National Football League

Cowboys pass rush could make history. Colts provide a golden opportunity

Updated Dec. 1, 2022 5:28 p.m. ET

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David Helman

Dallas Cowboys Insider

It's fortunate for the Cowboys that most of their premier pass-rushers are under contract for the next few years, because this coming Sunday presents the type of matchup that breaks the bank.

This isn't exactly game-changing analysis. The 2022 Cowboys are piling up sacks at a startling rate, and now they kick off December against the league's worst pass protectors, the Indianapolis Colts.

It isn't hyperbole. If you missed Matt Ryan fighting desperately to stay on his feet against Pittsburgh on Monday night, know this: the Colts enter this game ranked dead-last in the NFL with 43 sacks allowed. They've surrendered multiple sacks in 10 of their 12 games; they've only held one opponent without at least one.

This isn't a case of goosing the numbers, either. Indianapolis famously allowed an absurd nine sacks to New England back in Week 9 with Sam Ehlinger as their starting quarterback. Even without that big number counting against them, the Colts would have allowed the fourth-most sacks in the NFL on the season.

That presents quite an opportunity for a Dallas pass rush that's producing at a near-historic level this year.

The Cowboys lead the league with a whopping 45 sacks so far this season. That's already the fourth-highest total of Jerry Jones' tenure as team owner and general manager, dating back to 1989. The team record, 59 in 2008, is well within range.

It's not just team history the Cowboys can gun for. At their current pace of 4.1 sacks per game, they're on pace for roughly 70 sacks. That would easily be good enough for best in recent memory, as only the 2013 Panthers, 2006 Chargers and 2000 Saints have even cracked 60 sacks as a team.

For that matter, best-ever could be on the table. Only three teams in NFL history have finished with 70 or more sacks. The 1984 Chicago Bears currently hold the record, with 72.

That number feels a long way off right now, but it could change in a hurry. Three of the Cowboys' final six opponents, headlined by Indianapolis, have allowed 30 or more sacks this season, and the Cowboys tend to put together runs. Dallas has tallied three or more sacks in eight of 11 games this season, including eye-popping tallies of five, six and seven. They haven't been held below two sacks in any game.

Of course, football rarely proceeds as planned. The Colts are a run-oriented team, and they'll undoubtedly look to Johnathan Taylor to take some of the pressure off their passing game. If that's not possible, there's also the likelihood that they'll look to get the ball out of Matt Ryan's hands quickly to mitigate the pass rush.

That's easier said than done. The book has been out on this defense since September, and even the teams that have managed to get the better of them haven't been able to keep their quarterback clean.

It's not just a matchup that will go a long way toward determining a winner on Sunday night, it could help provide the difference between nearly historic and actually historic.

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David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.

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David Helman