Pure Horsepower

After weeks of drifting down that lonely highway known as irrelevancy, the Colts took the off-ramp to prominence Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium, dominating the Cowboys in a way no opponent has in 15 years. And while they do not control their future, as it relates to guaranteeing themselves a playoff spot, there is no grousing from within. Life is about living in the moment, not fretting about the future.

Still, few saw this coming — the seven wins in eight games or the 23-0 spanking of the Cowboys, who had won five in a row and were seeking to wrap up the NFC East title with a victory. The Colts were 1-5 in October and heading nowhere fast. The final 10 games were supposed to be about laying a foundation for the 2019 season, or so many of us thought. But this group is too young and too prideful for that. The players took to heart the words of their first-year head coach to view each week as its own season. Trust the process, Frank Reich told them. And now, with two weeks to go in the regular season, the Colts have positioned themselves for a legitimate shot at one of the AFC’s six playoff berths.

“Even when we were 1-5 we never lost hope,” said center Ryan Kelly, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with a knee injury. “We knew we were so close to winning those games, so there was never a sour moment in the locker room. We hated those losses — they really hurt — but I think it rejuvenated us. We’re a young team so some people might be like, ‘They don’t have a lot of experience.’ But I think it works well for us. We have a lot of young guys who play hard as hell and never quit.”

Instead, it was the Cowboys who tapped out, absorbing their first shutout in 15 years. Dallas prides itself on being physical and wearing teams down as the game progresses, but it was the Colts who kept coming forward. They stayed in the Cowboys’ face from start to finish, going so far as to bully the league’s third-ranked run defense at times. Dallas had not allowed 100 yards rushing in its previous five games and ranked No. 1 in fewest yards allowed per carry, but the Colts, who had been held to 91 yards rushing in their previous two games combined, took that as a challenge and ran for 178 yards, a season-high against the Cowboys.

Marlon Mack, who finished with a career-high 139 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, sensed what was to come as early as the first series.

“When I saw those holes, I was like ‘Oh, yeah, it might be a good day,'” he said. “Holes like that don’t come often. When the guys are blocking like that in front of you — oh yeah, these big guys are moving them, so step your game up.”

Truthfully, I don’t know. They don’t wow you with the spectacular, save for the deep speed of T.Y. Hilton. They’re not leading the league in any major categories. Their players’ names don’t roll off the tongue when discussing MVPs or Players of the Year. But know this: You would be foolish to look past them because they have a physical offensive line, a quarterback who is living up to the status of being a No. 1 overall pick, and a defense that knows only one speed (open throttle) and one way (all out) to play.

“It’s amazing,” rookie linebacker Darius Leonard said of their rise to prominence. “It shows what type of character this team has. We’re pretty young, and early we were just making dumb mistakes. Now that we’re not making those mistakes, we’re competing with anybody and balling and just trying to be 1-0 each week. I love being the underdog. I love working from behind. It fits my makeup, coming from behind. Everybody overlooked this team but we have great guys, great ballplayers, and we’re going to keep competing.”

Sunday was improbable on so many levels, both sides. Andrew Luck completed just 16 passes and threw for only 192 yards with no touchdowns, yet Indy still prevailed. Dallas controlled the ball on its opening three drives with possessions that lasted 10, 15 and 14 plays, yet the Cowboys failed to produce points on any of them. They had a field-goal attempt blocked on their first possession, were stopped on fourth down from the Indy 3 on their second series, and punted on their third possession after a sack took them out of field-goal range.

“With this defense all year, we just tell each other: bend but don’t break,” said cornerback Kenny Moore. “If something happens, just try to make the next snap better. They’re an NFL offense, they’re a great offense, so they’re going to make their plays. At the end we have to make more plays than them.”