The Dallas Cowboys are coming off aheartbreaking loss to the Baltimore Ravensdown in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They are physically beaten up, the injury report is overwhelming, and they are struggling to find bodies to play on Sunday. Jerry Jones made a move to add Joey Porter Jr., and they're hoping his back soreness will clear up in time to play this week.
They have to travel to play the desperate, 0-3 Houston Texans in Week 4. A team without a win this far into the season is usually an easier contest, but Houston has twice already made the playoffs after starting 0-3, including last season.
The Texans defense has been one of the best in the league for many seasons. After a poor Week 1, they have held the Cincinnati Bengals to 20 points, and the Indianapolis
Colts to 19. Can the Dallas offense do better? If not, will the Cowboys' defense be able to hold a struggling Houston offense to under 20 points?
Will the Cowboys defense make C.J. Stroud look like an All-Pro?
Two years, two different defensive coordinators, same poor results for the Dallas defense. Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three scores, Jacoby Brissett threw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns, and so did J.J. McCarthy. Wilson was benched a game later, and McCarthy was benched and was just traded to the New York Giants. The Cowboys' addition of Porter Jr. might not have the impact against Houston as it will as he gets a few games in the system.
The fact that Stroud has been awful might mean very little to how he plays against Dallas. He barely surpassed 3,000 passing yards and didn't even reach 20 touchdown passes in 2025, and he hasn’t been great this year. Stroud is completing 60% of his passes for 265 yards and 1 touchdown per game, with a passer rating under 90. If the defense can keep Stroud to those averages, their offense will get the chance to overwhelm an excellent Texans defense.
Can the Cowboys offense be like the Bills in Week 1?
Over the last two weeks, the Texans' defense has held two of last year's best offenses to 20 points or fewer. The Bengals had fewer than 100 yards rushing and 200 passing yards while converting just 33% on third down. The Colts had slightly better yardage and just under 50% on third-down conversions, but committed three turnovers. Buffalo didn’t have the same struggles.
They rushed for over 120 yards and threw for over 250 while scoring 36 points. With how poorly the Dallas defense has played with their starters, they might need to score over 30 because theCowboys will be without multiple starters on defense due to injuries. Dallas has averaged just under 30 points per game this year, but Week 1 was only 20, and the last two games were 37 and 31. Can the Dallas offense turn the Houston defense into the Week 1 version of itself, or will the Texans defense make the Cowboys offense look like its Week 1 version of itself?
Which team can run the ball?
The Texans' rush offense against the Dallas run defense is the very resistible force versus the extremely moveable object. Houston is 30th in the NFL, averaging under 85 yards per game. They have run for 3.6 yards per carry with one touchdown per game. The Dallas run defense is ranked 31st in the NFL, allowing 180 yards per game and an incredible five yards per attempt. David Montgomery is a tough, physical rusher, and if the Cowboys let him get going, the Texans could control the flow of the contest the way the New York did in Week 1 against Dallas.
The Cowboys jumped to 23rd in rushing yards per game after a good showing against Baltimore. They run for just over 94 yards per game, averaging 4.1 yards per rush. Houston is top-five against the run, setting opposing offenses up in third-and-long and allowing their pass rush to get after the QB. Can the Cowboys get their run game going enough to set up manageable down and distances for their offense, or will it all be on quarterback Dak Prescott to pick up the slack of a poor rushing attack?
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: What questions must Brian Schottenheimer answer going into Week 4?
