National Football League

Cowboys pull escape act, but win over Texans raises concerns

Updated Dec. 11, 2022 6:15 p.m. ET

If we're familiar with the concept of a moral victory in the NFL, is the Dallas Cowboys' most recent victory a case of a moral defeat?

The record won't reflect that. Dallas eked out a 27-23 win against the Houston Texans on Sunday to improve to 10-3 and maintain some hope of winning the NFC East. But even considering all the platitudes we love to repeat about life in the NFL — any given Sunday, no days off, all that fun stuff — it's hard to drum up a reason why this game should have come down to the final seconds. The Cowboys entered the afternoon as 17-point favorites, such is the state of the Texans' roster.

And not only did it take an 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to stave off defeat, the Dallas defense also had to weather a last-gasp effort that saw a Hail Mary attempt by Davis Mills intercepted in the end zone. If that wasn't enough, don't forget the Cowboys were in position to drive for the game-winning points only because their defense engineered a goal-line stand that prevented the Texans from taking a 30-20 lead with less than five minutes to play.

That's the nature of things when you commit three turnovers, drop a potential touchdown pass and allow one of the league's worst teams to convert 47% of its third downs — a far cry from their rate of just 13% in their past three games.

To give some credit to Houston, the Texans are a scrappier team than their 1-11-1 record might suggest. They are 1-5-1 in one-score games, and they have made life uncomfortable on playoff contenders such as the Chargers, Giants and Eagles.

Dallas Cowboys come back to win in Week 14

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys come back to beat the Houston Texans with a last-minute drive to win 27-23.

Even still, Houston has a league-worst point differential of -103. The Eagles are honestly a fitting comparison for Dallas, given that they are the NFC East leaders and the primary contender in the NFC playoff picture. Way back on Nov. 3, Houston played its way to a 14-14 halftime tie against Philadelphia — only to see the Eagles cruise, 14-3, after halftime and put away a 29-17 win.

It was easy to expect a similar response for Dallas, given their recent results. After all, the Cowboys have turned on the jets in a big way after sloppy starts, outscoring New York and Indianapolis, 54-14, after halftime in their past two games. This time, the spark was much slower to arrive. A Trevon Diggs fumble recovery early in the third quarter yielded no points, as the Cowboys surprisingly refused to pass in a nine-play possession that saw Ezekiel Elliott get stonewalled at the goal line.

Dak Prescott also continued his up-and-down ways, tossing two more picks to give him nine in just eight games. It's been an issue going back as far as before Halloween, in the Week 8 win against Chicago, and it feels more alarming with each passing week.

More alarming, and more pressing, comes the latest twist with the Cowboys' offensive line. Right tackle Terence Steele exited the action with an apparent knee injury, and the early reports don't sound favorable. Josh Ball's struggles as his replacement certainly contributed to the problems on offense. Just in case one twist wasn't enough, the situation became more interesting when Jason Peters stepped in and stabilized the situation on the game-winning drive. Peters built his Hall of Fame resume at left tackle and hadn't played on the opposite side since 2005, further emphasizing his status as an All-Decade-caliber player.

It'll make for an interesting buildup to next week's trip to Jacksonville, as well as the looming Christmas Eve clash against Philly. If Steele's injury is severe, will Peters find a new home at right tackle? Considering Tyron Smith is close to returning from an injury of his own, would the Cowboys prefer to move Tyler Smith over to the right side? At least there are options.

That feels like a theme for the day: searching for silver linings. The Cowboys played poorly enough to receive a scare from the league's worst team — but not so poorly that they paid for it in the standings. And so we march on, waiting to see if this team is capable of sustaining its own success.

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David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.