When the Dallas Cowboys schedule was first released, it looked like they’d beat the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, but lose back-to-back to the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
Turns out, getting to 2-2 would be a lot more topsy-turvy than we expected, especially with the New York Giants sitting alone at the top of the NFC East for the first time in over a decade. That’s a topic for another time.
The Cowboys went into Houston in full-on desperation mode, looking to avoid a 1-3 start.
The only caveat was that the Texans were desperate too, which meant they’d throw everything they had at Dallas’ high-powered offense.
Dallas walked out with a win, showing they were the tougher team by finishing strong on offense and holding it together (barely) on defense. A lot of high grades are being handed out on the report card this week.
A grades:
CeeDee Lamb (A++)
This was a signature game from CeeDee Lamb. 17 receptions for 189 yards, and the game-winning touchdown is a good day at the office. When the Cowboys needed a play on offense, especially in the second half, they looked to Lamb.
Schottenheimer kept the Texans’ defense on their heels by moving him all over the formation and not keeping him to one side. The play design to get him the ball was brilliant, using screens and double moves to exploit his matchups.
Dallas won the battle of Texas on the back of their star wide receiver.
Dak Prescott (A+)
After a week of noise about the Cowboys’ GOTI offense not finishing drives against the Baltimore Ravens, it was almost like the football gods wanted to give Dak Prescott a chance at redemption.
Like the Rio game, Dallas had little time on the clock and three points to tie the game, or a touchdown to take the lead. A field goal wouldn’t do it this time. Not if they are trying to learn from their mistakes.
After a should-have-been interception that landed in the dirt between two Texans defenders, Prescott went to work. Lamb’s final touchdown wasn’t just for the lead. It shook off the narrative that Dallas can’t do it in big moments on offense and gave them confidence for when they find themselves in the same moment again.
It took him until the second half to heat up against a vaunted Houston defense, but Prescott finished 32 of 45 passing for 335 yards and one touchdown. Not bad at all.
Tyler Guyton (A)
Tyler Guyton’s development has been one of the biggest storylines around the Cowboys through the first month of the season. Things look like they are coming together for the former first-round pick. He still loses a couple of matchups, but that’s life as a tackle in the NFL—nothing is perfect, but consistency is key.
Through four weeks, Guyton has allowed no sacks and has just one penalty: a false start against Houston. The Cowboys offense has benefited from not having to worry about Prescott’s blindside, and their investment in first-round offensive linemen continues to deliver success other teams dream of.
The ball of clay isn’t molded to perfection just yet, but Dallas has to be ecstatic about how their left tackle has played so far this season.
Javonte Williams (A)
Javonte Williams had some dirty yards between the 20s, but it was a career day in the red zone. The Cowboys running back had three touchdowns, and the impressive part was that none of them were easy.
The Cowboys paid Williams this offseason not just for his leadership, but for how productive he can be in this offense. He is the team’s true bell cow and has shown this year he’s almost unstoppable in short-yardage situations.
Dallas struggled in the red zone last year because the play calling was not right. This year, there have been questionable moments, but one thing is clear: if Dallas has the ball inside the five-yard line, hand it off to No. 33.
Otito Ogbonnia (A)
The big man deserves some love. Defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia is starting to show up each week as a run defender. When the Cowboys signed him in free agency this offseason, no one made a big deal of it because run-stuffing defensive linemen don’t pop the same way a cornerback trade does.
However, Ogbonnia has been very good for Dallas’ defense and a big reason why they’ve been better at stopping the run in back-to-back weeks. He’s like a younger Jonathan Hankins.
B grades:
George Pickens (B+):
George Pickens may have had just two catches in the game, but they wee among the most important catches. His 53-yard, no-look, over-the-shoulder, I-couldn’t-believe-my-eyes reception was the turning point. Dallas scored on their opening drive of the second half, but Houston responded with a touchdown of their own. The dink-and-dunk offense needed a spark for most of the day, and GP found it by doing what he does best.
Pickens’ second reception came on the game-winning drive for 22 yards when Prescott found a hole in the coverage and hit him on the left side of the field. Pickens looks more locked in this year, even though he hasn’t received the same targets as last season.
His time is coming, but for right now, he’s doing everything he can to help his team win.
Quinnen Williams (B+)
Williams had another really nice game for Dallas and looks to be settling in nicely in Christian Parker’s scheme. He has played in a similar scheme before, but you would have to go back to college to find that film. After being taught something different for so long, it may have taken a few weeks for him to finally feel comfortable.
Williams showed up in the run game, but his biggest play came on a critical third down where he got to Stroud and took him down for a sack. That’s the type of impact defender Dallas not only traded for, but signed to a massive extension in training camp. Momentum looks to be building for Williams, which would be big for the defense if they want to turn things around.
Joey Porter Jr. (B)
Credit to Joey Porter Jr. for diving into the playbook on short notice and playing meaningful snaps on Sunday. You could tell he was playing with a spring in his step, as a player who missed being on the grass. Porter Jr. is a competitor and isn’t shy about showing it.
After DaRon Bland was harassed all game by Nico Collins, Porter Jr. got more snaps in coverage against Collins to limit the damage. C.J. Stroud had to change his approach and look elsewhere.
It was a small sample size, which is why he ends up with a B grade. However, it shouldn’t define him because I’m sure he’ll have many A-grade games this year, since that’s the player Dallas hoped they’d be trading for.
Rashan Gary (B)
Hello, Rashan Gary. It took a couple of weeks, but he finally showed up on defense. His sack on Stroud as he ran to the sideline helped reset the tone on defense after Houston led 10-6. Gary was active all game and put consistent pressure on Stroud in the pocket.
Dallas gave up a late-round draft pick for Gary, but expectations have been higher than what he showed three weeks into the season. On Sunday in Houston, he met those expectations. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.
KaVontae Turpin (B)
Not too often does an All-Pro/Pro Bowl player fly under the radar, but KaVontae Turpin has done just that. He hasn’t had too much of a role on offense with the emergence of Ryan Flournoy form last season, so it’s shifted to him being a big part on special teams.
His kickoff return to start the second half really jump started the offense and gave them the boost they were despretly looking for. It’s back to back weeks now that Turpin has had some good moments in the return team setting up the offense for a scoring drive.
If the Cowboys defense can force more punts then maybe Turpin can carry the same success in another area of the return game.
C grades:
DaRon Bland (C)
DaRon Bland hasn’t been as bad as social media would tell you, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the contract handed out to him before the 2025 season. Maybe he’s not the same player since his foot injuries or he’s playing with less confidence. What ever it is, he has to play better.
Now, in Bland’s defense, the pass rush needs to improve. Quarterbacks shouldn’t be able to stand in the pocket for five seconds needing the corners to cover for what could feel like a lifetime. Also, if the secondary is still trying to work through their communication issues, that could cause receivers to get wide open too.
Now that JPJ is here, Bland might see a lot more targets in his direction. If he can’t find his footing in the new scheme, contract aside, they might opt to play Cobie Durant or Shavon Revel instead.
D grade:
Jake Ferguson’s blocking (D-)
Jesse Holley, former Cowboys wide receiver and current analyst for DLLS, was on top of Jake Ferguson all game as far as his run/pass blocking. To put it politely, Holly was disappointed in what he saw from the Cowboys Pro Bowl tight end.
As a pass catcher, Ferguson proves to be a reliable target for Prescott when he needs a first down or a touchdown in the red zone. He made a great catch on fourth down when Dallas needed to keep their game winnning drive moving.
One area of his game that’s been a question mark since joining the Cowboys has been in the blocking game. Dallas asks a lot of their tight ends when it comes to the run game, and especially when they need an extra pass blocker to go against the league’s premiere pass rushers.
Brevyn Spann-Ford is night and day better at the blocking game, so if we see him get more run over Ferguson in passing situations, it could be the coaching staffs way of telling their No. 1 tight end they need more from him.
