The Dallas Cowboys looked competitive briefly before falling to the Houston Texans

The Dallas Cowboys lost their fifth game in a row on Monday night and slumped Houston Texas 34-10. There was a time when it looked like the boys in blue might give them a run for their money, but in true 2024 Cowboys fashion, the roof eventually collapsed. Here are ten thoughts on another unsatisfactory weekly performance by this Cowboys football team.

1. An almost disastrous start

The game couldn’t have started worse as Nico Collins ran 77 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Fortunately for Dallas, Laremy Tunsil drove 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 start 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 was going to have a big night. He entered the match with the most attempts per game this season, and no one expected that to change with a porous Cowboys run defense. He started the game red hot, but then the Cowboy defense started to slow 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 is not enough for the team. They will embarrass themselves. That’s what it feels like every time John Fassel pulls off one of those irrelevant fake punt attempts. They tried something similar two weeks ago against Atlanta and looked just as foolish. They are not fooling anyone. It’s the same nonsense they did in 2020. It was silly then and it’s still silly. Please stop.

4. Why do offensive linemen try 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’s what Terence Steele did last week and Tyler Guyton did Monday night. And each time, it only made it worse as each scintillating play resulted in a turnover.

5. Turpin time!

For a brief moment, the Cowboys appeared to make this a game. In a shocking twist, 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 his hands on the ball. They should try to do more of that.

6. Schoony and Ford

Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson left 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 hit a 64-yard field goal to cut the Texans’ lead to 20–13, but a head slap by defensive lineman Derek Barnett gave the Cowboys another set of downs. Unfortunately, the Cowboys drive ended with no points after a botched 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 guy 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 down the sideline, the Cowboys faced a fourth-and-two at the Texans’ eight-yard line. Instead of 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 probably their best chance for a touchdown. The decision was fine, the play he called, but that’s another story.

9. Another home collapse

The Cowboys have played five home games this season, and in each of them they have trailed by at least 22 points at some point. It’s cray cray. Even in a game that seemed to have a chance to sneak out a win, things crashed to the ground in the unfriendly confines of AT&T. Like the stadium itself, things eventually just fall apart.

10. Crack the top 10

Before the week, the Cowboys took the 11th pick in the draft, and based on how things have gone for them recently, we all have higher expectations for April. While losing is no fun, this loss drops the Cowboys to 3-7 on the year. Right now, they hold the ninth spot and set the stage for a top draft pick if things continue this way.