The Cowboys got the kind of win that usually quiets a few voices, at least for a week. Dallas went on the road and beat the Houston Texans, and that was enough to nudge the team upward in most NFL power rankings.
But nobody is mistaking this for a clean bill of health.
Dallas still looks a lot like the team that missed the playoffs because of its defense in 2025, and that part of the equation hasn’t magically changed just because the Cowboys left Houston with a win. The offense has done enough to keep them afloat. The rest of the roster has not.
That split showed up clearly in the rankings. One evaluator had Dallas climbing more than any other expert in the roundup, while another sent the Cowboys backward despite the victory.
Gary Davenport was the most bullish of the group, pushing Dallas up in a big way and making the case that the ceiling is still extremely high if the defense can even become respectable. As he put it: "Through the first four weeks of the season, the Dallas Cowboys are scoring about as many points per drive as the 2007 Patriots -arguably the best team of the last 25 years," Orr wrote. "If Joey Porter Jr. changes the dynamic of this defense in any way, the Cowboys’ Super Bowl hype is back on."
On the other side, Frank Schwab dropped the Cowboys four spots and pointed to a different kind of concern. "After a strong debut Sunday, CB Joey Porter Jr. might be making the case he's the ex-Steeler this team should re-sign given the significant drop in WR George Pickens' production," Davis said.
That kind of slide makes sense when you zoom out and look at what Dallas has actually put on the field. The defense is still getting exposed, and the Texans were hardly an imposing opponent at 0-4. A win is a win, but this one came with plenty of warning labels attached.
ESPN’s Todd Archer summed up the situation bluntly with four words: "Lots of work needed," Archer said.
He then laid out the full picture. "The Cowboys' offense can score on anyone (at least 31 points in three of four games)," Archer added.
"Their defense is still a work in progress (at least 20 points allowed in all four games). Special teams has also had issues (two blocked field goals and poor end-of-game management against Baltimore).
"In other words, this start looks a lot like the up-and-down ride from 2025, when they went 7-9-1. Early in the season, winning in any manner is what matters most as long as there is improvement. With their next games versus winless Tampa Bay and struggling Green Bay, the Cowboys need to show some progress," he said.
That assessment is hard to dispute. Dallas can put points on the board, but the defense is nowhere near where it needs to be, and special teams has been a problem too. Even at 2-2, this doesn’t look like a playoff team yet.
Pete Prisco was more encouraged by what he saw from the offense in Houston, calling it "That was a big-time victory on the road at Houston. The Cowboys offense lit up a good Texans defense, which shows they can play with anybody," Prisco said.
Still, scoring in bunches only gets you so far. The Cowboys are not running the ball effectively, and unless the defense starts holding up its end, the early offensive fireworks won’t mean much in the long run.
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