was a crucial victory for the Colts’ push to the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys will be visiting Indianapolis on Sunday following a five game winning streak over some of the league’s best teams. A Colts win is essential for any shot at an appearance in the postseason. “Obviously https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Matthias-Farley-Jersey , against a tough opponent in the Dallas Cowboys who are on a pretty good roll right now,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said on Wednesday. “A good challenge for us.” The Colts have looked poised and confident in winning six of their last seven games, including the 24-21 win against the Texans in the battle for the AFC South. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus came to Indianapolis after six years with Dallas and has fine-tuned the Colts secondary to become one of the better defenses in the league. Eberflus has taken the Colts defense to 11th overall, 15th in passing defense and eighth in stopping the run. Quarterback Andrew Luck is having one of his best seasons and had a phenomenal game against Houston last week, completing 27 of 41 attempts for 399 yards and two touchdowns. “We have a lot of respect for Dallas,” Luck said on Wednesday. “What they do on the defensive side of the football presents a big challenge. They have a really strong defensive line. They have a great core of linebackers – guys who can cover and guys who can run. But I think we are also keeping the focus on ourselves and what we are doing and not getting too caught up in our opponent or if they’re on a hot streak or not on a hot streak.” The Dallas secondary is fully capable of stunting Luck’s ability to make big plays. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott combined with the ability of receiver Amari Cooper could be enough to takeover the game. Cooper is returning from a career high performance against Philadelphia with three touchdowns and 217 receiving yards. It’s clear that the Colts cannot afford to lose games if they want a shot in the playoffs. Andrew Luck will have to keep the offense spread out and Indy will need to utilize the skills of linebackers Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker to slow down Dak Prescott. Safety Clayton Geathers will remain questionable for tomorrow’s game with a knee injury. “I’ll be honest we are not looking past this game,” Luck said. “So for this game to be at home, yeah that’s big. It’s big, especially coming off the road in December, meaningful football games and it’s exciting. Lucas Oil has been rocking this year so we are appreciative of that and excited to play at home.” INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Andrew Luck gazes over Cincinnati’s defense Sunday, he’ll see some of the league’s top pass rushers.Defensive tackle Geno Atkins often gets the interior push. Michael Johnson, Carlos Dunlap and Carl Lawson routinely bring the outside pressure.So with Luck making his first start in more than 20 months, the Cincinnati Bengals hope to make life miserable as the Colts quarterback re-acclimates himself to regular-season life in the NFL.“My biggest concern, they have a really good front seven,” Luck said. “It’s always a tough defense. Geno Atkins is a heck of a player, (Carlos) Dunlap on the edge Christine Michael Sr Jersey , got guys that can cover. So it’s always a challenge.”Circumstances could make this season opener even more challenging for Indy.Longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury and was limited in practice earlier this week. Denzelle Good, who appeared to be the favorite at right tackle, hasn’t played since hurting his left knee in the third preseason game.Then there’s rookie left guard Quenton Nelson, the No. 6 pick. He’s likely to draw the assignment on Atkins, and there’s no assurance second-year running back Marlon Mack will return from a hamstring injury that has kept him off the field since the preseason opener. If Mack can’t play, rookies Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines may be asked to help protect Luck, one of the league’s highest-paid players.No, it’s not an ideal start for a quarterback who missed the 2017 season while recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder.But the Colts may not have a choice.“We will do everything we can do to neutralize the pass rush — no matter what five guys are up front,” new coach Frank Reich said. “And that will be No. 1 on the pass game agenda each week: How do you protect the passer?”The Bengals have other concerns after losing eight straight in Indy.They’re expecting to face a crowd eager to welcome back Luck and capable of making enough noise to slow down the pass rushers.“I think everybody there is going to be excited,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “We know the kind of player that he is. I guess if you’re going to play Andrew Luck, you’d rather be playing him now than Week 12.”NEW STRIPESThe Bengals debut their redesigned offense under coordinator Bill Lazor after giving a few previews during the preseason. They made more of an effort to get big plays, something missing last season. Andy Dalton looked comfortable with the new playbook in his limited preseason time, completing 71 percent of his passes with four touchdowns, one interception — the receiver fell on his route — and a passer rating of 130.9.“I feel real comfortable with the way I played,” Dalton said.DOUBLE DOSELast year, in Philadelphia Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , Reich took advantage of a plethora of solid tight ends.Expect more of the same this season in Indy.The Colts signed free agent Eric Ebron, Detroit’s first-round pick in 2014, to help stretch the field as Pro Bowler Jack Doyle continues to exploit the middle. Indy also has former basketball player Eric Swoope and Ryan Hewitt, a former Bengal, on the roster. And all four could play Sunday.NEW O-LINEThe offensive line was the biggest issue in Cincinnati’s offense finishing last in the league in 2017.There’s only one returning starter — left guard Clint Boling — as the unit’s been overhauled.It’ll be the first time that left tackle Cordy Glenn, rookie center Billy Price, right guard Alex Redmond and right tackle Bobby Hart play together in a regular-season game.RECORD WATCHAdam Vinatieri’s 23rd NFL season could be the most remarkable of his career.The four-time Super Bowl champion needs seven field goals to break Morten Andersen’s record (565), five field goals from the 40-49-yard range to take over the top spot from Gary Anderson and 58 points to break Andersen’s mark of 2,544.How has he done it? By keeping things in perspective.“You definitely want to start off on the right note,” he said. “We know how important it is, we know how much our owner wants to win this first game. We know how important it is to win at home in front of our home crowd, all the above.”NO BURFICTFor the fourth straight season, the Bengals will be without linebacker Vontaze Burfict at the outset.He missed the first six games of 2015 while recovering from a knee injury and has been suspended for the start of each of the past three.This time, Burfict will miss the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.