It was a chaotic Sunday for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. Their matchup against the Indianapolis Colts was a roller coaster ride that kept fans on the edge of their seats. While the Cowboys managed to secure a 27-23 victory, it was largely overshadowed by self-inflicted penalties that nearly cost them the game.

Former Cincinnati Bengals star Chad Johnson was unhappy with how things unfolded and issued a blunt warning to the Cowboys over their sloppiness.

One of the biggest positives was quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense stepping up when it mattered most. They delivered a strong performance, with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb stealing the spotlight. However, avoiding costly penalties has to be non-negotiable moving forward.

Chad Johnson Issues Blunt Warning to Cowboys Over Costly Penalties

On Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys committed 14 penalties for 153 yards, wiping out more than 100 yards of total offense. The penalties included two offensive pass interference calls on CeeDee Lamb, multiple holding penalties, and two holding calls on tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.

However, the one that stung the most was an unusual sideline penalty called against inactive linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

After Cowboys linebacker Shemar James recovered a crucial fumble forced against Jonathan Taylor, the Dallas defense ran toward the end zone to celebrate. Overshown got caught up in the excitement and ran off the sidelines and onto the field to join his teammates.

Since he was not in uniform, referee Clay Martin threw a flag and made a rather unusual announcement to the stadium.

“After the play, unsportsmanlike conduct by Dallas. We had a non-uniform player in blue sweats and a stocking cap come onto the field to celebrate. That’s a 15-yard penalty.”

The penalty pushed Dallas back from its own 33-yard line to the 18. The Cowboys then went three-and-out, and Indianapolis took advantage of the improved field position on its next possession, tying the game 20-20 on Spencer Shrader’s 59-yard field goal.

Johnson was furious over these instances and said, “You had so many penalties today. Y’all playing like the Raiders back in the 80s and 90s, boy. You can’t have that many penalties.”

He continued on Sunday’s episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, saying, “You got to play a little bit more disciplined, huh? And you got to put teams away. You got to put bad teams away. You got to beat them convincingly.”

Prescott was especially critical afterward, calling the offensive penalties “purely unacceptable,” while head coach Brian Schottenheimer also emphasized the need for Dallas to clean up its mistakes.

Following the win, the Cowboys improved to 4-5 on the season. They are currently ranked No. 20 in PFN’s NFL Team Impact Rankings and the worst on PFN’s Defense Impact Rankings.

The Cowboys will next face the San Francisco 49ers on November 15, 2026. The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.