Cowboys Seek to End Colts' Unbeaten Run
Publication Source The Sports Network
Publication Date 2006-11-17
(Sports Network) - The Indianapolis Colts will face the latest obstacle in their quest for football immortality this Sunday in Dallas, where the NFL's lone unbeaten team takes on the Cowboys in an intriguing interconference matchup from Texas Stadium.
The 9-0 Colts are in a very familiar position, having won their first 13 games of the 2005 campaign before stumbling at home to the San Diego Chargers. Indianapolis is the only team in NFL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine straight wins.
The Colts have had some close calls along the way this year, however. Four of the team's nine victories have been by three points or less, and two have been one-point wins, including last Sunday's 17-16 squeaker at home over Buffalo.
Prior to that win, Indianapolis put together back-to-back impressive road triumphs over two of the AFC's top contenders in Denver and New England. All four of the Colts' victories away from home this season have come against teams which currently sport winning records.
That could be bad news for Dallas, which needs this game a whole lot more than Indy does at this point. The inconsistent Cowboys stand at 5-4, one game behind the Giants for the NFC East lead, and figure to be locked in a heated battle for a playoff spot the rest of the way. The Colts own a comfortable four-game cushion over Jacksonville for the top spot in the AFC South and a two-game advantage on Baltimore, Denver and San Diego in the race for the conference's No. 1 seed.
Dallas ended a stretch of three straight road games with a 27-10 whipping of lowly Arizona last Sunday. The Cowboys won behind a career-high 308-yard passing performance out of quarterback Tony Romo, who's flourished under center since being anointed the team's starting signal-caller following a disappointing Week 7 home loss to the Giants.
Romo's quarterback rating of 101.2 is currently the second-best in the NFL, trailing only the 104.5 compiled by Colts' superstar Peyton Manning.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with the Colts, 7-5, but have lost in the last three head-to-head meetings. Indianapolis was a 20-3 home winner when the teams last met, in 2002, and also won in their last trip to Dallas, a 25-24 decision in 1996. The Cowboys' most recent victory in the series came in Indy in 1993, and their last home win in the series occurred in 1984.
The most memorable game between the franchises was Super Bowl V, a 16-13 win for the the-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V from Miami.
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is 8-7 in his career against the Colts, including 1-0 while with the Giants (1983-90), 5-3 while with the Patriots (1993-96), and 2-4 while with the Jets (1997-99). The Colts' Tony Dungy is 3-0 against Dallas, including two wins while with Tampa Bay (1996-01). Parcells is 1-0 head-to-head against Dungy, with his Jets defeating Dungy's Buccaneers in 1997.
COLTS OFFENSE VS. COWBOYS DEFENSE
Indianapolis' perfect mark would certainly not be possible without the accomplishments of the incomparable Manning (2,527 passing yards, 65.6 completion pct.), who could be on the way to the third MVP award of his brilliant career. The cerebral quarterback has been intercepted only three times in 320 pass attempts for the year, while his 18 touchdown throws are tied with Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb for the NFL lead. The league's second- ranked passing offense (272.6 ypg) also features the stellar wide receiver combo of Reggie Wayne (48 receptions, 774 yards, 6 TD) and Marvin Harrison (54 receptions, 719 yards, 5 TD), both of whom rank in the top 10 in receiving yards this season. Dallas Clark (24 receptions, 303 yards, 3 TD) has the ability to stretch the field as well from his tight end spot, while second tight end Ben Utecht (23 receptions, 242 yards) has recently emerged as another reliable option in the pass game. Utecht led the Colts with career- bests of seven catches and 66 yards in the Buffalo win. Indianapolis' solid offensive line has yielded only 10 sacks thus far, a number that's partly due to Manning's smarts and quick trigger.
Manning and company will be firing at a Dallas secondary that has plenty of talent, but also some weak spots. Terence Newman (36 tackles, 1 INT) has played extremely well at one corner, but Anthony Henry (52 tackles, 1 INT, 12 PBU) has been wildly inconsistent on the other side. The Cowboys also possess one of the league's most athletic strong safeties and a real playmaker in Roy Williams. Free safety has been a sore spot, however. Rookie Pat Watkins (22 tackles, 1 INT) got torched repeatedly early in the year before surrendering the starting job to Keith Davis (16 tackles), who hasn't been much of an upgrade. Dallas will also have to deal with the season-ending Achilles' injury that outside linebacker Greg Ellis (30 tackles, 4.5 sacks) suffered in last week's game, a loss that could have a profound negative effect on the team's pass rush. Veteran Al Singleton and little-used rookie Bobby Carpenter will see the bulk of the work at Ellis' left side. The Cowboys have no such worries at the other outside spot, where DeMarcus Ware (37 tackles, 5 sacks) has been a disruptive force. Dallas is giving up an average of 194.9 yards per game through the air, the ninth-best total in the league.
While the Colts are renowned for throwing the football, they've also been running it pretty well behind the tandem of rookie Joseph Addai (568 rushing yards, 4 total TD) and Dominic Rhodes (384 rushing yards, 3 TD) as of late. Addai has been the more impressive of the two, as he's averaging 4.8 yards per rush compared to Rhodes' 3.4 on virtually the same number of attempts. The 2006 first-round pick has also added 190 receiving yards on 26 catches. Both backs had productive days against the Bills, with Addai running for 78 yards on 13 carries and Rhodes producing 72 on 14 totes. For the season, Indianapolis ranks 18th overall in rushing yardage (106.7 ypg).
The strength of Dallas' quality defense, which enters the week having allowed the third-fewest yards (280.3 ypg) in the NFL, is its ability to shut down opposing backs. The Cowboys stand fourth overall with an average of 85.4 yards per game allowed on the ground, and are particularly formidable up the middle, where Bradie James (51 tackles, 1 INT, 8 PBU) and Akin Ayodele (47 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) are an excellent inside linebacker duo and 10-year pro Jason Ferguson (24 tackles) is still a force at nose tackle. Williams also excels in run support.
COWBOYS OFFENSE VS. COLTS DEFENSE
Parcells' controversial decision to replace veteran Drew Bledsoe with the unproven Romo (1,124 passing yards, 8 TD, 4 INT) has looked like a stroke of genius so far. In his three starts, the undrafted 26-year-old has completed better than 67 percent of his passes and thrown for five touchdowns while being intercepted just once. Romo has also amassed at least 270 yards in each of those games, and so far he's even managed to keep Terrell Owens (49 receptions, 654 yards, 7 TD) happy. The mercurial wideout seems to have developed a rapport with the young quarterback, as Owens has averaged seven catches and 93 yards with Romo as the starter. Dallas' potent pass attack should also benefit from the expected return of Terry Glenn (36 receptions, 456 yards, 4 TD), who sat out last week with a sore right knee. Patrick Crayton (22 receptions, 363 yards, 3 TD) had a career-high 104 yards on five grabs in Glenn's place, and has developed into a good third receiver, and the Cowboys also have one of the game's best pass-catching tight ends in Jason Witten (36 receptions, 425 yards, 1 TD). A beleaguered offensive line has yielded 22 sacks on the year, but only four since the more-athletic Romo has supplanted the immobile Bledsoe.
Indianapolis has allowed the second-fewest passing yards (158.3 ypg) in the league, a statistic that is somewhat deceiving. Teams have wisely preferred to attack the Colts via the ground, but opponents have connected on 64.6 percent of their throws when they've decided to pass on Indy. The secondary would be greatly bolstered if Pro Bowl free safety Bob Sanders (22 tackles, 1 INT) can come back from the knee injury that's limited him to just three games this season. That would allow the versatile Marlin Jackson (49 tackles) to move to nickel back and give the unit the necessary depth. The secondary would also benefit from a pass rush like the Colts showed last week. Indy sacked Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman four times, with end Robert Mathis (41 tackles, 6.5 sacks) recording two of those takedowns and All-Pro Dwight Freeney (11 tackles, 1.5 sacks) picking up his long-overdue first of the year. Still, the Colts have mustered just 15 sacks as a team, the third-worst total in the NFL.
Dallas currently stands fifth overall with an average of 135.7 rushing yards per game, but the Cowboys have not lived up to that lofty ranking in recent weeks. No. 1 back Julius Jones (734 rushing yards, 3 TD) has averaged just 3.3 yards a carry over the four games since he strung together three straight 100- yard efforts from Weeks 4-6. Last week he was held to 45 yards on 15 attempts by an Arizona defense that normally won't wow you up front. Jones' recent struggles have provided more opportunities for backup Marion Barber (374 rushing yards, 12 receptions), who established season-bests of 14 rushes and 65 yards against the Cardinals. Barber has also excelled in short-yardage situations, as the second-year back's seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in the NFC.
Jones could very well get back on track against an Indianapolis stop unit that has been horrid defending the run. The Colts are dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (159.3 ypg) and are giving up an unacceptable 5.1 yards per carry for the year. However, the defense has fared significantly better in that area when Sanders, who's expected to suit up on Sunday, has been on the field. Indianapolis still has other injury concerns on defense. Starting middle linebacker and second-leading tackler Gary Brackett (75 tackles) will likely miss his second straight game with a hamstring strain, and his backup, Rob Morris, is also nursing a hamstring injury. The club's biggest impact player on the front seven has been weakside linebacker Cato June (86 tackles, 2 INT), while rookie sixth-round pick Antoine Bethea (59 tackles, 1 INT) has been a pleasant surprise at strong safety.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Indianapolis is an amazingly resilient team that has been able to answer every challenge thrown its way so far. There's reason to believe, however, that the Colts' winning run ends here. Dallas has the speed and talent on defense to frustrate Manning and disrupt his timing, a formula which has worked in the past. Pittsburgh used the same approach to upset Indy in last year's playoffs, as did San Diego when the Chargers stopped the Colts' 13-game win streak during the 2005 regular season. Like the Cowboys, those teams had 3-4 defenses with the ability to apply pressure from the edge. Dallas shouldn't have much trouble running the ball either, which will keep Manning and his troops off the field, and Owens could have a big day against the Colts' smaller set of defensive backs. If the Cowboys turn the ball over, Manning will make them pay. But Romo's been very good in limiting his mistakes, which will also aid Dallas in a game it sorely needs.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 24, Colts 20
Publication Date 2006-11-17
(Sports Network) - The Indianapolis Colts will face the latest obstacle in their quest for football immortality this Sunday in Dallas, where the NFL's lone unbeaten team takes on the Cowboys in an intriguing interconference matchup from Texas Stadium.
The 9-0 Colts are in a very familiar position, having won their first 13 games of the 2005 campaign before stumbling at home to the San Diego Chargers. Indianapolis is the only team in NFL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine straight wins.
The Colts have had some close calls along the way this year, however. Four of the team's nine victories have been by three points or less, and two have been one-point wins, including last Sunday's 17-16 squeaker at home over Buffalo.
Prior to that win, Indianapolis put together back-to-back impressive road triumphs over two of the AFC's top contenders in Denver and New England. All four of the Colts' victories away from home this season have come against teams which currently sport winning records.
That could be bad news for Dallas, which needs this game a whole lot more than Indy does at this point. The inconsistent Cowboys stand at 5-4, one game behind the Giants for the NFC East lead, and figure to be locked in a heated battle for a playoff spot the rest of the way. The Colts own a comfortable four-game cushion over Jacksonville for the top spot in the AFC South and a two-game advantage on Baltimore, Denver and San Diego in the race for the conference's No. 1 seed.
Dallas ended a stretch of three straight road games with a 27-10 whipping of lowly Arizona last Sunday. The Cowboys won behind a career-high 308-yard passing performance out of quarterback Tony Romo, who's flourished under center since being anointed the team's starting signal-caller following a disappointing Week 7 home loss to the Giants.
Romo's quarterback rating of 101.2 is currently the second-best in the NFL, trailing only the 104.5 compiled by Colts' superstar Peyton Manning.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with the Colts, 7-5, but have lost in the last three head-to-head meetings. Indianapolis was a 20-3 home winner when the teams last met, in 2002, and also won in their last trip to Dallas, a 25-24 decision in 1996. The Cowboys' most recent victory in the series came in Indy in 1993, and their last home win in the series occurred in 1984.
The most memorable game between the franchises was Super Bowl V, a 16-13 win for the the-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V from Miami.
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is 8-7 in his career against the Colts, including 1-0 while with the Giants (1983-90), 5-3 while with the Patriots (1993-96), and 2-4 while with the Jets (1997-99). The Colts' Tony Dungy is 3-0 against Dallas, including two wins while with Tampa Bay (1996-01). Parcells is 1-0 head-to-head against Dungy, with his Jets defeating Dungy's Buccaneers in 1997.
COLTS OFFENSE VS. COWBOYS DEFENSE
Indianapolis' perfect mark would certainly not be possible without the accomplishments of the incomparable Manning (2,527 passing yards, 65.6 completion pct.), who could be on the way to the third MVP award of his brilliant career. The cerebral quarterback has been intercepted only three times in 320 pass attempts for the year, while his 18 touchdown throws are tied with Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb for the NFL lead. The league's second- ranked passing offense (272.6 ypg) also features the stellar wide receiver combo of Reggie Wayne (48 receptions, 774 yards, 6 TD) and Marvin Harrison (54 receptions, 719 yards, 5 TD), both of whom rank in the top 10 in receiving yards this season. Dallas Clark (24 receptions, 303 yards, 3 TD) has the ability to stretch the field as well from his tight end spot, while second tight end Ben Utecht (23 receptions, 242 yards) has recently emerged as another reliable option in the pass game. Utecht led the Colts with career- bests of seven catches and 66 yards in the Buffalo win. Indianapolis' solid offensive line has yielded only 10 sacks thus far, a number that's partly due to Manning's smarts and quick trigger.
Manning and company will be firing at a Dallas secondary that has plenty of talent, but also some weak spots. Terence Newman (36 tackles, 1 INT) has played extremely well at one corner, but Anthony Henry (52 tackles, 1 INT, 12 PBU) has been wildly inconsistent on the other side. The Cowboys also possess one of the league's most athletic strong safeties and a real playmaker in Roy Williams. Free safety has been a sore spot, however. Rookie Pat Watkins (22 tackles, 1 INT) got torched repeatedly early in the year before surrendering the starting job to Keith Davis (16 tackles), who hasn't been much of an upgrade. Dallas will also have to deal with the season-ending Achilles' injury that outside linebacker Greg Ellis (30 tackles, 4.5 sacks) suffered in last week's game, a loss that could have a profound negative effect on the team's pass rush. Veteran Al Singleton and little-used rookie Bobby Carpenter will see the bulk of the work at Ellis' left side. The Cowboys have no such worries at the other outside spot, where DeMarcus Ware (37 tackles, 5 sacks) has been a disruptive force. Dallas is giving up an average of 194.9 yards per game through the air, the ninth-best total in the league.
While the Colts are renowned for throwing the football, they've also been running it pretty well behind the tandem of rookie Joseph Addai (568 rushing yards, 4 total TD) and Dominic Rhodes (384 rushing yards, 3 TD) as of late. Addai has been the more impressive of the two, as he's averaging 4.8 yards per rush compared to Rhodes' 3.4 on virtually the same number of attempts. The 2006 first-round pick has also added 190 receiving yards on 26 catches. Both backs had productive days against the Bills, with Addai running for 78 yards on 13 carries and Rhodes producing 72 on 14 totes. For the season, Indianapolis ranks 18th overall in rushing yardage (106.7 ypg).
The strength of Dallas' quality defense, which enters the week having allowed the third-fewest yards (280.3 ypg) in the NFL, is its ability to shut down opposing backs. The Cowboys stand fourth overall with an average of 85.4 yards per game allowed on the ground, and are particularly formidable up the middle, where Bradie James (51 tackles, 1 INT, 8 PBU) and Akin Ayodele (47 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) are an excellent inside linebacker duo and 10-year pro Jason Ferguson (24 tackles) is still a force at nose tackle. Williams also excels in run support.
COWBOYS OFFENSE VS. COLTS DEFENSE
Parcells' controversial decision to replace veteran Drew Bledsoe with the unproven Romo (1,124 passing yards, 8 TD, 4 INT) has looked like a stroke of genius so far. In his three starts, the undrafted 26-year-old has completed better than 67 percent of his passes and thrown for five touchdowns while being intercepted just once. Romo has also amassed at least 270 yards in each of those games, and so far he's even managed to keep Terrell Owens (49 receptions, 654 yards, 7 TD) happy. The mercurial wideout seems to have developed a rapport with the young quarterback, as Owens has averaged seven catches and 93 yards with Romo as the starter. Dallas' potent pass attack should also benefit from the expected return of Terry Glenn (36 receptions, 456 yards, 4 TD), who sat out last week with a sore right knee. Patrick Crayton (22 receptions, 363 yards, 3 TD) had a career-high 104 yards on five grabs in Glenn's place, and has developed into a good third receiver, and the Cowboys also have one of the game's best pass-catching tight ends in Jason Witten (36 receptions, 425 yards, 1 TD). A beleaguered offensive line has yielded 22 sacks on the year, but only four since the more-athletic Romo has supplanted the immobile Bledsoe.
Indianapolis has allowed the second-fewest passing yards (158.3 ypg) in the league, a statistic that is somewhat deceiving. Teams have wisely preferred to attack the Colts via the ground, but opponents have connected on 64.6 percent of their throws when they've decided to pass on Indy. The secondary would be greatly bolstered if Pro Bowl free safety Bob Sanders (22 tackles, 1 INT) can come back from the knee injury that's limited him to just three games this season. That would allow the versatile Marlin Jackson (49 tackles) to move to nickel back and give the unit the necessary depth. The secondary would also benefit from a pass rush like the Colts showed last week. Indy sacked Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman four times, with end Robert Mathis (41 tackles, 6.5 sacks) recording two of those takedowns and All-Pro Dwight Freeney (11 tackles, 1.5 sacks) picking up his long-overdue first of the year. Still, the Colts have mustered just 15 sacks as a team, the third-worst total in the NFL.
Dallas currently stands fifth overall with an average of 135.7 rushing yards per game, but the Cowboys have not lived up to that lofty ranking in recent weeks. No. 1 back Julius Jones (734 rushing yards, 3 TD) has averaged just 3.3 yards a carry over the four games since he strung together three straight 100- yard efforts from Weeks 4-6. Last week he was held to 45 yards on 15 attempts by an Arizona defense that normally won't wow you up front. Jones' recent struggles have provided more opportunities for backup Marion Barber (374 rushing yards, 12 receptions), who established season-bests of 14 rushes and 65 yards against the Cardinals. Barber has also excelled in short-yardage situations, as the second-year back's seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in the NFC.
Jones could very well get back on track against an Indianapolis stop unit that has been horrid defending the run. The Colts are dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (159.3 ypg) and are giving up an unacceptable 5.1 yards per carry for the year. However, the defense has fared significantly better in that area when Sanders, who's expected to suit up on Sunday, has been on the field. Indianapolis still has other injury concerns on defense. Starting middle linebacker and second-leading tackler Gary Brackett (75 tackles) will likely miss his second straight game with a hamstring strain, and his backup, Rob Morris, is also nursing a hamstring injury. The club's biggest impact player on the front seven has been weakside linebacker Cato June (86 tackles, 2 INT), while rookie sixth-round pick Antoine Bethea (59 tackles, 1 INT) has been a pleasant surprise at strong safety.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Indianapolis is an amazingly resilient team that has been able to answer every challenge thrown its way so far. There's reason to believe, however, that the Colts' winning run ends here. Dallas has the speed and talent on defense to frustrate Manning and disrupt his timing, a formula which has worked in the past. Pittsburgh used the same approach to upset Indy in last year's playoffs, as did San Diego when the Chargers stopped the Colts' 13-game win streak during the 2005 regular season. Like the Cowboys, those teams had 3-4 defenses with the ability to apply pressure from the edge. Dallas shouldn't have much trouble running the ball either, which will keep Manning and his troops off the field, and Owens could have a big day against the Colts' smaller set of defensive backs. If the Cowboys turn the ball over, Manning will make them pay. But Romo's been very good in limiting his mistakes, which will also aid Dallas in a game it sorely needs.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 24, Colts 20
posted by The Gryphon at 8:38 AM
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