The Dallas Cowboys (8-5) are officially the hottest team in the NFL, and this week, they put their league-leading five-game winning streak on the line against the second-hottest team in football - the Indianapolis Colts (7-6), who are 6-1 in their last seven games.

A win clinches a playoff berth for the Cowboys and puts a severe dent in Indianapolis' AFC playoff hopes. A loss actually wouldn't hurt Dallas much, as the winning streak has given the team room for error in the standings.

Still, the earlier the better, as a clinched playoff berth will give Dallas the flexibility to be cautious with its stars who are playing through injuries. The ability to sit Zack Martin for the last two weeks, giving him time to rest his injured knee, would be invaluable for the Cowboys offense, while allowing rookie Connor Williams to gain more NFL game experience.

Before the five-game winning streak, the Cowboys struggled mightily on the road, going winless in their first four road game this season. However, Dallas has righted the road ship as of late, winning their last two away from AT&T Stadium (Philadelphia and Atlanta). The Colts, on the other hand, are 4-2 at home, winning their last four games at Lucas Oil Stadium.

With that being said, it's time to get bold. So with that in mind, here are a few predictions for Cowboys-Colts:

Michael Gallup: 100+ rec. yards and a TD

Since the Amari Cooper trade, Michael Gallup has firmly entrenched himself as Dallas' No. 2 wide receiver.

Michael Gallup does his best Amari Cooper impression to get open on the slant route. Stems outside, widening the CB and setting up Gallup's in-cut to cross the CB's face and get open on the slant route.



Nice route by the rookie WR. pic.twitter.com/mppXdMawnC — John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 10, 2018

Over that stretch, Gallup has been more deliberate with his releases off the line of scrimmage and more effective creating separation at the top of his routes.

On top of that, Gallup has developed into the vertical threat of the Cowboys offense. It has seemingly become a weekly occurrence where Gallup gets open on a vertical route before being overthrown by Dak Prescott. In fact, Prescott is 2-for-10 on throws of 30+ air yards to Gallup.

While Prescott does deserve blame for poor ball placement on some of his deep shots, Gallup deserves his own share of the blame as well. This play is a great example as to why:

On this play, Prescott overthrows Gallup, who is running a go route, deep down the sideline. However, the overthrow wasn't Prescott's fault, as Gallup gave up on his go route just after Prescott let go of the ball, causing the ball to appear overthrown.

If Gallup never throttles down, the ball is perfectly placed, and Gallup likely walks in the end zone for a touchdown.

This week, Gallup and Prescott have a great opportunity to get right on their deep connection, as Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will likely shade a safety toward Cooper, who has proven to be a game-breaking threat every time he's targeted, giving Gallup one-on-one coverage on the outside against Indianapolis' average cornerback unit.

While he's been close numerous times this season, Gallup has yet to have a true breakout performance. That changes this week, as Prescott and Gallup find a way to finally connect on a deep pass down the sideline for a touchdown. On top of that, Gallup should be able to create separation against the Colts secondary on short-to-intermediate routes as well.

Tank hits double digits

With 8.5 sacks to his name, DeMarcus Lawrence is on the precipice of breaking the 10-sack barrier. Much like how the best hitters in baseball bat over .300, the best pass rushers in the NFL tend to accumulate double-digit sacks.

With just three games left, the time is running out for Lawrence to break the ever-elusive barrier. Luckily for him, he has a great chance to have a dominant performance against Colts right tackle Braden Smith.

The rookie right tackle has performed admirably since moving into the starting lineup in Week 5, yielding just two sacks in the following nine games.

Having said that, Smith is not at the point in his development where he can handle Lawrence one-on-one on the edge. And while Lawrence will undoubtedly face a steady stream of chip blocks and double teams, the Colts will leave Smith on an island on occasion, and that's where Lawrence can truly take advantage.

Smith tends to struggle against defensive ends who possess exemplary footwork and well-timed hand technique. Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake had his way with Smith in Week 12, as Smith allowed a career-high six total pressures, two quarterback hits and a sack.

Lawrence may execute slightly differently, but he does have some of the best footwork and hand technique as a pass rusher.

DeMarcus Lawrence shows off his ability to sequence moves together on this sack. Initially looks to hit his cross-chop, but whiffs. So he immediately transitions into his next move, a two-hand-swipe, as he speeds around the corner.



Sublime. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/Zi055LA7pi — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 19, 2018

Lawrence has a rare ability to sequence his pass rush moves together to counter the offensive tackle's strikes. His go-to is the cross-chop move, but he also possesses formidable swipe, arm-over, spin and club moves to defeat the hands of opposing blockers.

Wanted to take an in-depth look at #Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence's footwork and how it set him up for success on this rush.



This is @TankLawrence's 3rd sack of the game. pic.twitter.com/cZvpUxYwHx — John Owning (@JohnOwning) October 5, 2018

Among pass rushers, the phrase "if you beat the hands, you beat the man" gets used frequently, and it's true; however, it overlooks the fact that proper footwork puts the pass rusher in an advantageous position to win with his hands.

Lawrence excels in this area rushing the passer. Lawrence does an excellent job of manipulating the depth and width of the opposing blocker's pass set. On top of that, Lawrence's excellent footwork allows him to maintain his balance and momentum when bursting around the corner on his way to the quarterback.

1st sack for #Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence. Puts the RG in a blender with a club-arm over after looping on the stunt. Feet always working in concert with his hands. pic.twitter.com/RNJJ260W0S — John Owning (@JohnOwning) October 1, 2018

On top of his ability to beat blockers one-on-one, Lawrence is also a threat to generate pressures on stunts, as Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford have developed into one of the best stunt duos in the NFL. In fact, four of Lawrence's 8.5 sacks have come on stunts.

Against the Colts, expect Lawrence to be effective when matched up one-on-one with Smith and expect Dallas to run Lawrence on a gambit of stunts in order to get him free from the steady stream of chip blocks and double teams.

Don't be surprised if Lawrence records the eighth multi-sack game of his career Sunday in Indianapolis.

Collins allows two or fewer hurries, no sacks

Fresh off his best performance of the season, La'el Collins is primed to continue his improved play against the Colts.

Love the trap scheme to take advantage of aggressive defensive lines. XSF trips and falls, but because Cox and Bennett get so far upfield, it doesn't matter. Look at La'el Collins flatten Nigel Bradham. Beautiful pic.twitter.com/lpAVXkLd8W — John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 12, 2018

Last week against Philadelphia, Collins was fantastic and by far the best Cowboys offensive lineman. He was borderline dominant in the run game, displacing Eagles defenders with ease (including Fletcher Cox) at the point of attack while overwhelming linebackers at the second level.

This is an excellent pass set from La'el Collins to stymie the inside spin attempt from Chris Long. He beat Long to his spot, remained patient and landed his strike, nullifying the spin attempt. pic.twitter.com/hVJJstklWP — John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 11, 2018

In pass protection, Collins was efficient in his pass set and was on-point with his punch timing. His footwork looked improved, as he had no troubles mirroring the Philadelphia pass rushers around the edge.

Really impressive job by La'el Collins to re-anchor after giving (and leaving) ground initially against Michael Bennett. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/VeTZNFTrCF — John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 12, 2018

Furthermore, even when put in a bad position initially, Collins didn't panic, showcasing an impressive ability to recover or re-anchor against the Eagles pass rushers.

This week, Collins should actually have an easier time, as Indianapolis doesn't possess the depth or breadth of talent on the defensive line that Philadelphia boasts.

For the majority of the game, Collins will be matched up against Jabaal Sheard and Tyquan Lewis. Sheard has long been one of the most underrated defensive ends in the NFL, but he doesn't boast the skill level of Brandon Graham or Michael Bennett, two of the defenders who Collins got the better of last week. Lewis, on the other hand, is a rookie second-round pick who is still trying to find his footing in the NFL.

Collins matches up well with both, especially in pass protection, as he may have some trouble with Sheard in the run game. Neither Sheard nor Lewis possesses the movement skills or hand technique to give Collins much trouble in the passing game.

As long as Collins is deliberate with his hands and consistent with his anchor, he should have no problems stymieing the Indianapolis pass rushers.

Twitter: @JohnOwning