Troy Aikman ripped into the Dallas Cowboys over their failure to adequately prepare for the 2024 NFL season before they floundered to defeat at home to the Houston Texans.
On Monday Night Football, the Cowboys were outclassed and fell 34-10 to the Texans. The result means Dallas have slipped to 3-7, and have lost each of their five games in the 2024 season at home.
With Dak Prescott watching on as he’s out for the rest of the season following surgery on a torn hamstring, Cooper Rush took over the Cowboys offense but struggled once again. The backup threw for an impressive – and inflated – 323 yards and a touchdown, but tossed an ugly interception and lost a fumble as Dallas simply couldn’t keep up with even an underwhelming Texans performance.
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However, the display of the defense was perhaps more concerning. Joe Mixon turned 20 carries into 109 yards and three touchdowns, along with 44 receiving yards, while CJ Stroud threw for 257 yards as he enjoyed the return of Nico Williams, who missed five weeks with an injury.
While the Cowboys battled hard, the brutal truth was clear to see: given all the injuries sustained by the franchise, they simply are not as good a team as the Texans. Houston didn’t even need to execute a brilliant performance or strategy to surge to victory; Mixon and Stroud led the offense while the defense consistently stifled the deflated Dallas offense. Ultimately, Aikman knew what was coming before kickoff.
“That’s the hard part. I’ve been on teams that have kind of been out of it at this point in the season, and it’s not a lot of fun,” Aikman said on ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football Kick-off’ broadcast ahead of the game. He continued: “A team that came in with certainly high expectations, were relying on a lot of young players. That’s where this really began to unravel. They weren’t active in free agency.
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Joe Mixon powered the Texans to the crushing win over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football (
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“They lost a number of key players. They lost some offensive linemen and replaced them with two rookies. That hasn’t gone as well as hoped. They’ve had to rely on some other young players that they thought would develop and become a bigger part of the solution. And that hasn’t happened. So some of the questions coming into the year are still question marks.
“They have not been able to run the football. Now they are without their franchise quarterback.”
Jones and the Cowboys were heavily derided throughout the offseason, as the owner insisted the franchise were going ‘all in’ only to not sign any players of note during free agency when the likes of Derrick Henry were available.
Frustration within the Cowboys organization was clear throughout the loss to the Texans, with fights breaking out along with the surprisingly desperate move to go for a fake punt in the first quarter while on their own 27-yard line. This Monday Night Football defeat proved to be a microcosm of the 2024 season for America’s Team: heart, but no strategy, and no bite.
If Dallas was ‘all in’ 11 weeks ago, they’re down and out now. The 3-7 Cowboys face the 7-4 Washington Commanders in an NFC East showdown in their next game on Sunday, Nov. 24.
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