Dallas Cowboys: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Colts in Week 15
The Dallas Cowboys team that was last seen on Monday Night Football back in early November showed back up again, and that wasn’t a good thing in Week 15.
Entering Week 15 with a five-game winning streak on their side, the Dallas Cowboys had an excellent opportunity to earn their second NFC East championship in the past three seasons with a win. That did not happen on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, as the Cowboys of earlier in the season — the inconsistent Cowboys — showed up at Lucas Oil Stadium, Sunday.
This outcome was also the first time the Cowboys were shutout in a game since 2003, losing by a 23-0 score.
The offense of the Cowboys showed it wasn’t at 100-percent with the offensive line missing two of their big three linemen, as Zack Martin missed his first game of his career, and let’s be honest the offensive line without center Travis Frederick isn’t anywhere close to where it is when he’s on the field, though he’s missed the entire season.
There is also the fact the wide receivers and quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t seem on the same page, and Amari Cooper was covered excellently by the defensive backs of the Colts as they did their job near flawlessly.
The defense of the Cowboys wasn’t dealt the best of hands either with the Cowboys failing to convert fourth downs, equaling poor field position at times for the defense. Add that with a blocked field goal, which led the excellent field position for the Colts, early in the first quarter was the start of the poor day by the entire Cowboys team.
The best thing for the Cowboys though is they are still have the lead in the NFC East with two games left in the regular season, so they are ultimately in control of their own destiny as terms of winning the division and making the playoffs.
That main thing with this game is if the Cowboys play this poorly again, either in the regular season or if they eventually qualify for the playoffs, all of the success they have gained could be erased in an instant.
As the Cowboys regroup and figure out what they need to fix from this loss, here are three takeaways for the Cowboys following this loss in Indianapolis.