Colts vs. Cowboys Week 13 preview: Can the Jeff Saturday-led Colts shock NFL world with prime-time win?

DraftKings Sportsbook has the Dallas Cowboys favored over the Indianapolis Colts by 10.5 points on Sunday Night Football.

There is every reason to expect the Dallas Cowboys to beat up on the Indianapolis Colts for Sunday Night Football. Dak Prescott is the better quarterback, the backfield of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard is dynamic, and the receiving weapons in Dallas, even without Amari Cooper, have proven considerably more than the pieces on the Colts' offense.

This is a team that is still known more for its stifling defense. The Cowboys generate a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, resulting in a boatload of sacks. Those sacks come from the defensive line and mutant linebacker Micah Parsons who wreaks havoc all over the field. Teams struggle to score about this Dallas defense, no matter how good their offense might look most weeks.

Of course, on the other side, the Colts have struggled to score points all year. The offensive line has given up more sacks than any other team in the league. A new head coach and signal-caller will have the opportunity to try to throw one of the best defenses a curveball or two.

Look, the smart bet is to take the points and expect Dallas to run it up against a team that has shown little offensive life throughout the season. The Colts defense has been good and will likely slow down the Cowboys for a while, but how long will the unit keep fighting? At some point, business decisions will be made, and players will start protecting their bodies for next season, wherever they might be playing.

The Colts could steal this game with a few things going just right in an alternate universe. Dallas has to be at risk for a trap game in this scenario. The Colts are one of the weakest opponents they have faced all season. The Colts are also going through a transition period on the coaching staff and perhaps even in the front office, which should create distractions in the locker room. So, just how dialed in are players likely to be?

Anything can happen if a Cowboys' mental letdown coincides with a couple of explosive offensive scoring plays and winning the turnover battle. A defensive or special teams score can turn the tide and flip the script. The scoring plays would likely come from Jonathan Taylor or maybe Alec Pierce. Both have shown the propensity to break a big play, and Taylor has to feel disappointed in his season to this point.

The bad news for Colts fans is that this scenario is unlikely. The Cowboys will stay locked in because they’re playing in the NFC East. Last placed in the division is the Washington Commanders at 7-5. At this point, nothing is promised for the Cowboys, and they’re still two games back from the Philadelphia Eagles. They have extra days of rest after playing last Thursday. They can play aggressively in this one and still have only the Houston Texans on deck with the Jaguars in the hole.

They should be riding three weeks of AFC South domination into a home match-up with the Eagles and, with any luck (sorry, Colts fans), could be playing for the division.

Any given Sunday. There is always that.