By Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Tess DeMeyer
As the Dallas Cowboys suffered their fifth straight loss in a 34-10 defeat to the Houston Texans on Monday, home fans in AT&T Stadium may have felt like the ceiling was collapsing on their season — and that’s not even mentioning the piece of metal that fell from the retractable roof pregame.
At times, the Cowboys looked capable of snagging their first home win — quarterback Cooper Rush looked improved and safety Malik Hooker picked off Texans star C.J. Stroud early — but a plethora of head-scratching calls and on-field errors resulted in loss No. 6 at Jerry World this season.
Houston running back Joe Mixon did most of the Texans’ offensive damage, notching three scores and topping over 150 total yards. Though Rush threw for 354 yards, the Cowboys had no answers on offense and saw two key players sustain injuries in the fourth quarter. Offensive lineman Zack Martin, a veteran who Micah Parsons said last week he wanted to win games for, and Tyler Smith went down on the same drive with less than 10 minutes to play.
While the Texans improved to 7-4, the Cowboys take a 3-7 record into a short week before facing the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
What went wrong?
You can point to a fake punt attempt that didn’t come close to picking up a first down. You can point to the decision to take points off the board after Brandon Aubrey made the 64-yard field goal. You can point to the play on fourth-and-2. You can point to rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton trying to run after recovering a fumble instead of just going to the ground. But it’s almost never been one thing in the Cowboys’ losses this season. They’re just a bad team.
They don’t put themselves in a position where a play here or a play there is the difference. The result Monday night is actually in the best interest for the franchise. There’s no reason to win any more games. This season is done. Get the best possible draft pick. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
Dallas’ anemic offense
The Cowboys’ offense was much improved over their horrible showing last week against the Eagles, but they ultimately could not do enough to win the game. The much maligned defense had a horrid start to the game but tightened things up quickly after giving up two touchdowns to Mixon in the first quarter.
Over the next two quarters, the defense only allowed two field goals to the Texans for a total of 20 points heading into the fourth quarter. Multiple times, the defense did its job and gave the ball to the offense with a chance to tie the game or close it down to a one-possession game. But the offense never responded.
The offense couldn’t finish when the Cowboys needed it most on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter on the doorstep and then fell flat for the entire fourth quarter. Rush improved off his previous performance but had another fumbled snap from the shotgun and a handful of interceptable balls that could have made things look even worse. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
Stroud’s quiet night
Stroud was obviously the most talented quarterback on the field Monday night. But that wasn’t saying much. AT&T Stadium has been a comfortable place for opposing quarterbacks this season.
New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr posted a 125.0 passer rating in their win. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s was 139.4. Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff’s was 153.8. Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ was 115.0. Stroud on Monday night was 77.7. Houston will clearly take the win any way it can get it, but Stroud didn’t have the type of game I was expecting against this Cowboys defense, especially with top wide receiver Nico Collins back in the lineup. — Machota
Texans’ defense got the job done
The Texans defense was mostly as advertised, limiting the Cowboys’ offense for much of the game. The Cowboys’ offense did put together a few decent drives they don’t have anything to show for, courtesy of a rare Brandon Aubrey miss from 40 yards and a failed red zone attempt on a fourth-and-2 incompletion, but Houston’s defense deserves a lot of credit, too.
Even though Houston seemed hellbent on playing with its food, the defense finally rose up and slammed the door shut on the Cowboys in the fourth quarter when the Texans strip-sacked Rush and ultimately forced Guyton to fumble on the same play and returned it for a touchdown.
Throughout the evening, the Texans had their fair share of dropped interceptions, none more glaring than a few plays prior to the Cowboys’ failed fourth-and-2 attempt in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was the best indicator of what the Texans’ defense can be when they’re actually playing their best, and that version of them didn’t let the Cowboys even get a false sense of confidence. — Yousuf
Required reading
- Cowboys’ committee approach didn’t work, so Rico Dowdle officially becomes lead back
- 2025 outlooks for the NFL’s 4 most disappointing teams
- Beyoncé to perform halftime show at Ravens-Texans on Christmas on Netflix
(Photo: Sam Hodde/ Getty Images)
