The Dallas Cowboys come home to Texas carrying a loss that stings a little deeper than the usual September disappointment.
They were the underdog against the Baltimore Ravens, but late in the game they still had a real shot to leave Rio with a win. Down three and driving, Dallas got all the way to the two-yard line - close enough to taste it - before the night unraveled into overtime and ended in a shocking defeat.
Now the Cowboys turn to Week 4 and a matchup with the 0-3 Houston Texans. It’s a game against a team that badly needs a spark, and Dallas has its own list of issues that has to be cleaned up fast. Three concerns sit at the top of that list.
The first is the secondary, which has gone from thin to alarming. Jalen Thompson went down with a hamstring injury in Week 3, and the expectation is that he’ll be sent to the IR.
That would leave Dallas without its top three safeties, with Thompson joining Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke on the shelf.
Hooker is dealing with a fractured forearm, while Locke tore his plantar fascia.
Cornerback is just as shaky. Cobie Durant was already out because of a hamstring strain, and on Sunday his replacement, Shavon Revel, appeared to injure his knee. That leaves Dallas short-handed all over the back end, and the Cowboys have to sort out who they can trust before Houston arrives.
The pass rush is the next problem, and it’s a glaring one. Christian Parker was supposed to help reshape this defense by controlling the middle with Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, then letting the edge rushers do damage. Three games in, that formula has not shown up.
Dallas has only two sacks. One came from defensive back Caleb Downs on a blitz from the slot.
The other was shared by Donovan Ezeiruaku and Jonathan Bullard. That’s not the kind of production anyone expected from Rashan Gary, Von Miller, or Malachi Lawrence, and Williams and Clark still haven’t made a major impact as pass rushers either.
It gets worse because the run defense has also been getting pushed around, which is not what you want with David Montgomery up next. When the pass rush isn’t working and the run game is still leaking yards, the whole defense starts to look vulnerable.
Then there’s the coaching, which is impossible to ignore after Sunday. Brian Schottenheimer has the kind of confidence that jumps off the screen, but his decision-making during games is raising real questions.
His late-game play-calls have already been scrutinized, and his defense of those calls drew plenty of attention too. But the problem wasn’t limited to the head coach. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram laid out how Schottenheimer, Parker, and special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen all had a role in the loss.
After the offensive stall that ended with a field goal, Sorensen had Brandon Aubrey kick the ball out of the back of the end zone, which gave the Ravens the setup they needed for the final play. Sorensen also had two defenders playing off the line of scrimmage on the last field goal. On defense, Parker was in cover one even though three backup defensive backs were on the field.
The final 30 seconds brought a rough list of mistakes:
- Goal line fade call on 1st down
- Timeout with 14 seconds after 2nd down
- One read play on 3rd down
- Kickoff out of endzone instead of having returner bring it out OR fair catch and start from the 20
- …
Houston has shown it can be beaten, but it’s still a dangerous team when it’s backed into a corner. Dallas, meanwhile, has talent but no clear identity and plenty of coaching questions hanging over it.
Before the Cowboys can think about anything bigger, they have to get these three areas under control if they want win No. 2.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones Just Turned Cowboys Loss Into An Accountability Fight
The Cowboys left Maracan Stadium with more than just a loss to the Ravens. A sequence of shaky play-calling helped turn a promising stretch into a field goal, and the late-game clock management only added to the frustration as Dallas tried to regroup from a trip that exposed some familiar issues on offense. With the Texans up next, the attention around the defeat has already shifted from what happened on the field to who should answer for it.
Jerry Jones made sure the conversation did not stay on the scoreboard. The Cowboys owner and general manager publicly questioned the coaching staff's decisions, while offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer accepted responsibility for a key third-down call. For a team trying to steady itself before another divisional test on the calendar, the bigger question now is whether this becomes a one-game critique or the start of a broader accountability push. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Safety Crisis May Force A Move Faster Than Expected
Early in the 2026 season, the Cowboys are already dealing with a thin safety room after injuries have hit Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke and Jalen Thompson. The result is a depth chart that suddenly looks vulnerable, and it has pushed Dallas toward evaluating outside help before the problem gets any worse.
Several names are already in the mix as the team weighs its next step, including Caleb Ransaw, Cole Wisniewski, Donovan McMillon and free agent Donovan Wilson. However the Cowboys choose to patch the spot, the urgency is real, because safety is one of the few areas where an early-season injury pileup can force a move faster than a team planned. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Rookie Defender Made A Strong Case In Brazil
The Cowboys trip to Brazil ended with a crushing loss to the Ravens on a last-second field goal, but the game still offered a useful early look at several rookies on Dallas defense. Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham and LT Overton all had moments that stood out in a game that gave the staff plenty to evaluate beyond the final score, especially with the spotlight on how the young players handled a high-pressure setting far from home.
There were encouraging flashes in the groups performance, and at least one of those rookies made a strong case with the kind of play that tends to catch coaches attention quickly. Still, the outing also showed the usual rookie growing pains, with each player leaving Brazil having given Dallas reasons to feel better about the future and reasons to keep coaching the details moving forward. [Read more 🡒]