Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs stands out in Indianapolis as the rest of the class waits its turn

In the Dallas Cowboys' 27-23 win at Indianapolis, first-round safety Caleb Downs had the kind of game the team drafted him for. The rest of the rookie class barely got on the field. SB Nation's weekly rookie review charted Downs for 64 defensive snaps, three tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, two passes defended and the interception that ended the game. He was targeted four times in coverage and gave up one catch for 12 yards.

The sack came on a blind-side hit on Daniel Jones. The interception came on the Colts' last possession and stopped another late comeback a week after Arizona beat Dallas 33-30 in the closing minutes. It was the first interception of Downs' career, and the Colts' roster added a family angle: his older brother, Josh Downs, plays receiver for Indianapolis. NBC Sports had Josh at three catches for 24 yards and Jones at 20 of 34 for 180 yards. Downs kept his own comments short afterward. "I'm just playing ball," he told Athlon Sports. It was also a strong return for a player who had left the Arizona game with a concussion.

The other rookies had quiet days. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham played three defensive snaps even though DeMarvion Overshown was out, and Shemar James and Dee Winters took most of the linebacker work. SB Nation said Barham's drop down the depth chart has been fast. Defensive lineman LT Overton had one pressure on 10 pass-rush snaps across 17 snaps overall. Offensive lineman Drew Shelton was active but appeared only on special teams. Receiver Camden Brown played 28 offensive snaps without a target, even with George Pickens unavailable, though he averaged 26 yards on three kickoff returns.

For now, the class is mostly Downs. He makes plays on the ball and against the quarterback, which a defense that has given up 30 or more points four times this season badly needs.

What it means for San Francisco

The win evened the Cowboys at 4-5. They host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, November 15, on Fox. Dallas has alternated wins and losses for six straight games, and all four of its wins have come with at least 27 points. Three of its last four games have featured 50 or more combined points.

That shows up in the total. Novig lists it at 55.5, and the best under price on the board is theScore Bet's at 56.5 (-115). San Francisco is favored at -199 on Novig's moneyline, with Dallas at +190. The 49ers are 3.5-point road favorites. Novig prices that number at -111 and theScore Bet has the best price on it at -110. On the Dallas side, Novig offers +3.5 at +108, while bet365 has the widest number on the board, +4.5 at -115. Across the 11 venues, the spread and total differ by about a point, and sportsbook hold runs from 4.0% to 5.3%.

The Tennessee Titans visit the following week. In that game Dallas is favored by 7.5 and is -471 on Novig's moneyline.