ARLINGTON, Texas – This may be hard to believe.

Instead of Texans 34, Cowboys 10.

Instead of the Cowboys losing their fifth straight game.

Instead of now 0-5 here at AT&T Stadium after winning 16 consecutive regular season home games heading into the 2024 season.

Instead the Cowboys are now 3-7, their worst start since COVID 2020 and three consecutive 12-5 seasons since then.

And consider that the now 7-4 Texans gained only three more yards than the Cowboys and the Cowboys threw for 74 more yards than the Texans.

But damn, with 4 minutes and 16 seconds left in the third quarter of this Monday night football match, with Cowboys Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin on hand, the Cowboys trailed alone in this Texas Showdown, as this match was announced, 20-13. And that’s even though the Texans had already rushed for 92 yards, 80 of which came from Joe Mixon.

And then the roof collapsed, and I have to admit there’s a cheap queue here for what took place on an afternoon with high winds, with the roof open about 3.5 hours before kick-off, causing the roof to recoil on a perfect blue, uh, sunny spot. day.

This despite still playing without Dak Prescott, DaRon Bland, Brandin Cooks, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland and heading into this one without Jourdan Lewis and Hunter Luepke. And then he lost Jake Ferguson to concussion at halftime.

Well, the Cowboys started Josh Butler at left corner, signed to the 53-man roster prior to the game, his first appearance in the NFL; had Israel Mukuamu play the slot machine; and first-year free agent Princeton Fant, elevated from the practice squad, who made his NFL debut as a fullback.

And then self-destruction, reminiscent of last week’s 34-6 loss to the Eagles, when they came away with just a field goal on two first-and-goal possessions from the 6-yard line. Trailing 20-10 and desperate for a touchdown, the Cowboys got Brandon Aubrey’s 64-yard field goal off the board, which had initially cut Houston’s lead to 20-13. But after the Texans were called for a hit to the head, giving up 15 yards and a first down at the 31, head coach Mike McCarthy couldn’t resist passing up the opportunity to pass for a touchdown.

And here we go again, first and ten at the Texans’ 16, the Dead Zone. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush, just like against the Eagles, drops the shotgun snap, minus-5. Nearly throws an interception on second down. But on third down, CeeDee hits Lamb, as he did eight times in the game for 93 yards, this time for 13 yards, setting up a fourth-and-2 on the eight.

The Cowboys gambled stubbornly for a touchdown. And while Rush’s pass was high for a potential touchdown against an open recent acquisition Jonathan Mingo, it wouldn’t have been since Luke Schoonmaker was flagged for holding.

And then, 2½ minutes into the fourth quarter, there is some hope for the Cowboys. Texans defensive end Derek Barnett knocks the ball out of Rush’s hand as he was about to attempt a pass. Now the fumble is recovered by rookie tackle Tyler Guyton, but instead of just falling to the ground, he tries to run with the ball. I’m not sure where he thought he was going in that cluster, and of course Houston’s Jalen Pitre knocks the ball out of his hands, only for Barnett to reach and score from 28 yards out for the Texans’ first touchdown in the second half in five games.

Texans 27, Cowboys still 10. Ball game.

“It’s very frustrating,” McCarthy said. “It’s frustrating for everyone, frustrating for players, frustrating for coaches. I know it’s disappointing for the fans.

“We have a lot of moving parts and we just need to be cleaner and more detailed in certain places. We don’t play well enough, execute well enough and coach well enough to overcome some of the mistakes we make. at the critical moments of the game.”

Bad enough, right? No sire. Now this is getting worse.

By the time the game is over, the Cowboys are missing three-fifths of their offensive line.

Down went left tackle Guyton (shoulder again). Asim Richards replaced him.

Right guard Zack Martin went down, another ankle and shoulder. TJ Bass came in for him.

Down went left guard Tyler Smith (ankle). Brock Hoffman came in for him. There were no active offensive linemen left. Another injury to Terence Steele or Cooper Beebe, and the Cowboys likely would have drafted a tight end there and moved Hoffman to center if Cooper Beebe went down.

The Cowboys now have a short week, six days, to get ready for Washington on the road, which doesn’t bode well for Ferguson returning from the concussion in time. And that’s just four days before the Giants arrive on Thanksgiving. As McCarthy notes, they won’t have another exhibition game as they now play three games in eleven days until the week of the Cincinnati game on December 9, another national Monday night game here on AT&T.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked if he ever remembers a season this far south with another home loss and four of seven losses by 25 points, 38 points, 29 points and now 24 points, all four here at AT&T Stadium.

“Well, we won one game in my first year,” Jones points out that 1-15 season in 1989. “We’ve had a couple of tough years. We didn’t expect them this season and the way we’re playing right now.”

Of course, those who don’t watch or choose not to pay attention to the injuries, those who don’t see this team being overwhelmed by more talented teams and the mistakes of the Cowboys themselves immediately want to point out effort, as if these players have their tails tucked in .

I wish that was the truth. But that is not the case. Still not good enough, and with every starter missed due to injury, Pro Bowler missing, veteran missing, this all gets worse.

“It’s overblown,” Jones said of the accusations attempt. “That’s often an exaggeration.”

He’s right. What a cliché. If they don’t try, how does Eric Kendricks end up with nine tackles? How does Malik Hooker finish with eight tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and one QB hit. Guess Butler, playing in his first NFL game, isn’t trying. Same for Fant. Guess Rush mails it in trying to… wait for it… 55 passes while getting clobbered with five sacks in the second half alone. Guess Schoonmaker, with just eight receptions in nine games, sends it in his first chance to take the lead with Ferguson out, with a career-high six passes for 56 yards, or rookie free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford kicking his ass blocking and catching four passes.

Seemed like KaVontae Turpin was lounging on just his second touchdown grab of the season, looking like he was shot out of a cannon on that 64-yard TD that Next Gen Stats said put him at 36.3 yd/ hour clocked, the fastest NFL this season?

“I don’t come here to play to lose,” says Lamb, refusing to give in.

Be realistic, no matter how hard it is to circle the drain this season. Documented all the weird things that happened last week, not to mention the weirdness that started in training camp when one of the player’s hotel rooms caught fire and it took six hours to get to Las Vegas for the second game of the preseason due to plane delays, Mazi has an allergic reaction to an energy drink and drives to LAX during Friday rush hour. And now this, Monday, Monday, “can’t trust that day.”

As if the sky was really falling.