Field Level Media
Dec 16, 2018
Marlon Mack rushed 27 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts ended the Dallas Cowboys' five-game winning streak in emphatic fashion with a 23-0 shutout at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Adam Vinatieri added three field goals for Indianapolis (8-6), which remains in contention for the AFC's second wild-card spot. The Colts, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans are tied at 8-6.
Dallas (8-6) could have wrapped up the NFC East title with a win but will have to wait for a Week 16 home game with Tampa Bay. The Cowboys were shut out for the first time since Nov. 16, 2003, when they fell 12-0 at New England.
Ezekiel Elliott rushed 18 times for 87 yards for Dallas, but quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper were kept in check by Indianapolis' defense. Cooper caught only four passes on seven targets for 32 yards, while Prescott was 24 of 39 for 206 yards and a late interception.
Mack put the Colts ahead 7-0 with 6:09 left in the first quarter on a 1-yard scoring run, capping a 44-yard, eight-play drive. That came after the Cowboys' Brett Maher had a 48-yard field goal blocked and recovered by Darius Leonard at the Dallas 44-yard line. Leonard's return for a touchdown was overturned on replay review.
Vinatieri converted a 43-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the half for a 10-0 halftime advantage. Indianapolis made it 17-0 on the first drive of the second half, with Mack rushing 6 yards to cap a 75-yard march with 11:23 left in the third quarter.
Vinatieri added field goals of 44 and 23 yards to cap the scoring. The Colts' defense limited Dallas to 292 total yards and notched three sacks of Prescott. The Cowboys also hurt themselves with nine penalties for 74 yards.
Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck completed 16 of 27 passes for 192 yards. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton caught five of those passes for 85 yards.
--Field Level Media