The Cowboys lost the title of Best Team in Texas to Houston 34-10 on Monday night. Some would say the Cowboys have already been surpassed by SMU as the most interesting team in Dallas. We’re not sure what’s left, but there are still seven games to go, so the Cowboys will have to find out soon if they don’t want to go from a dozen wins to a dozen losses in one season.

Here’s Monday’s report:

Offence

KaVontae Turpin scored a touchdown on a 64-yard pass from Cooper Rush. That’s 19 more yards than Rush managed in last week’s game against Philly. But Rush also gave up a touchdown on a fumble, so if the offense finishes with zero net touchdowns, it’s difficult to consider the unit for a decent grade. Rico Dowdle averaged 2.8 yards per carry. The running attack remains a figment of Mike McCarthy’s imagination.

Grade: D

Photos: Cowboys-Texans during Monday Night Football for the Governor’s Cup

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Defense

The Cowboys actually forced four punts (that’s a lot for a home game in 2024) and picked off a CJ Stroud pass. They limited the big passing plays, but they had a lot of trouble getting in Joe Mixon’s way as he finished with 109 yards rushing and three touchdowns. This will never be a good defense, and every opponent benefits from it.

Grade: C

Special teams

John Fassel’s fake kick in the first half was a disaster. With a 34-10 loss, you might say “what’s there to lose,” but the Cowboys can’t take such a sarcastic approach. Mister MVP, Brandon Aubrey, actually missed a 40-yard field goal, cutting off a kick that hit the right upright. He later made one from 64 yards, but the Cowboys unwisely took the points off the board with a penalty and finished with zero on the drive.

Grade: D

Coaching

As long as McCarthy continues to say that “the run game was a big focus,” he can’t get a grade higher than D. The Cowboys have the worst running game in the league and injuries to the O-line Monday Night won’t make things better. The fake punt, taking the field goals off the board – these aren’t things you do when you’re serious.

Grade: D

General

Are we assessing a curve? Is a 24-point home loss actually just a D? Well, it’s par for the course. The Cowboys average home loss after four games was 23.5 and now it is 23.6. Not much change. From the moment the roof collapsed during the pregame, you knew it was the same old (bleep) show for this franchise.

Grade: D

Tim Cowlishaw’s 2024 season report cards

– Cowboys-Browns report: Dallas put on a thorough, convincing Week 1 effort

— Cowboys-Saints report card: Did any unit receive a grade higher than ‘D’ after a loss?

– Cowboys-Ravens report: Another home loss, another failing grade

– Cowboys-Giants report: Dallas did what it had to do

– Cowboys-Steelers report card: Don’t minimize the importance of this win

– Cowboys-Lions report: A disgusting showcase of incompetence

– Cowboys-49ers report card: As damaging as an October loss can be

– Cowboys-Falcons report card: Not a great day for coach Mike McCarthy

― Cowboys-Eagles report card: An immobile passing attack set the tone

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