The Dallas Cowboys’ struggles at AT&T Stadium persisted on Monday Night Football as they suffered a 34-10 defeat to the Houston Texans. … with another loss coming on social media.
The loss extended Dallas’ winless home record, with each defeat this season coming by 20 or more points. Facing concerning injuries in this matchup to key players like Zack Martin, Jake Ferguston, and Tyler Smith, the Cowboys have just a couple of days to prepare for the Washington Commanders.
What did Dallas do wrong? Most everything, including AT&T Stadium featuring a huge piece of sheet metal falling dangerously from the roof before the game … which triggered the Texans social-media people into a very clever and artistic troll job. To wit …
What did Dallas do right? KaVontae Turpin delivered the game’s lone highlight for Dallas in the second quarter. Facing a 3rd-and-10 from their 36-yard line, quarterback Cooper Rush, who is starting for the remainder of the season in Dak Prescott’s absence, found Turpin on a pass over the middle.
Turpin displayed his elite speed, reaching 22.36 mph—the fastest recorded by a ball carrier this season and the quickest in the NGS era (since 2016) perNextGen Stats—as he turned the play into a 64-yard touchdown. The score cut Houston’s lead to 14-7 with 14:31 left in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, Dallas failed to sustain any momentum. The offense sputtered, and costly mistakes compounded their woes. The game’s wackiest occurred early in the fourth quarter. Rush fumbled the ball on 2nd-and-6, and rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton recovered. Instead of securing possession, Guyton attempted to advance the ball but fumbled again, leading to a Texans scoop-and-score touchdown that extended the deficit to 27-10. To add to the Cowboys’ misery, Guyton injured his shoulder on the play and did not return.
With the loss, the 3-7 Cowboys are now 0-5 at home and face another challenge as next week they are to take on the Washington Commanders, led by their former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Dallas must address their issues quickly to avoid further spiraling in what has been a disappointing season full of “L”s.”
