IRVING, TX – It's a showdown worthy of the price of admission Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium. It's not the Cowboys versus the Colts, and it's not Tony Romo versus Andrew Luck.
No, it's Orlando Scandrick versus the lethal T.Y. Hilton.
"With that quarterback, that receiver," Scandrick said. "Those receivers, that tight end, both of those tight ends, passing comes natural to them."
Passing at an NFL-best rate, Luck has found the charm to his offense and it's Hilton. The third-year wide out from Florida International has torched defenses all season for 82 catches, 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns, most of which has come on the road.
"He's a smaller guy. You know, he reminds me a lot of DeSean Jackson, just the same type of game for me," Scandrick said.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett sees arguably the most talented threat the Cowboys have faced this year in Hilton.
"Just a really good player. They move him around. He's outside, he's inside. He can really do everything," Garrett said. "He runs deep, he runs intermediate routes, they get him the ball short and his run after catch is outstanding, so he's a very dangerous player. He and the quarterback have a great rapport, so there's a comfort level that's quarterback friendly and he makes a lot of plays for them."
The Cowboys are No. 1 in the league in time of possession, and right behind them are the Colts -- who control the clock with the pass. Priority No. 1 for Luck is to find the 5-foot-9-inch Hilton, who is the center piece of this daunting and complex offense.
"They move these guys around. They move the receivers around. They move the tight end around. That challenges you a lot of different ways," Garrett said. "Challenges your zone coverage. Challenges your man-to-man coverage. Who are you going to lock on those guys? How do you adjust out of those based on their formations? They do a really good job with their formations and getting these guys in different spots."
Scandrick appears to be the most likely candidate to draw the job of shadowing Hilton, however he knows this unit isn't a one-man show. Tight end Coby Fleener is second on the Colts in catches with 42, and then there are guys like rookie wide receiver Donte Moncrief and of course, the timeless Reggie Wayne.
"He's a great receiver. His numbers are second to none and you know Reggie is Reggie Wayne," Scandrick said in admiration. "I know his numbers are ridiculous and you still got to respect a guy like that no matter what age he is, no matter what injury he has, no matter what's going on, he can go off on any given night."
So what do the Cowboys do to combat the Colts' juggernaut of an offense when the season and their playoff lives are on the line?
"There's a lot of possibilities of things we could do," Garrett said.
Without being too forthcoming, the Cowboys know what's at stake and know this offense could be even more feared than anything they've seen so far this season.
"I think this team is focused enough and we got a great challenge," said Scandrick. "Were all going to embrace it and go out and play hard and do the things that winning football teams do to win games and we'll see what happens."
