FRISCO, Texas – This struck me as odd on Monday after the Cowboys beat the Houston Texans on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
Why, they did score 34 points in the game, 28 in the second half, the third consecutive game scoring thirty-something.
They did put up 399 total yards, one yard short of consecutive 400-yard performances after 415 the previous week against Baltimore in that three-point loss. Dak Prescott did throw for a season-high 335 yards, more than half of those (189) to CeeDee Lamb. And Javonte Williams did rush for three touchdowns, the first three-timer since Tony Pollard did so back in 2022.
Yet someone asks, "Are you concerned about the tight ends?"
Say what?!
So this struck me as strange leading into Thursday night's 7:15 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium when waking up Tuesday morning at the break of dawn, this Chaka Khan lyric that plays at the American Airlines Center during Dallas Stars games when there is a break in the action for video reviews:
Tell me something good.
Tell me that you love me, yeah.
Tell me something good.
So look, know the Cowboys are but 2-2, though my guess is those who ridiculously do those Ws and Ls for teams as soon as the schedule comes out most likely had the Cowboys 2-2 at this point of the 2026 season, right? Wins over the Giants and Commanders, and losses to the Ravens and Texans, the same ones highly critical of the start of this season that very well could have been 3-1.
Know this defense has given up 34 and 30 points in the past two games, and 28 in the opener. Know the Texans did throw for 347 yards. Know this offense can't continue compensating for a porous defense every given Sunday or Monday or Thursday, although head coach Brian Schottenheimer claimed, "I think our defense is getting better."
But look again at the standings. There are 10 NFC teams either 3-1 or 2-2. Only two teams 4-0. There are another 10 AFC teams either 3-1 or 2-2, so 20 of 32 teams in the same boat. Far too early to begin making these 2026 season conclusions that no way will this Cowboys team finish with a winning record. Or no way can the Cowboys win the NFC East now one game out of first place. Or no way are these 2-2 Cowboys already eliminated from becoming one of the seven playoff teams.
So have decided this day before Game 5 to take a "shot" at telling you somethings good.
• Thumbs Up: Things are looking up for All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith returning from IR after his four-week mandatory stay following surgery to repair the torn left thumb ligament prior to the start of the season. Smith has practiced twice on a limited basis this short week, fully during Wednesday's walkthrough, and is being listed at least questionable for the game. Even been told Tyler got in some extra work in some one-on-one drills in pads. Schottenheimer said all week Smith has been trending in the right direction to play in the Tampa Bay game, and Smith pointed out that for extra support an internal brace was inserted into his thumb to expedite healing. That he seemingly got through the one major practice of the week on Tuesday likely solves what Smith claimed was the previous unanswered mystery. Plus, when asking Smith if he's able to grab with his left hand, the thumb necessary for such an action, he raised his left hand and put a serious grip on my arm, asking, "What do you think?" My thinking is he's good to go. We'll see.
• Two Thumbs Up: Even though Joey Porter Jr. claims he's only had a couple of padded practices since the 2025 season ended in early January, the cornerback the Cowboys traded for said after playing those 25 snaps this past Sunday against Houston that he got through the game just fine, only waking up Monday morning "pretty sore." But he figures he's good to go Thursday night to play even more snaps. That means Porter, who started in the Houston game, should be able to join corners DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel, Ameer Speed and, if needed, Reddy Steward (off the practice squad) for the Tampa Bay game, giving the Cowboys a healthier corner group for the first time in a while.
• Space To Use: When Prescott was asked how the Cowboys adjusted in the second half after trailing Houston 16-6 at halftime to outscore the Texans 28-14 over the final two quarters, he said, "We needed to get more guys out in the routes if they are going to play so deep." The Texans were playing corners off and safeties deep, leaving space in the middle of the field. So instead of trying to take the top off the defense, the Cowboys settled for mid-range completions. Lamb totaled 189 yards on 17 catches, with his longest reception being 30 yards, while sevenothers went for double digits, the most important the 12-yarder for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.
• Copycats? Please take note, and we'll see Thursday night if the Bucs follow suit. After Lamb's historic outing last Sunday, the five-time Pro Bowl receiver leads the NFL with 37 receptions in four games and tops the NFL in receiving yards with 498, while his four receiving touchdowns rank third. Now, there sure is a ways to go, but we factored in these four-game numbers over the course of a 17-game season, and CeeDee is on a record-breaking pace for single-season receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
• When Clark Speaks: The most popular question this week out there seems to be whether the Cowboys will overlook the 0-4 Tampa Bay team with Buccaneers' rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels starting for only the second time in his career. Seriously? "We're 2 and2," said Dallas defensive tackle Kenny Clark, a wise veteran. "I'm not overlooking nobody." No kidding.
• Just In Time: At halftime of Sunday's game in Houston, Cowboys second-year linebacker Shemar James found out his wife Erica had gone into labor with the couple's first baby. James was grateful the baby didn't arrive the previous week while the team was in Rio. But now this. And this time, right after the game finished, Air Jerry was able to whisk James awayfor Dallas, arriving just in time for the birth of Shemar James Jr., becoming another "something good." James was still all smiles back in the locker room on Tuesday.
• Good Signs: OK, the defensive rankings aren't great after four games. Here they are:32nd in points per game, 30th in total yards, 32nd in rushing yards, 29th in passing yards, tied for the second fewest sacks with four, dead last with no interceptions, and tied for 17th with a zero turnover differential. But there were some encouraging notes in the Houston game. Dallas didrecord two sacks, the most since the season opener. The Texans only converted three of 10 third downs. The Cowboys did record five QB hits. After now after giving up 601 rushing yards in four games, 150 a game, the Cowboys did hold the Texans to 62 rushing yards, the fewest they have given up this year by 103, the fewest in the past 12 games and the third fewest in the past 31 games. The five empty possessions in the Houston game matched the fewest so far this season.
• This Day In History: Let's take you back to Oct. 7, 1984, Walter Payton taking a pitchout against the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field in Chicago for 6 yards to break Jim Browns NFL career rushing record of 13,312 yards, a mark that had stood since 1965. Sweetness finished the day with 154 yards on 32 carries, with head coach Mike Ditka taking Payton out of the game with 20 seconds remaining to celebrate the accomplishment. As we well know, Payton's career mark of 16,726 stood that day at 12,400 before retiring after the 1987 season, only to be broken in 2002 by Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, still the NFL's all-time leader at 18,355 yards. The irony of this is that had Smith not come along, Payton still would be the NFL's all-time rushing leader. The closest anyone else has come to his mark is Frank Gore at 16,000. And the closest active player to Emmitt's mark, or to even overtaking Walter for second, is Derrick Henry at 13,393 in his 11th season. And that's after four games this year with 298, of which 89 of those came against the Cowboys in Rio.
• Good Times: When it comes to points scored, the Cowboys' 122 in four games matches San Francisco for second in the NFL, just five points behind Buffalo (127) and one ahead of Carolina (121) … The Cowboys just might be late starters. Their 79 second-half points are the league high so far this season and the second most in franchise history behind the 107 in the 2007 season … Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he had no problem this past Sunday with Schottenheimer sending Brandon Aubrey out there to attempt that 65-yard field goal with 30 seconds left to go in the first half of a then 13-6 game that he missed, which gave the Texans the opportunity to kick the half-ending 54-yarder for the 16-6 lead, saying, "We've got a weapon out there, that is standard operating procedure." … And Jerry went this far when asked about left tackle Tyler Guyton's improved play in this, his third season: "That may be our best news at this juncture."
And since Jerry has our attention from Wednesday morning's segment during his segmenton flagship radio station 105.3 The Fan, let's also give the Cowboys owner, president and GM this week's final word when putting the Cowboys' 2-2 start into perspective. He was talking about how this team, especially with a new defense under the jurisdiction of first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker, along with an almost entirely new defensive staff, has room to grow before our very eyes over the final 10 games.
"I have underlined for our show today the value of repetition in football, and I underlined that because I want to be sure to make the point," Jerry began. "We are getting some great repetition, we're playing a lot of players and we're playing some depth out there when some of the ones, especially in the secondary, until they get back. We've got depth getting repetition out there.
"This makes you better. Frankly, the only way – apart from becoming available when you've been hurt – the only way to improve is repetition. So what we're doing on defense is we're getting a lot of snaps with a lot of repetition out there, and that's what happened in the first four games.
"In general, I'm a believer the future is going to be more towards less in preseason. In other words, there will be a reduction in preseason games, and you'll see more of your early games where the teams are evolving and getting that early repetition. When they've got some, dare I say it, ragged or need for more repetition.
"Bottom line is that I think what you're seeing, I'm hoping that this idea will really be relevant and prevailing in our season this year."
A mouthful, but thinking you get the meaning.
