Cowboys Offer Playoff-Look Answers in Demolishing Colts, 54-19

On this "Sunday Night Football'' showcase in front of America and God and Odell Beckham Jr. and everybody, the Dallas Cowboys had plenty of answers.

ARLINGTON - The Dallas Cowboys don't have all the answers, not yet.

But on this "Sunday Night Football'' showcase in front of America and God and Odell Beckham Jr. and everybody ...

The Dallas Cowboys piled on for a victory over visiting Indianapolis because time and time again, they were able to answer challenges from the Colts.

On defense, Malik Hooker - a former Colts standout - recorded a key interception at the end of the first half, and an even more important fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, both big plays stifling threats.

"Yeah, there was extra motivation,'' conceded Hooker. "I wanted to prove that I'm the player I was drafted (by Indy) to be. And I feel like I showed that tonight.''

INLINEOn offense, CeeDee Lamb used grace, balance and power to get a TD catch from QB Dak Prescott, and Michael Gallup did the same to catch two TD balls.

Dak to CeeDee and the #DallasCowboys are on the board!#INDvsDAL on NBC and @peacock. pic.twitter.com/xzirjDoEGM

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 5, 2022

No, these were not meant as the wideouts making "We Don't Need OBJ'' plays ... but they stand out in another way, confirming what we've been saying since late October about Dallas' accelerated pursuit of the free agent ...

Dallas doesn't need him. Dallas wants him. ... Assuming Beckham is actually healthy enough to help.

The Cowboys, now 9-3, will concede they made to many mistakes to look as dominant as they believe they can be. ... even while hovering in that half-a-hundred region on the scoreboard. Running back Jonathan Taylor gave them occasional fits and veteran QB Matt Ryan tossed a pair of TD passes to create some early and brief intrigue.

But they dropped the Colts to 4-8-1 because Dallas coach Mike McCarthy oversees a group talented enough to spray cologne on some of the miscues. ... and to mercilessly punish an opponent for theirs.

"You're seeing a work in progress,'' said McCarthy.

In the fourth quarter, an interception of Ryan by rookie DaRon Bland with 11 minutes left in the game was in the books set up a second Tony Pollard touchdown run. Then, this flood coming in twos, Bland got another one, to set up an Ezekiel Elliott scoring run.

Oh, and one more, with rookies Damone Clark (on defense recovering a strip-sack fumble) and Malik Davis (running in the offensive TD) ...

And eventually, the half-dozen or so takeaways - and scoring more than 40 points for the third time in five games - helped AT&T Stadium to smell playoff-fresh.

The Cowboys came in at 10.5-point favorites, which speaks to that "We-can-be-even-better'' mindset. ... even as Prescott continues to stress in his locker room that "We don't look at teams' records.''

Nevertheless, this meeting with a bottom-feeder of the AFC South will be followed by more of the same: The awful Houston Texans next week and then on the road to Jacksonville after that ... all of which demonstrates a chance to keep searching for answers that will eventually be needed - maybe by Christmas Eve, when the NFC East-leading Eagles roll into town.

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