Javonte Williams plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:08 remaining, and rookie safety Caleb Downs intercepted a desperation pass 33 seconds later to give the Dallas Cowboys a 27-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The road win lifted the Dallas Cowboys to 4-5 on the season and gave the team its first victory of 2026 when scoring fewer than 30 points, according to DallasCowboys.com. Indianapolis fell to 2-7 with its fifth straight defeat just two days before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
Dallas pulled out the win despite committing 14 penalties for 153 yards, the franchise’s highest single-game penalty count since 2021, and losing two fumbles, CBS Sports reported. Quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters afterward that the second half was far from pretty, adding that the players had committed from the opening kickoff to doing “whatever it takes to come out with a win.”
Late Fourth-Quarter Swings Decide Cowboys vs Colts
The fourth quarter turned on a rapid sequence of turnovers, penalties, and long kicks. Holding a 20-17 lead early in the final period, Prescott connected with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on third-and-12 from the Dallas 39-yard line. Lamb was not touched down by the defender, got back to his feet, and sprinted 48 yards to the Indianapolis 13-yard line, but replay officials ruled that his hand hit the turf as he fell and jarred the ball loose for a fumble recovered by the Colts.
Indianapolis capitalized on the giveaway and added 55 penalty yards on a single series when Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland was flagged 40 yards for pass interference on an incomplete deep throw to Deion Burks and linebacker Dee Winters drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. Three plays later, Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams stuffed Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and forced a fumble that linebacker Shemar James recovered.
Colts kicker Spencer Shrader pulled Indianapolis even at 20-20 with 5:56 remaining by drilling a career-long 59-yard field goal. After Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey missed a go-ahead field goal attempt wide left, Shrader hit again from 50 yards out with 1:37 left to put the Colts on top 23-20.
Dallas needed just 29 seconds to take the lead back. On the first snap after Shrader’s kick, Prescott hit receiver Ryan Flournoy for a 46-yard gain into Colts territory, setting up Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run with 1:08 on the clock. Facing third-and-22 from the Indianapolis 14-yard line with 35 seconds left, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones threw deep and was intercepted by Downs for the first takeaway of the rookie safety’s NFL career.
CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys Offense Overcome 14 Penalties
Dallas outgained Indianapolis 508 total yards to 271 and held the ball for 35:43 compared to 24:17 for the Colts. Prescott completed 61.8% of his throws for 335 yards, two touchdowns, and a 114.2 passer rating. Lamb caught 10 passes for 195 yards, the second-highest receiving total of his career, along with a 44-yard touchdown.
On the ground, the Cowboys rushed for 179 yards, their second-highest rushing output of the year. Williams carried 20 times for 101 yards and the winning score, while former Colts running back Tyler Goodson, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Indianapolis, ran 12 times for a career-high 77 yards.
After Aubrey opened the scoring with a 45-yard field goal, Colts defensive end Caden Curry recovered a strip-sack of Prescott at the Dallas 21-yard line. Rookie Seth McGowan, a Dallas-area native, finished the six-play short-field drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, the first of his NFL career, for a 7-3 Colts lead.
Dallas answered with a 7:05 drive that overcame three separate penalties negating first downs, aided by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call against Indianapolis. On fourth down from the Colts’ 10-yard line early in the second quarter, tight end Jake Ferguson reached over a defender into glaring sunlight to catch an underthrown Prescott pass in the back corner of the end zone. Getting the ball back at their own 25-yard line with 49 seconds left in the first half, the Cowboys went 75 yards in 21 seconds, capped by Prescott’s 44-yard touchdown strike to a wide-open Lamb down the right sideline for a 17-7 halftime lead.
Milestones and Week 10 Schedule
Indianapolis trimmed the deficit to 17-10 in the third quarter on a 47-yard field goal capping an 11-play, 29-yard drive. After Lamb failed to get both feet in bounds on a potential end-zone catch, Aubrey kicked a 28-yard field goal for a 20-10 Dallas lead. Two snaps into the next Colts drive, wide receiver Ashton Dulin caught a short screen pass and ran untouched down the left sideline for a 55-yard touchdown to make it 20-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
Christian Parker’s Dallas defense recorded two takeaways and two sacks while holding Taylor to 46 rushing yards and limiting Jones to 180 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception for a 70.7 rating. Veteran receiver Keenan Allen caught four passes for 26 yards to reach 1,095 career receptions, passing Hall of Famer Tim Brown for eighth place on the NFL’s all-time list, according to the Associated Press.
Following Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, the Cowboys return to AT&T Stadium on Sunday, November 15, to open a three-game homestand against the San Francisco 49ers, while the Colts remain in Indianapolis to host the Miami Dolphins.