchdowns. Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr. will be tasked with limiting the damage, but the bigger issue may be up front: Indianapolis ranks 32nd in pressure rate at 26.5 percent, according to Next Gen Stats.
Adetomiwa Adebawore, who signed a two-year, $35 million extension, is tied for the team lead with four sacks alongside departed Buckner, while Laiatu Latu has two sacks and eight quarterback hits and Jaylahn Tuimoloau has one sack and two QB hits. If Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott isn’t bothered, Lou Anarumo’s defense could be in trouble.
Dallas arrives at 3-5, still alive in the NFC East only because the division is wide open. The Giants are in first at 4-2-1, and the Cowboys’ roster looks stronger on paper than the record suggests.
They have 12 first-round picks on the roster, though that number dropped to 11 after linebacker Malachi Lawrence landed on injured reserve Saturday. Among the first-rounders are Caleb Downs, Tyler Booker, Tyler Guyton, Broderick Jones, Tyler Smith, Lamb, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, Malik Hooker, Kenny Clark and Von Miller.
Even with that talent, Dallas is 32nd in yards allowed per game at 385.4, 32nd against the run at 152.8, and 27th in scoring defense at 26.6.
There’s also a family angle in Indianapolis, where brothers Josh Downs and Caleb Downs will line up on opposite sides. Josh said during the offseason that he had faced Caleb once in high school. “This will be even better,’’ he said.
Caleb has cleared concussion protocol and is back in Dallas’ safety/nickel role, while Josh continues to move around the Colts’ formation, often working from the slot. “It’ll be fun to actually go against him,’’ Josh said. “He plays nickel and safety, so I’ll get to see him pretty much a lot during the game.’’
The series history leans Dallas, too. The Cowboys lead the all-time matchup 12-6 and have a 6-4 edge since the Colts moved in 1984.
The last meeting is one Indianapolis would rather forget: in Week 14 of 2022, the Jeff Saturday-led Colts took a 4-7-1 record and a two-game losing streak to Dallas, trailed only 21-19 after three quarters, then collapsed in one of the ugliest fourth quarters the NFL has ever seen. Four turnovers - two Matt Ryan interceptions, a Ryan fumble on a sack and a Mo Alie-Cox fumble after a catch - helped fuel Dallas’ 33-point fourth quarter in a 54-19 blowout, the second-most points ever scored in a final period.
The Cowboys’ defense has been shaky enough to give Indianapolis a path, but the combination of Dallas’ passing attack and the Colts’ inability to consistently pressure quarterbacks makes this a tough ask. The matchup points toward points, and the Cowboys look better equipped to get them.
And the winner is: Cowboys 31, Colts 24.
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