Malik’s revenge led the takeout blitz. There were many rematches on Sunday. Therefore, it is safe to write that many slept in Malik Hooker’s revenge game! After quietly putting together a great season in Dallas, Hooker went big to turn his former team away. The safety caught an interception in the first half that he returned 26 yards and followed it up with a 38-yard fumble for his first career touchdown in the second half. Hooker led a takeaway fest for the Cowboys defense, which forced five turnovers Sunday, including four in a 33-point fourth quarter.
On paper this looked like a laugh. The Colts held their own for a while, though, before the Cowboys unleashed an avalanche of turnovers down the stretch to make it the lopsided result many predicted. A little-known member of the defense, Hooker made things work in a big way against the franchise that made him a first-round pick in 2017.
The Colts’ season is hitting a new low. It is often believed that blowouts are easier to overcome than nail biters. Less than a week after interim Colts head coach Jeff Saturday raised questions about poor time management in a close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas completely destroyed Indianapolis in front of a prime-time crowd. In a game in which Indy started with a 3-0 lead, the Colts suffered their biggest loss of the season, falling by 35 points. The offense had more turnovers (five) than third-down conversions (four).
The defense, ranked sixth in the league entering, allowed three offensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys scored a franchise-record 33 points in the fourth quarter. At the start of the 2022 campaign, the Colts appeared to have a roster ready for a deep playoff run. After Sunday night, the Colts have lost three in a row under a second head coach for the second time this season. These are tough times for the Colts, and nothing is going to get any easier anytime soon.
As OBJ’s visit looms, the Cowboys’ WRs shine. There’s been a lot more talk lately about a wide receiver not even making the roster than CeeDee Lamb or Michael Gallup in Dallas. With Odell Beckham scheduled to continue his world tour in Big D on Monday, Lamb provided further evidence that he is settling into his WR1 role while Gallup had his first multi-scoring outing since 2020.
Lamb’s stats were pretty pedestrian (five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown), but if you’re old enough to remember when this game was close, it was his stellar 20-yard touchdown run that gave the Cowboys their first lead . It was a surprise effort when Lamb executed the Barry Sanders-style spin of a tackler to avoid hitting the ground by rolling over the defender’s body. Lam is really coming on this season, Gallup is finding his groove, and Noah Brown has shown promise. Dak Prescott’s wide receiver corps is in great shape. Could the addition of Beckham make it even better? Maybe we’ll find out.
NFL Research: The Cowboys are the third team in NFL history to score 33 or more points in the fourth quarter of a game, joining the 2007 Lions (Week 4 vs. the Bears) and the 1925 Cardinals (Week 13 vs. the Badgers).
Next Gen Game Stat: The Cowboys had a 30% QB rush rate with 10 players recording at least one QB rush.