The Dallas Cowboys have lost five games in a row.
The Dallas Cowboys lost their fifth-straight game on Monday night, falling to the Houston Texans 34-10. There was a point where it looked like the boys in blue might give them a run for their money, but in true 2024 Cowboys fashion, the roof eventually came crashing down. Here are ten thoughts on another unsatisfying weekly performance by this Cowboys football team.
1. An almost disastrous start
The game couldn’t have started any worse when Nico Collins scampered 77 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Luckily for Dallas, Laremy Tunsil drifted and was flagged for an illegal man downfield, nullifying the score. The Texans still scored a touchdown six plays later, but it was still a lousy way to kick off this primetime game and
2. A big night for Mixon
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Texans’ running back Joe Mixon would have a big night. He entered the game with the most attempts per game this season, and nobody expected that to change with a porous Cowboys’ run defense. He started the game red hot, but then the Cowboy’s defense started clamping down. In the end, Mixon still finished with an impressive stat line as he finished with 20 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He also added another 44 yards as a receiver and finished the game with three total touchdowns. The veteran running back was just too shifty for the Cowboys in this one.
3. Why are they so bad at faking punts?
Sometimes losing isn’t enough for the team. They want to embarrass themselves. That’s what it feels like whenever John Fassel pulls one of those janky fake punt attempts. They tried something similar two weeks ago against Atlanta and looked equally foolish. They are not fooling anyone. It’s the same tomfoolery they were pulling in 2020. It was silly back then, and it’s still silly. Please stop.
4. Why are offensive linemen trying to pick up fumbles and run?
It’s one thing to allow the edge rusher to blow past you resulting in a sack/fumble, but it’s even worse when you try to pick up that fumble and run with it. But that’s what the Cowboys’ offensive tackles love to do. In an attempt to save face, they try to be a hero and pick up the fumble. That is what Terence Steele did last week, and that’s what Tyler Guyton did on Monday night. And each time, it only made matters worse as each bumbling play resulted in a turnover.
5. Turpin time!
For a brief moment, the Cowboys looked like they might make this a game. In a shocking turn of events, the offense converted a third-and-long when Cooper Rush found KaVontae Turpin in stride over the middle and he was off to the races. The 64-yard touchdown made it a 14-7 game early in the second quarter. It was nice to see the Cowboys get Turpin involved as he has shown he can be a weapon when he gets the ball in his hands. They should try to do more of that.
6. Schoony and Ford
Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson exited the game early with a concussion. The team was already without backup tight end John Stephens Jr. who is out for the year with a torn ACL. Even with those guys missing, the Cowboys continued to lean on their tight ends with a good dose of targets for second-year player Luke Schoonmaker and undrafted free agent rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford. Schoonmaker finished the game with six catches for 56 yards, a career-high while Spann-Ford had four catches for 42 yards, also a career-high. It was a solid group effort by the Cowboys’ backup tight ends.
7. Aubrey robbed again
Late in the third quarter, Brandon Aubrey nailed a 64-yard field goal to cut the Texans lead to 20-13, however, a head-slap penalty committed by defensive linemen Derek Barnett gave the Cowboys a fresh set of downs. Unfortunately, the Cowboys drive ended with no points after a failed fourth-down play deep in Texans’ territory. It was the second time this year that Aubrey initially hit a 60+ yarder (he hit a 66-yarder against Cleveland in Week 1) that was negated by a penalty. It makes you wonder how many 60+ yard kicks this dude would make in a year if other people didn’t keep messing up.
8. McCarthy’s questionable decision
After Rush hit CeeDee Lamb on a 13-yard pass play to the sideline, the Cowboys faced a fourth-and-two at the Texans’ eight-yard-line. Rather than taking the field goal and cutting it to a one-score game, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy opted to go for it. Many people questioned the coach’s decision there, including Troy Aikman, who doesn’t understand analytics, but it’s hard to blame McCarthy for taking a shot there. It’s not like the Cowboys get that deep into their opponent’s territory these days so that was likely their best chance to get the touchdown. The decision was fine, the play he called, however, well, that’s a different story.
9. Another home collapse
The Cowboys have played five home games this season and in each one, they have trailed at some point by at least 22 points. That is cray cray. Even in a game that looked like they might have a chance to sneak out a win, things came crashing down to the ground at the unfriendly confines of AT&T. Like the stadium itself, things eventually just fall apart.
10. Cracking the top 10
Entering the week, the Cowboys held the 11th position in the draft order, and based on how things have been going for them recently, we all have higher expectations come April. While losing is no fun, this loss drops the Cowboys to 3-7 on the year. As of now, they hold the ninth spot, setting the table for a top draft pick if things continue along this path.