It’s hard to believe that the Dallas Cowboys can be considered anyone’s Super Bowl favorites following their performance against the NFL’s worst team, the Houston Texans, on Sunday. The Cowboys narrowly defeated the now 1-11-1 Texans, 27-23, in AT&T Stadium. In fact, Dallas was one goal-line stand away from suffering a devastating loss.
The Cowboys have displayed their duality as a team and inconsistency in the critical month of December. Against the 4-7-1 Indianapolis Colts in Week 13, the Cowboys struggled over the first three quarters entering the final frame up only 21-19 over the four-win Colts. It was only then that Dallas rattled off a franchise record 33 points in the fourth quarter to pull away to a misleading 54-19 victory.
Against the Texans on Sunday, that same inconsistent play that scared Cowboys fans against the Colts lasted the entire game versus their in-state rivals. With 5:45 left, and down 23-20 to Houston, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw a potentially game-sealing interception on his own three-yard line. If the Texans had scored following that takeaway, the Cowboys were unlikely to come back from a 10-point deficit.
Instead, the Cowboys’ defense took full advantage of Houston losing their star rookie running back, Dameon Pierce, to injury. Dallas was able to stonewall the Texans on fourth down on the Cowboys’ very own one-yard line, opening the door for Prescott to redeem himself with a 98-yard game-winning drive.
While the comeback victory will be framed in-house as a gritty win that will actually make the team better in the long run, the reality is an all-too-familiar sense the Dallas Cowboys are the very definition of a Jekyll and Hyde team. One that can absolutely destroy an 8-1 Minnesota Vikings team, 40-3, in their own stadium. While also being a team that nearly lost to a one-win Houston Texans franchise who will likely earn themselves the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
