Colts Lose Nail-Biter On Late Cowboys Touchdown

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts (2-7) lost their fifth consecutive game on Sunday, squandering control of a back-and-forth battle late with the Dallas Cowboys (4-5), who won 27-23.

The game was a mess for both sides, containing 23 penalties, four turnovers, and numerous injuries.

Here's how it unfolded:

The Colts won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, granting the Cowboys the first possession. Dallas kept the drive alive with a 23-yard completion on 3rd-and-3 from quarterback Dak Prescott to receiver Ryan Flournoy. Four plays later, kicker Brandon Aubrey sent through a 45-yard field goal to give an early 3-0 lead with 11:45 remaining in the first quarter.

The Colts' offense started out stagnant on the ensuing drive, going three-and-out with a punt.

The Colts' defense gave the offense another chance at points, as edge rusher Laiatu Latu sacked Prescott and forced a fumble three plays into the drive, which was recovered by rookie defensive lineman Caden Curry.

Fourteen rushing yards from running back Jonathan Taylor helped get the Colts down into the low red zone, as rookie running back Seth McGowan finished it off with a two-yard rushing touchdown, his first-career score. Kicker Spencer Shrader's extra point gave the Colts a 7-3 lead with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter.

The Cowboys, who are known this year for stringing together long drives, orchestrated a 15-play drive that covered 65 yards and took 7:05 off the clock. It culminated in a 10-yard pass toward the back, right corner of the end zone from Prescott to tight end Jake Ferguson for a terrific catch. Ferguson high-pointed the ball and key it away from Colts safety Cam Bynum. That made the score 10-7 with 14:08 left in the first half.

From there, the two teams traded seven consecutives punts (four for the Colts, three for the Cowboys) before Dallas broke it open again with a 44-yard throw from Prescott to receiver CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown. It appeared that cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. intended to pass off coverage of Lamb to safety Hunter Wohler, and a miscommunication led to busted coverage. The score made it 17-7, Dallas, with 0:21 remaining in the first half.

Each team began the second half with a punt before then exchanging field goals; 47 yards from Shrader and 28 yards from Aubrey.

The Colts' offense then found a spark, as Jones threw a quick screen pass to Ashton Dulin to the left side, and after slipping a tackle attempt, he flew down the left sideline for a 55-yard touchdown. Shrader's extra point cut the Cowboys' lead to 20-17 with 1:17 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter brought some calamity as Prescott was hit while throwing but delivered a catchable ball downfield to Lamb, who caught it and was untouched on the ground. He got up and sprinted deep into Indy territory before fumbling it, which was recovered by the Colts at their own 9-yard line.

At the end of a four-play drive, which included penalties of 40 and 15 yards against Dallas, the Colts got back into scoring range. However, Taylor was hit early in his carry and fumbled, which was recovered by the Cowboys.

Dallas responded with a four-and-out punt, and the Colts formulated another scoring drive on the ensuing series, with Shrader knocking it in from 59 yards to tie the game at 20-20 with 5:56 remaining in the game.

A 31-yard pass from Prescott to Lamb (which gave Lamb 195 yards) put Dallas in good field position. However, Aubrey missed a 50-yard field goal attempt with 3:30 remaining to keep the game tied at 20.

The Colts were able to muster another scoring drive, but it's fair to wonder what might have been. On 3rd-and-8, receiver Josh Downs dropped what might've been close to a first down, with his brother Caleb in coverage. It forced a field goal attempt, which Shrader converted from 50 yards. It gave the Colts a 23-20 lead with 1:37 remaining.

The Cowboys didn't need to utilize maximum effort on their final drive to take the final lead. After four plays, including a 46-yard pass from Prescott to Flournoy down the right side, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams ran the ball in from a yard out to take a 27-23 lead with 1:08 remaining.

The Colts' offense was unable to respond on their final drive, as a Jones interception to Caleb Downs closed it out.