Last week, plenty was said about the Cowboys' problematic history with the Cardinals. It turned out to be almost prophetic, as Dallas blew a lead and once again got embarrassed by Arizona.
Thankfully, our next opponent hasn't been so fortunate in its modern run against the Cowboys. The Colts are 1-4 over the last 20 years against Dallas, and the Cowboys desperately need to keep that success going today in Indianapolis.
Cowboys lead Colts 11-7 in all-time series
Going back to the Colts' days in Baltimore, they've been a cross-conference rival for Dallas since our first season as a franchise in 1960. As with most of our early opponents, the Colts enjoyed early success against the expansion-team Cowboys, up to and including Super Bowl V in 1970.
But once Roger Staubach took over at QB and Dallas began it's "America's Team" run in the 70s, the script flipped with the Colts. Johnny Unitas' era was ending as Staubach's began, and the Cowboys won six-straight games against the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts between 1972 and 1993, crossing over into Dallas' second dynasty as well.
Indy got a few back on us during the doldrums of the late 90s and early 2000s, but Dallas soon restored order. Starting in 2006, the Cowboys have won four of the last five meetings. The Colts' one win came in 2018, when briefly relevant RB Marlon Mack went off for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Signature Moment: Colts ruin Cowboys' first Super Bowl appearance
While Dallas had seen some playoff success in the late 60s, the 1970 season was its first taste of a Super Bowl. But the Baltimore Colts, led by a gold-standard QB in Unitas, were a battle-hardened team with a long championship pedigree. The Colts would ultimately prevail in a hard-fought 16-13 win.
While not a pretty game, it was memorable on many levels. Unitas was knocked out early with a rib injury, but Dallas QB Craig Morton had self-inflicted wounds with three interceptions. In some ways, this helped open the door for Roger Staubach to take over as the Cowboys' starter the following season.
In a rarity on a couple of levels, Dallas linebacker Chuck Howley was named MVP. He is the only player from a losing team to ever win Super Bowl MVP, which he earned on two interceptions. Howley was also the first defensive player to win the award, and there have only been nine others since (including Cowboys CB Larry Brown in 1995).
Super Bowl V was also the first to include the Lombardi Trophy, which began after Vince Lombardi died earlier that season. Dallas would go into to get their first a year later, and four more after that.
Last Time Around: Cowboys clobber Colts 54-19
Dallas had quite a few blowout wins during Mike McCarthy's coaching tenure, and this 2022 meeting with the Colts was certainly one of them. Indy was in a down year overall, with Matt Ryan struggling in his final NFL season. They'd also just made a coaching change, firing Frank Reich a few weeks earlier and bringing in Jeff Saturday as a questionable, mostly PR-driven hire.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys were cruising on both sides of the ball. They destroyed on the ground with 220 total rushing yards, led by Tony Pollard's 91 and supported by 77 from Ezekiel Elliott. Even Malik Davis chipped in a 23-yard TD run during garbage time.
This was a classic case of two teams moving in opposite directions leading to a lopsided result. Will that happen again today, with the Colts having already thrown in their towel on the 2026 season? The Cowboys certainly hope so, but they'll need to show more than they have lately to make it happen.
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