 stayed in the AFC playoff hunt with their seventh win in eight games and their first shutout since a 27-0 victory over Cincinnati on Oct. 19, 2014. Dallas (8-6) failed to clinch the NFC East as its five-game winning streak ended. But Mack starred in Sunday's big show. He set the tone by running through a tackle for a 19-yard gain on his first carry, wound up carrying 22 times and matching a career high with the two scoring runs - all against the league's No. 3 rushing defense. It marked the first time since Week 9 that Dallas allowed a team to top the 100-yard mark, and the Cowboys were shutout for the first time in more than 15 years. New England was the previous team to achieve the feat with a 12-0 victory on Nov. 16, 2003. Mack even outperformed Ezekiel Elliott, who came into the weekend as the NFL's leading rusher. Elliott had 18 carries for 87 yards and caught seven passes for 41 yards. But every time the Cowboys got near scoring position, Indy's defense stymied them. Denico Autry blocked a 44-yard field-goal attempt on Dallas' first possession, Elliott lost 2 yards and fumbled on fourth-and-1 from the Colts 3 on their next possession and the Cowboys were knocked out of field-goal range on Tyquan Lewis' sack on the Cowboys' final chance in the first half. It was more of the same in the second half. Pierre Desir broke up a third-down pass to force a punt, Darius Leonard broke up another pass on fourth-and-1 from the Colts 39 to start the fourth quarter and George Odum capped the day with an interception deep in Colts' territory on fourth down in the waning minutes. Indy's offense, meanwhile, repeatedly took advantage of Dallas miscues. Mack scored on a 1-yard plunge following the blocked field goal and Andrew Luck used a defensive holding call against Anthony Brown on third down to set up Adam Vinatieri for a 43-yard field goal to close out the half with a 10-0 lead. Mack started the second half with a 6-yard scoring run to make it 17-0 and Vinatieri made two more field goals to seal it. Luck was 16 of 27 for 192 yards and T. Y. Hilton caught five passes for 85 yards despite not practicing all week because of an ankle injury. Dak Prescott finished 24 of 39 with 206 yards and the one interception. Amari Cooper had four receptions for 32 yards. INJURY REPORTCowboys: Right guard Zack Martin missed the first game of his career with an injured left knee. Dallas improvised by moving left guard Connor Williams to right guard and inserting Xavier Su'a-Filo at right guard. But Su'a-Filo left early in the second quarter with an eye injury and did not return. Colts: Veteran backup Joe Haeg replaced right guard Mark Glowinski (ankle) in the starting lineup and defensive tackle Al Woods left in the third quarter with an injured leg and did not return. Starting center Ryan Kelly returned from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee after missing the previous three games and the Colts did not allow a sack. UP NEXTCowboys: Will try to wrap up the NFC East next Sunday when they host Tampa Bay. Colts: Close out their home schedule next Sunday when Eli Manning and the New York Giants return to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since winning their most recent Super Bowl. ---More NFL: https://apnews. com/tag/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL)
Dec 12, 2018Two teams on similar upward trajectories get together Sunday in Indianapolis for a game with postseason implications. The Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts rebounded from slow starts and find themselves in a place they might not have imagined earlier in the season. The Cowboys (8-5) are on the brink of winning the NFC East after a 3-5 start. The Colts (7-6) are one of the AFC South teams chasing a division title or wild-card playoff spot. Since acquiring wide receiver Amari Cooper and promoting Marc Colombo to offensive line coach during the bye week, the Cowboys have won five of six -- and five in a row after a 28-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 9. "That's the starting point, I think, for any team in this league -- to try and win their division," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "We've put ourselves in a position to do that. But you're exactly right. The approach won't change, the focus won't change. " A Cowboys win would guarantee that they would finish ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants in the NFC East. The second-place Washington Redskins are in a tailspin and unlikely to catch the Cowboys, particularly if they defeat the Colts. It's no secret that the Cowboys have taken off since the arrival of Cooper before their eighth game of the year in a trade with the Oakland Raiders. Quarterback Dak Prescott has benefited, averaging 294. 2 passing yards during Dallas' five-game winning streak. Cooper has caught 40 passes in six games with the Cowboys, who will face a Colts defense that has given up 242. 4 passing yards per game. The Cowboys could be without standout right guard Zack Martin, who aggravated an MCL injury in the 29-23 victory over the Eagles last Sunday. But running back Ezekiel Elliott, who also left that game for a brief period with a neck stinger before returning, should be available against the Colts. Elliott passed the Rams' Todd Gurley II for the NFL's rushing lead after running for 113 yards on 28 carries against the Eagles. He also caught 12 passes for 79 yards. Elliott now has four games of more than 180 total yards this season and the Cowboys have won each one. The Cowboys' defense will have to contend with Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and wide receiver T. Y. Hilton, whose 556 yards in the past four games are the most in the NFL during that stretch. Hilton caught nine passes for 199 yards in the Colts' 24-21 win last Sunday in Houston. In the last five games, he has 36 receptions for 633 yards and two touchdowns. "Just taking what the defense is giving me," Hilton said. "The coaches are doing a great job of moving me, putting me in position to thrive and me and Andrew, after that, we do what we do. " The Colts have won six of seven games in large part because of Hilton's emergence. For much of this season, tight end Eric Ebron received his share of attention along with Hilton. Last Sunday, Ebron caught his career-best 12th touchdown pass to set a franchise record for a tight end. "It's probably obvious to anybody watching what kind of spark T. Y. provides for our team when he gets the ball in his hands," Luck said. "T. Y. has a unique way of doing things that I don't think many others can quite replicate. He does things very, very well. This is our seventh year together and I appreciate what he brings to the table specifically on the football field. He does some really, really cool stuff. " Luck has completed a career-best 67. 7 percent of his passes for 3,759 yards with 34 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The Colts' eighth-ranked rushing defense will be put to the test the next two weeks by Elliott and Giants running back Saquon Barkley. "I mean these guys are the best, so it will be a great challenge," Colts head coach Frank Reich said. "It's going to take every person over there, but I think defenses like that challenge. I know our defense will like that challenge. It's not going to be easy, they are going to get some runs. If Zeke has 95 yards, that might be considered a win. "
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts
Pick Center
NFL
FINAL (12/16/2018)
BestBets
