JJT: 10 Thoughts on the Cowboys' Shutout Loss in Indianapolis

The Cowboys were shut out for the first time since 2003 -- a span of 242 games

Players aren't robots, and the butt-kicking the Cowboys took Sunday in Indianapolis proves it.

After five consecutive mentally- and emotionally-grueling wins against NFC opponents to just about secure a playoff berth, it should've surprised no one that the Cowboys didn't have a whole lot of energy against the Colts.

They missed tackles, dropped passes and played with a general malaise for much of the game.

Here are NBC 5 Cowboys Insider Jean-Jacques Taylor's 10 thoughts on the Cowboys' 23-0 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

1) The last time the Cowboys were shut out, Bill Parcells was the coach and Adam Vinatieri was kicking field goals for the New England Patriots. Dallas was shut out for the first time since 2003, a span of 242 games, when the Patriots did it 12-0 at Texas Stadium. Welp.

2) The Cowboys ran 64 plays and totaled just 292 yards -- 4.6 yards per play -- which is pathetic. Dallas had one play of more than 20 yards, a 24-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott in the first quarter.

3) Dak Prescott missed some throws, his receivers dropped some passes. None, probably, bigger than fullback Jamize Olawale's third-down drop from the Indianapolis 3 late in the second quarter. The Cowboys faked a jet sweep to the right to Elliott and snuck Olawale into the left flat. Prescott left the throw a little short, but it shouldn't have been difficult catch. Elliott was stopped on fourth down, and the Colts drove for a field goal at the end of the half.

4) Amari Cooper was a non-factor with four catches for 32 yards and a long of 11. He had a reverse for 10 yards, but the Colts didn't let him get deep. It was his lowest yardage output since Dallas acquired him in October.

5) The Cowboys' special teams continued to be irrelevant. Cole Beasley returned one punt for two yards and the field goal unit allowed a blocked kick on the game's first possession. Denico Autry slithered right up the middle, something that should never happen, and blocked a Dallas field goal attempt for the first time four seasons.

6) The Cowboys' defense, among the NFL's best all season, allowed a season-high 178 yards rushing. Marlon Mack established career highs in carries (27) and yards (139).

7) Just to give you an idea of how bad the defense played, it didn't record a sack, a tackle for loss or a turnover until the fourth quarter. That's incredibly hard to do, and they probably missed more tackles in the first three quarters than they've missed in the last few weeks.

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8) Ezekiel Elliott is probably the only player who played to his capability with 18 carries for 87 yards and seven receptions for 41 yards. If he had any help, he would've easily rushed for 125 yards against the Colts.

9) Dallas committed nine penalties for 74 yards, one game after committing 11 for 110 yards. Dallas has been one of the least penalized teams all season, but this is a trend that needs to stop now. The penalties negated an interception and a couple of important plays that could've changed the game's momentum.

10) You can tell the story of this game by what happened on third down. Dallas was 4-for-12 -- and 1-for-5 on fourth down -- while the Colts were 8-of-12 on third down.

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