Cowboys face Colts in 1st of 3 against AFC South also-rans

Thu, Dec 1, 2022
NFL News (AP)

INDIANAPOLIS (4-7-1) at DALLAS (8-3)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Cowboys by 10 1/2

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Colts 5-7; Cowboys 7-4

SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 10-7

LAST MEETING: Colts won 23-0, Dec. 16, 2018, at Indianapolis

LAST WEEK: Colts lost to Steelers 24-17; Cowboys beat Giants 28-20

COLTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (25), PASS (18), SCORING (30)

COLTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (17), PASS (5), SCORING (11)

COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (7), PASS (21), SCORING (7)

COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (24), PASS (1), SCORING (2)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Colts minus-10; Cowboys plus-5

COLTS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Jonathan Taylor. Interim coach Jeff Saturday has continued to feed the reigning NFL rushing champ since replacing Frank Reich, and Taylor's numbers have shown it. Over the past three weeks, Taylor has run for 317 yards and scored a TD in all three games. Don't expect that to change - and Taylor could actually have a heavier workload - against a run defense ranked in the bottom third of the league.

COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR CeeDee Lamb. With the Cowboys in the mix to sign free agent Odell Beckham Jr., Lamb is looking more and more like a No. 1 receiver. He has two of the three 100-yard receiving games for the Cowboys this season, both in the past three games. He's up to second in the NFC behind Minnesota's Justin Jefferson with 857 yards receiving. Lamb and Jefferson have five TDs apiece.

KEY MATCHUP: Indianapolis OL vs. Micah Parsons and Cowboys DL. The Colts have been marginally better up front under Saturday, who was a two-time All-Pro center in 13 seasons with them. But Indy still leads the NFL in sacks allowed with 43, while Dallas is the league leader in sacks with 45. Parsons is second in the NFL with 12 sacks. He has six two-sack games. Matt Ryan has been dropped eight times in three games since Saturday restored him as the starter when he took over. Seven of those eight were in the past two weeks.

KEY INJURIES: Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II of the Colts left the Monday night loss to Pittsburgh with an ankle injury and did not return. A short week won't help with the recovery time, though no decision will be announced until later in the week. The availability of DE Kwity Paye (ankle) also is in jeopardy after he was inactive against Pittsburgh. ... Dallas LB Anthony Barr (hamstring) was a limited practice participant at the start of the week. He has missed three games since getting injured chasing speedy Chicago QB Justin Fields. ... S Jayron Kearse is dealing with a shoulder issue.

SERIES NOTES: Indy has lost three of the past four in this series and two straight in Dallas. ... The Colts lost 42-7 in their only other trip to Jerry World. ... The Colts became the first team to represent both conferences in the Super Bowl, winning the first of their two Lombardi Trophies on Jim O'Brien's 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds left to beat Dallas 16-13 in January 1971. Cowboys LB Chuck Howley became the first defensive player selected as the game's MVP.

STATS AND STUFF: Indy has lost two straight since winning in Saturday's coaching debut. They lost the last three before Saturday was hired. ... Taylor needs 116 yards rushing to pass Randy McMillan (3,876) for No. 9 on the Colts career list. Taylor's next 100-yard game will be the 16th of his career, tying Lydell Mitchell for third in franchise history. ... QB Matt Ryan has four comebacks in the fourth quarter this season and another would give him 47 and tie Dan Marino for fifth in league history. ... Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner each have 54 tackles this season and are tied with Miami's Christian Wilkins for the most by a defensive tackle this season. ... Indy's run defense has allowed only eight 100-yard rushers since 2018, tied for second fewest during that span. ... DE Yannick Ngakoue has had at least eight sacks in seven consecutive seasons. It's the third-longest active streak in the NFL. ... Dallas was 4-1 with Cooper Rush after Dak Prescott broke the thumb on his throwing hand in a season-opening loss. Prescott has now matched that 4-1 record since returning. ... Before Prescott's return, the Cowboys were 23rd or worse in per-game points, total yards, passing yards and third down percentage. In the six weeks since, they're first in points and third down percentage, second in total yards and sixth in passing yards. ... Prescott needs one TD pass to break a tie with Roger Staubach for fourth on the club's career list (153). ... While Dallas leads the league in sacks, its offensive line has allowed the fewest in the NFL (14). ... Dallas coach Mike McCarthy can tie Sean Payton in career victories at 152. Payton, who is out of football this year after resigning in New Orleans, is 22nd on the career list. ... Parsons can become the first Dallas defender with seven multi-sack games in a season. His 25 sacks are already the most for a player's first two seasons in club history.

FANTASY TIP: Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott is coming off a season-high 92 yards rushing and is looking for a fifth consecutive game with at least one TD on the ground.

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