It’s very easy to look at the talent level for the Dallas Cowboys and compare it to that of the Indianapolis Colts and think, well, this should be an easy win for America’s Team. But Cowboys backers have seen that too many times in this season and were, thus necessarily cautious about this matchup. The Cowboys should have beaten up on the Texans in Week 4, but needed a last-minute touchdown drive for a win, they should have beaten up on the Buccaneers in Week 5, but came up short, 24-16, and the should have beaten up on the Cardinals in Week 8. We know how that ended. And so there was no reason to be confident about what would happen in Indy.
But what did happen, even though it was a much-needed 27-23 win, was another frustrating reminder of how much this team lacks focus and discipline, and if anything is to come of this season, that simply must change, if it is not too late. The Cowboys had 14 penalties for 153 yards in the Colts game, including one in which the injured DeMarvion Overshown–in street clothes–ran onto the field to celebrate a Colts fumble, yielding a 15-yard call.
Cowboys Lacking ‘Discipline’
Cowboys media members who have seen far too much of this in 2026 had much to say.
From Mike Leslie of WFAA, “This is a ridiculously sloppy performance by the Cowboys. A seemingly endless string of penalties… and now a second turnover as well.”
Former Cowboys receiver Jesse Holley of DLLS Cowboys wrote, “Even Players Not Playing Are Trying To Give The Game Away For The Cowboys.”
Zach Wolchuk of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas wrote: “Bad football teams find ways to lose games and this team keeps creating new ways weekly.”
Wrote Todd Archer of ESPN: “Even when the Cowboys do something right – Quinnen Williams forces a fumble – they mess things up. DeMarvion Overshown gets a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for celebrating on the field.”
Longtime Cowboys reporter Ed Werder called the team “undisciplined.”
The Cowboys rallied to win. But there is a lot to be concerned about.
Cowboys Called Out for Discipline Issues in ‘Sloppy’ Win