Cowboys rally past Colts 27-23 on Javonte Williams' late TD, Caleb Downs' interception
Javonte Williams scored with 1:08 left and Caleb Downs intercepted Daniel Jones as Dallas won 27-23 at Indianapolis to reach 4-5 before hosting the 49ers.
The Dallas Cowboys finally closed out a close game. Javonte Williams ran in from a yard out with 1:08 left, and rookie Caleb Downs intercepted Daniel Jones with 35 seconds to go, sealing a 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. Dallas is now 4-5. The Colts have lost five straight.
The winning drive went 65 yards in four plays. It came right after Spencer Shrader's 50-yard field goal put Indianapolis up 23-20 with 1:37 left. As NBC Sports reported, Dak Prescott hit Ryan Flournoy for 46 yards on the first snap. A pass interference call in the end zone set up Williams, and the Colts appeared to let him score so they would get the ball back with time on the clock. Their final drive stalled near their own 26 after an intentional grounding penalty, and then Downs made the first interception of his career. ESPN has the highlights.
Dallas should not have needed a last-minute drive. The Cowboys outgained Indianapolis 508 yards to 271 and held the ball for 35:43, according to the team's official site. They also blew a 17-7 halftime lead. They were flagged 14 times for 153 yards, including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on DeMarvion Overshown, who was inactive but ran onto the field to celebrate. They also lost two fumbles. One came from CeeDee Lamb on a long catch-and-run inside the Colts' 15. The other was Prescott's, and it set up the first Indianapolis touchdown, CBS Texas reported.
Prescott finished 21 of 34 for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Lamb caught 10 passes for 195 yards and a score, which helped make up for the absence of George Pickens (hamstring). Williams ran for 101 yards, and Dallas rushed for 179 as a team. The win came with new injuries. Yahoo Sports reported that tight end Jake Ferguson will have imaging on his left knee and that cornerback P.J. Locke was also hurt. Running back Tyler Goodson hurt his knee in the first half but returned.
What it means for the 49ers game
It was the first time this season Dallas has held on in a one-score finish after three-point home losses to Baltimore and Arizona. Even so, the Cowboys have not won two games in a row all season. Their nine results have alternated almost evenly, and a .500 record depends on winning back-to-back games for the first time. The home schedule is another problem. Dallas is 1-3 at home and 3-2 on the road, and the next game is at home against San Francisco on Sunday, November 15, on Fox. The Cowboys score 27.3 points per game but allow 26.2, so there is little room for the kind of mistakes they made in Indianapolis.
The 49ers come in at 7-1 after beating the Raiders 38-17, according to NFL.com. The market expects them to win. Across 11 venues on our board, San Francisco is favored at -208 on Novig's moneyline, with Dallas at +203. Novig has the 49ers favored by 4.5 points at -100. The best price elsewhere is BetMGM's 49ers -4 at -108, so the line differs by half a point between venues. Novig has the total at 55.5. BetRivers lists the over at 55 and Hard Rock Bet lists the under at 56.5, both at -110. Sportsbook hold ranges from 3.1% to 5.1% across these markets.