That was just downright brutal. The Dallas Cowboys took zero prisoners against the lowly Indianapolis Colts as they destroyed Indy 54-19, proving that they are serious NFC Super Bowl contenders.
This game was really tough to watch. The Colts were put to the sword in front of the Dallas crowd as the Cowboys didn’t let up for a single minute of that game.
If you want an accurate comparison as to what that game looked like just watch the Colosseum scenes from the movie Gladiator. But, instead of the Colts being Russell Crowe’s Maximus, replace Crowe with a scarecrow and you get the best comparison as to what that game was like.
It was a bloodbath.
Though, in fairness, the Colts were able to keep themselves in the game for a long time as they held the Cowboys to only 21 points for three quarters. Sure, Matt Ryan (21/37, 233, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) and the Colts running game was pretty lackluster (to put it nicely) in the 4th Quarter, but they actually held their own for a while.
Skill position players, such as Jonathan Taylor (21 CAR, 82 yards) and Alec Pierce (4 REC, 86 yards, 1 TD), had decent games that helped Indy compete against the second-best defense in the league, while Matt Ryan used his experience to settle the nerves of his teammates in an extremely hostile environment. But these three players only had the power to hold off the overwhelming might of the Cowboys offense and defense for so long.
Regardless of if Jeff Saturday, Bill Walsh, Vince Lombardi, or George Hallis was coaching that Colts team last night, the Cowboys were going to rack up the score eventually. It was only a matter of what department would get the job started…which happened to be the Dallas running attack.
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard were the driving factors for the Cowboys 33-0 route of Indy in the 4th Quarter as they combined to gain a grand total of 220 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.
Elliott’s 17 CAR for 77 yards and 1 TD of power running softened the Colts defensive line for Tony Pollard to find the gaps and rush 12 times for 91 yards and 2 TDs on a weakened defense. As soon as the Colts went down by numerous scores, the team completely gave up and forced Matt Ryan to win the game all by himself.
Obviously, that went as well as Hindenburg’s flight as Ryan ended up throwing two 4th Quarter interceptions that directly led to two Dallas touchdowns, allowing the Cowboys to run away with the score and the game. Now, this blowout was not entirely on Ryan as the Colts also had two fumbles, the Colts offensive line allowed 3 sacks, 7 QB hits, 6 TFL, and the Dallas defense was literally the reincarnation of the 85 Bears out there.
In a night where Micah Parsons had an off performance, the Dallas defense exploded for 74 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 TFL, 7 PD, 7 QB hits, and even scored a fumble-return touchdown on the back of great performances from Donvan Wilson (10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit), Jayron Kearse (7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PD), Demarcus Lawrence (3 tackles, 2 QB hits), Anthony Barr (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit), and many others.
It’s crazy how versatile this defense is when Micah Parsons has a poor game (by his lofty standards), with any number of role players capable of stepping up and carrying the defensive load and responsibility. DC Dan Quinn is going to have another head coaching job in the NFL next year if these teams are smart as he’s easily been the best and most important coordinator on either side of the ball out of all the 32 NFL teams.
Anyway, with this win, the Dallas Cowboys (9-3) are now 9-3 and sit only two games behind the Eagles for the NFC East and the NFC in general. Given the massive injuries that transpired this weekend to important players, the Cowboys chances of making it to the Super Bowl have never been better since their last championship in 1996.
As for the Colts (4-8-1), this game proved that this team needs a significant overhaul. It’s even more obvious now.
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