Penalties and other mistakes are plaguing the Cowboys even when they find ways to win

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The good news for the Dallas Cowboys is they didn't bury themselves in the mostly woeful NFC East with a third inexplicable loss in a month.

The bad news is they aren't showing many signs of being playoff-worthy in coach Brian Schottenheimer's second season.

The 153 yards in penalties in a 27-23 victory over Indianapolis included a mystifying unsportsmanlike conduct call against inactive linebacker DeMarvion Overshown when he ran onto the field to celebrate a fumble recovery, costing Dallas (4-5) valuable field position while trying to protect a fourth-quarter lead.

The two turnovers included CeeDee Lamb carrying the ball so loosely in his left hand that when it came out as he was tackled, the refs couldn't even say the ground caused the fumble. The sad part was, Lamb had just made a heads-up play by getting up and running when a defender failed to touch him on the ground.

The beleaguered Dallas defense has usually been the sloppy unit for a team that leads the NFL with 667 penalty yards.

This time, the offense drew the first seven yellow flags, three of them holding calls. Lamb was flagged for offensive pass interference twice, both wiping out first down catches. He still had the second-most yards receiving of his career with 195 on 10 catches.

Ultimately, the offense bailed out the Cowboys, who play NFC West-leading San Francisco (7-1) at home Sunday. Dak Prescott's 46-yard completion to Ryan Flournoy set up Javonte Williams' go-ahead touchdown run after Indianapolis had taken a 23-20 lead with 1:53 remaining.

Yes, those same Colts that have already made big chanhges, having traded a top lineman on both sides of the ball going into a game that ended with star running back Jonathan Taylor essentially saying goodbye because he's probably next with the trade deadline looming Tuesday.

The Cowboys were a month removed from a loss to then-winless Tampa Bay when the Buccaneers were starting undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels for just the second time.

Just a week earlier, backup QB Gardner Minshew rallied Arizona from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals' 33-30 overtime win .

“When you get in your own way, you make mistakes, you make some of these games closer than they have to be,” Prescott said. “Whether it was last week, us not being able to overcome it, and this week we did. We can’t do that. Simple as that. We can’t have this many penalties, especially on offense.”

On balance, this was probably the best defensive showing of the season for the Cowboys, who are slowly climbing from at or near the bottom of the NFL in most statistical categories. Rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs sealed the victory with his first interception.

“Shoutout to the defense for ending the game,” Lamb said. “But I think I had like three penalties alone in the second half and a fumble. So like personally, I’ve got to take a real good look. I’m always thinking about the could have been. So, as for me as a leader on this offense, feel like I got to be better in some realms.”

Dallas had 508 total yards on offense, and Prescott's throw to Flournoy after the Colts had taken the lead was perfect. It was the 28th game-winning drive of Prescott's career, fifth among quarterbacks in his 11 seasons.

Significant cracks are showing for the first time in kicker Brandon Aubrey's four seasons. His rate is a career-low 77% after a 50-yard miss in a 20-all tie with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. That miss was one of the few times the operation has been off, with Trent Sieg's snap bouncing before holder Bryan Anger managed to get the ball in place. Aubrey seemed to hesitate slightly on the approach because of the low snap.

DT Quinnen Williams has been shining for weeks, despite the up-and-down performances from the defense. He led Dallas with seven tackles against the Colts and tied his career high of three tackles for loss for the second time this season. Williams entered Monday leading the NFL with 14 tackles for loss.

Overshown simply can't stay on the field — except to celebrate turnovers, when he's in street clothes. He has missed six of the nine games this season with a hamstring injury, and a back issue was added to the list as he went from questionable to out against the Colts. The Cowboys have played 60 regular-season games since drafting Overshown in the third round in 2023. He has been on the field — in uniform — for 22 of them.

WR George Pickens (shoulder/hamstring) and CB Joey Porter Jr. (foot/ankle) figure to be questionable again this week, just as they were before getting ruled out against Indianapolis. ... TE Jake Ferguson injured his left knee and could miss time.

641 — Lamb passed DeAndre Hopkins (632) for the most catches before turning 28 in NFL history. He has the rest of the season to add to that total. Lamb turns 28 in April.

It's time to stop pretending the frequently downtrodden New York Giants aren't the favorite in the NFC East. The Cowboys have no choice but to start stacking wins. That's a tall task with the 49ers coming to down, but Dallas will be a big favorite in the remaining games on the three-game homestand.

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