Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images An ascendant quarterback in an unbeatable scheme When the Texans plucked DeMeco Ryans away from his post as the 49ers defensive coordinator to be their fourth head coach in as many years, there was more intentionality behind the decision than had been in previous years. While Houston’s decisions to hire David Culley and, one year later, Lovie Smith were shocks and head scratchers, Ryans was a hot coaching name that made sense. Not only had he had nothing but success in San Francisco, but he intended to recreate that model in Houston. That was behind his decision to tap Bobby Slowik to be his offensive coordinator. Slowik, just 36 years old at the time, was one of the youngest coordinators in the NFL but also came incredibly experienced. His father is Bob Slowik, who currently coaches in the Canadian Football League but has been a coach in either college or the NFL since 1984. The longtime defensive coach is very well traveled, with much of his experience coming on Mike Shanahan’s Broncos teams in the early 2000’s. When Shanahan came out of retirement to coach the Commanders, he brought Slowik in to coach defensive backs. That’s when the younger Slowik, who had recently wrapped up a college career as a receiver for Michigan Tech, joined the team as a defensive assistant. In Slowik’s first season as a coach, he was part of a staff that included Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, and Raheem Morris. When Mike Shanahan was fired in Washington, the younger Slowik landed a job at Pro Football Focus as a senior analyst. But when Kyle Shanahan was hired as the head coach of the 49ers, he lured Slowik back to the coaching ranks as a defensive quality control coach. Two years later, Slowik moved to the offensive side of the ball as an offensive assistant. Two years after that, Slowik was named the pass game specialist and, a year later, pass game coordinator. The rapid ascension reflected the growing trust Shanahan had in Slowik to put everything together on that side of the ball, and it’s why Ryans was so quick in naming him offensive coordinator in Houston. The objective was simple: implement the offensive scheme that’s been so successful in San Francisco and, by extension, been copied by nearly the rest of the league. On a fundamental level, this offense is built off the outside zone run. When the ball is snapped, all five offensive linemen begin running to one side and the running back goes behind them, looking for a crease to open. Then, the play-action game is built off of that, perfectly marrying the pass and run games. Once that is put together, the offense allows for a wide variety of customizations to keep defenses on their toes. Many of those customizations were put into place in San Francisco when Slowik took a larger role in the offense, and it’s not a surprise to see that many of those followed him to Houston. On paper, the Texans offense functions very differently from the typical Shanahan scheme, even though it is easily identifiable as part of the tree. In Slowik’s first year in Houston, his offense was middle of the pack in both outside zone runs and play-action. They were also just below the league average in motion, a usual staple of the Shanahan offense. So far this year, things have come back into focus: Houston is 11th in outside runs, 13th in play-action, and eighth in motion. Part of the reason for the slower timetable in implementing these characteristics of the offense could be that last season also saw a rookie quarterback running the show. C.J. Stroud was taken second overall in the draft and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Things started out rocky for Stroud: over the first eight weeks, Stroud completed just 60.3% of his passes and ranked 17th in success rate. Then things started to click, and Stroud had a red hot finish. Over the final 10 weeks (in which he missed two games with an injury), Stroud completed 67.2% of his passes and ranked eighth in success rate. The Texans also caught fire, going 6-2 over that stretch with Stroud and winning their division. Stroud was named Offensive Rookie of the Year for his performance too. That led to sky high expectations for this season, which were further heightened when Houston traded for Stefon Diggs in the offseason. But the Texans have struggled to live up to the hype thus far. They’re currently 20th in EPA/play and 23rd in offensive DVOA. Stroud has taken a step back too; he’s 26th in success rate and has already thrown more interceptions than he did all of last year. Of course, it’s not all on Stroud. Nico Collins, who blossomed into the Texans’ top receiver last year, has missed the last five games with an injury, though he’s expected to return against the Cowboys this week. Then, two weeks ago, Diggs suffered a season-ending injury that further decimated this offense. Now they face the Cowboys on Monday night. The Dallas defense hasn’t had a great season thus far, and they’ve been especially susceptible against Shanahan style offenses all year. That said, they also just got Micah Parsons back, and the Cowboys are fifth in the league in pressure rate. Meanwhile, only two offenses are giving up a higher pressure rate than Houston. Stroud has been one of the best quarterbacks under pressure, but it’s fair to wonder how long he can keep that up, especially against a player like Parsons. All of this to say that the Cowboys might present a legitimate challenge defensively on Monday night. The Texans have been in a slump offensively and the injuries aren’t helping matters much, while the Cowboys just got their best player back. Will it be enough to pull off an upset, though? Only time will tell.

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb late addition to injury list; Mike McCarthy optimistic WR will play Monday vs. Texans – Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports As a surprise addition late in the week, CeeDee Lamb has been added to the injury report and is questionable to play versus Houston. The Dallas Cowboys already had a lengthy injury report without CeeDee Lamb on it. That injury report just got longer. Lamb was a surprise additional on the final injury report for the Cowboys this week, as the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was officially listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Houston Texans. Lamb landed on the injury report with a back injury, as he did not appear on the injury report at any point throughout the week. The injury occurred during Saturday’s final practice during 7-on-7 drills, as Lamb was listed as a limited participant. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, per ESPN, seemed to think Lamb would be good to go Monday night saying, “I’m not of high concern.” Lamb was on the injury report earlier this year with a shoulder injury, but he hasn’t missed any games. This injury designation will likely last until the Cowboys release their inactive report on Monday night. Lamb has 59 catches for 681 yards and four touchdowns this season, leading Dallas in all three categories. If Lamb is out, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin would be the top wideouts with Brandin Cooks still on injured reserve. Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs: ‘I Knew for a Fact’ Cowboys Wanted to Take Me in 2023 NFL Draft – Zach Bachar, Bleacher Report The Cowboys running back position has been a talking point all season. In a sit-down with Richard Sherman, Detroit speedster reveals that Cowboys were raring to race to the podium to draft him. Detroit Lions star running back Jahmyr Gibbs revealed that the Dallas Cowboys were among the teams interested in selecting him during the 2023 NFL draft. “It was crazy I knew for a fact Dallas was going to get me at 26 if I was still there, and a couple other places like Cincinnati was going to get me,” Gibbs said during a Thursday appearance on The Richard Sherman Podcast (h/t CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell). The 22-year-old ultimately wasn’t available when the Cowboys were on the clock, as the Lions used the No. 12 overall pick to draft the Alabama standout. Dallas ended up selecting former Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith with the No. 26 choice. Smith hasn’t exceeded expectations to begin his career, especially compared to Gibbs. The 23-year-old has registered 21 tackles and two tackles for loss in nine appearances this season but he hasn’t been able to record a pressure in 285 snaps (via Pro Football Reference). The Cowboys eventually addressed the running back position in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, adding Deuce Vaughn. He’s served as a depth option to begin his career, picking up 20 yards on seven total carries in 2024. After losing Tony Pollard in free agency, Dallas has attempted to replace him by opting for a committee approach built around Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott. It hasn’t worked, as the Cowboys own the NFL’s second-worst rushing attack in addition to their 3-6 record. With 2024 a lost season, what lies ahead? – Richard Paolinelli, Inside the Star With the Cowboys season going up in flames, where do they go from here? Jerry Jones is not going to sell this team. There’s no point trying to hammer that point. We all know the only way that ownership is changing hands in Dallas. But, until that day arrives, Stephen Jones needs to hold an intervention on his father. The Cowboys clearly need a competent General Manager who knows football – modern-day, 21stCentury football. A GM that knows how to navigate the cap and build a roster capable of showing up deep into the playoffs. Someone who knows when to trade draft picks away and when to hold on to them for dear life. Said person would also know when it’s time to make the big swing in free agency and in trades, and when it’s time to cut the dead-weight loose. As we’ve witnessed for over a quarter of a century, the Jones family cannot get the job done. Dallas needs to hire a GM with full authority, free of any meddling by the Jones clan before this year’s NFC Conference title game. Who would I get? How about Troy Aikman? The Coaching Staff We’ve heard Bill Belichick’s name bandied about. Some want Mike McCarthy tossed out the building today with Belichick brought in before the year ends. How about… no. Same for Deion Sanders. The Cowboys do not need another aging coach stuck in the past. Nor do they need a coach from the college ranks whose shtick won’t work on professional football players. There are no scholarships to revoke in the NFL. There are also no Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, or Oklahoma State’s in the NFL to feast on either. Who would I pursue to replace Mike McCarthy? There are two leading candidates. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should be the first call, after the new GM is installed. If he says no, return the favor and poach from the Washington Commanders’ staff like they did to Dallas this past offseason. Have you noticed what Commanders’ Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has done this year? And with a rookie quarterback at that? Either Johnson or Klingsbury just might be able to turn Dak Prescott into a reliable postseason quarterback. Mike Zimmer’s second run as the defensive coordinator is a bust. Maybe it’s time to give Mike Vrabel a call to see if he’d like to get back to being a defensive coordinator? I’d mention Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn. But he’d be a fool to leave Detroit for anything less than a head coaching gig. Position battleground (rookies): Cowboys vs. Texans breakdown for draft picks/UDFAs-Mike Poland,

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images The Cowboys injury report for Saturday After an eventful night at AT&T Stadium that hosted an exhibition bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, the Dallas Cowboys were back at work for their final practice before their clash against the Houston Texans. Much like last night’s combatants, the Cowboys are going to have to push through the adversity and see if they can go the distance to outlast their cross-state rivals. Here’s what we know about Dallas’ injury status before Monday night’s game. Final injury report for the Dallas Cowboys for their Monday night game against the Texans. pic.twitter.com/hzDGWIShIZ — Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) November 16, 2024 In a surprise, CeeDee Lamb is listed as questionable after being listed as limited today. Hunter Luepke is doubtful. Micah Parsons, who attended last night’s festivities, was a full participant today and will play against Houston. DaRon Bland (foot) and Jourdan Lewis (neck) didn’t practice Saturday and were ruled out. Guard Zack Martin (shoulder) was limited today and is listed as questionable. Calen Carson (shoulder/illness) was fully involved today and is on track to play. DeMarvion Overshown (knee) has been removed from the injury report and carries no injury designation for Monday. Eric Kendricks and Tyler Guyton were both full participants on Saturday with respective shoulder injuries and good to go. For the Texans: The #Texans are listing Kamari Lassiter as questionable. He has a chance to play if he clears protocol. Nico Collins no designation. He’s back. Blake Fisher is down meaning Nick Broeker and Zach Thomas are active backup tackle options. Cam Erving is a practice squad option. pic.twitter.com/Eunr4iYUwz — Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) November 16, 2024 Cornerback Kamari Lassiter was listed as questionable, as was Jeff Okudah. Folorunso Fatukasi did not practice this week, and was ruled out with a foot injury. Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) has not practiced this week and has been ruled out. Tackle Blake Fisher has also been ruled out. Nico Collins (hamstring) practiced fully on Saturday and will play.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Los Dallas Cowboys juegan contra los Philadelphia Eagles el Lunes. Los Dallas Cowboys regresen otra vez para un juego y ahora en el medio de Noveiembre están buscando su primera victoria en su casa de AT&T Stadium. El lunes traen otra oportunidad con los Houston Texans. Los Texans están favoritos en la contesta pero en la NFL todo es posible. Si van a ganar los Cowboys van a necesitar trae ese energía porque en el momento no están jugando muy bien. Con todas cosas dijiendo que Dallas van a falta otra ves… que vamos a ver especifica? Aquí están mis 3 predicciones para el juego. Los Cowboys tiene mas puntos en el segundo medio Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Entrando este juego los Texans no tiene un touchdown en el segundo medio de los cuatro juegos pasado. Los Cowboys no tiene mucho puntos en la primera o segundo medios de juegos, pero el punto largo es que Houston están dejando la puerta abierto para otro equipos a ganar. Creo que estas cosas igual van a pasar y mi prediccion es que Dallas van a tener mas puntos de Houston en el segundo medio. Es posible que Houston tiene muchas puntos en la primera parte y algo que pasar en el segundo medio no es importante, pero Dallas van a ganar el segundo medio como los otros equipos hico a los Texans. Rico Dowdle corre para mas de 100 yardas Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images La semana pasada estaba importante a la posicion de running back por que Mike McCathy hablo y dijo que Rico Dowdle es el running back numero uno. Esta realidad estaba obviamente a alguien que viste los Cowboys esta temporada, pero es significan que McCarthy dijo como que dijo. Creo que Dallas van a dar Dowdle la mas numero oportunidades que tiene esta temporada y que Dowdle van a tener mas de 100 yardas corriendo resultado. Hable de este tema en el más reciente video en la canal de YouTube de Blogging The Boys. ¡Subscribir (puede aqui) al canal para ver mas videos de los Dallas Cowboys en Ingles y Español! Jonathan Mingo tiene su primera touchdown con Dallas Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images En 2018 los Cowboys intercambiado por un wide receiver en Amari Cooper y su primera juego con el equipo estaba en Monday Night Football contra un equipo de el AFC South. Esa noche estaba los Tennessee Titans. Jonathan Mingo no esta Amari Cooper y los Houston Texans no están los Tennessee Titans, pero es interesante como la coincidad se paso. Los Cowboys quieren que alguien se diga que el intercambiado para Mingo estaba muy bien y entonces van a hacer todo que se puede para Mingo a tener un touchdown. Vamos a ver uno.

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Most Cowboys fans are expecting somewhere around 1-2 more wins this season. There are no more ways to describe how bad the Dallas Cowboys 2024 season has been. We’ve used them all up over the last few weeks. The team has a 3-6 record fore the year, but it is not just the record that has fans down on the team. The way Jerry Jones approached the offseason started the fire. The lack of free agent signings, ignoring the running back position, and the needless dragging out of contract negotiations all left fans jaded. The Jones family had finally tested the fanbase’s limits. Then the injuries started happening, coupled with the blowouts on the field, and here we are today. We are at a juncture where basically no Cowboys fan believes the franchise is headed in the right direction. Only 2% believe they are, and it’s likely that 2% was just trolling us. Based on all that pessimism, we wanted to see how many more games the team might win this season. Winning games can makes us feel better, but they also hurt draft positioning. It’s a dilemma. With eight games left on the schedule, we asked how many overall games will Dallas win this year. The overwhelming majority, 68%, said four to five. That means the belief is the Cowboys will win once or twice more this year. Will one of those wins be Monday night versus the Houston Texans? The Cowboys are currently 7.5-point underdogs to the Texans (FanDuel). Even getting that many points, almost no one believes the Cowboys will cover.

Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images Monday night feels very big for the Texans. Houston Texans C.J. Stroud Sends Message Following 2-Game Losing Streak – Caleb Skinner, Sports Illustrated Despite their losing skid, Houston’s quarterback is still going to be aggressive. The Houston Texans currently own a 6-4 record but they haven’t quite taken off and become the team that many expected them to be before the season began after having one of the best offseasons in recent memory. The Texans have now lost two straight games to the Detroit Lions and New York Jets but remain two games up on the Colts in the AFC South. Houston’s offense has looked like they are playing not to lose rather than to win the game, making them look tight and pressured when that side of the ball is on the field. Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans wants to see more from his offense and that starts with Stroud being able to play loose and have fun while doing so. When talking to the media, Stroud commented on how Ryans’ words resonated with him. “For me, I try not to only make plays but try to take care of the football and do the right thing to win the game and sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it don’t. So that means a lot. I am not only a game manager, but I can also be a game changer. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t,” Stroud exclaimed. “For me, I am going to keep the swag and kind of like what I told you all last year, Steph Curry can go 0 for whatever, but he is going to keep shooting. That’s me, I am going to keep shooting. I trust in myself and trust in the talent God gave me.” The Texans have it in them to be one of the best teams in the league but they have a multitude of things to flush out on the offensive side of the ball. Luckily for them, they will get the struggling Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football to try and buck this recent losing trend. McClain: Texans need victory over Cowboys to build momentum for stretch drive – John McClain, HoustonTexans.com A win at Dallas would help the Texans get back on track for the homestretch. Beginning Monday night, the Texans play four games in a row against teams that have losing records. The Cowboys, Titans, Jaguars and Dolphins are a combined 10-27. The Texans have a comfortable lead in the AFC South. The Colts in second place with a 4-6 record, and the Texans swept the season series, giving them a three-game advantage over Indianapolis. The Cowboys couldn’t care less about the Texans’ troubles because they have enough of their own. They have a four-game losing streak. They’re winless at home and getting outscored 38-15, including by 41-8 in their last two games. They’ve played a difficult schedule, going 1-5 against teams that currently have a winning record. The Texans are a decisive favorite on Monday night despite two glaring issues. [C.J.] Stroud has been sacked 34 times, second in the NFL to Chicago’s Caleb Williams (38). Stroud is on a pace to be sacked 58 times. He was sacked 38 times as a rookie. The Texans haven’t scored a second-half touchdown in five of their last six games, including the last four. They’ve scored only 15 points in the second half of the last four games. Never has that deficiency been more significant than Sunday night when they led the Lions 23-7 at halftime and lost 26-23. “We have a bad taste in our mouth, and we’re ready to get back to work,” Ryans said this week. It’s important for us to fix us and play clean football.” “We have the team to do it,” Stroud said. “We have the scheme. We have the players. It’s up to the players to put it on the field. We have to keep our heads up (and) get the problems fixed. I believe we’re still a great team that can do a lot of special things.” They can start by beating the Cowboys in their third consecutive prime-time game to build some steam for the stretch drive that separates the contenders from the pretenders. Texans QB C.J. Stroud staying confident amid tough stretch: ‘I can be a game changer’ – Eric Edholm, NFL.com C.J. Stroud’s play has dipped recently, but his teammates still have his back. The Texans have lost three of their past four games, and Stroud’s play has tailed off in that stretch. Over the past four games, he has completed only 53.7% of his passes — nearly 15% lower than his first six games — for 794 yards, two TDs and two INTs, currently sitting at 11th on NFL.com’s Nick Shook’s QB Index after making the top five earlier this season. One reason for Stroud’s dropoff: He’s also taken 18 sacks in the past four games, compared to 16 in his first six games this season. Another factor is that Stroud’s top target, Nico Collins, has been out of the lineup since suffering a hamstring injury against the Bills in Week 5. The good news is that Collins has returned to practice and might soon be available in games for the Texans. With a 6-4 record, the sky is not completely falling for Houston. The Texans remain in the driver’s seat for the AFC South crown. They currently sit as 95% likely to make the postseason, and a win Monday at the Dallas Cowboys would push them to 98%. Stroud said his teammates have had his back and have been letting him know just that during this tough spell. “One of the biggest things is, my teammates trust me,” Stroud said. “Me and Dalton (Schultz) talked the other day, and he has the utmost respect for me and I have the utmost respect for him, and I needed to hear that. That the team still rallies

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Monday night’s rookie classes are very different. Previously we broke down both team’s offense and defense for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how some of each team’s rookie class stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com) Dallas Cowboys Tyler Guyton First RoundTyler Guyton missed last week and Asim Richards stepped in. Richards didn’t do a bad job, wasn’t great either, but by comparing the two we can see how far behind Guyton is in his development based on high his high draft spot. The news is Guyton will resume his role at left tackle. Grade: 55.3 Marshawn Kneeland Second RoundOn injured reserveGrade: 54.7 Cooper Beebe Third RoundBeebe allowed his first sack in five weeks but he was more busy hoping Cooper Rush would hold onto his snap. The fumbled snap was on Rush, the replays clearly show him taking his eye off the ball. This week he has work cut out with this defensive line that is generating a lot of pressures. Grade: 60.6 Marist Liufau Third RoundLiufau came close to returning a fumble for a touchdown. Other than that, he has played 21 snaps in the last two weeks and made four tackles.Grade: 52.6 Caelen Carson Fifth RoundCarson is still figuring things out. The problem he has is that opposing offenses are targeting him a lot due to the fact he’s a weak spot, but also they are staying away from Trevon Diggs. He’s allowed 205 yards and 13 receptions off 15 targets in the last two weeks. Grade: 39.7 Ryan Flournoy Sixth RoundAgainst the Philadelphia Eagles, Flournoy was used most as an extra run blocker on offense. Other than that he was used as a key player on special teams.Grade: 78.4 (ST Grade) Brevyn Spann-Ford UDFASpann-Ford played six snaps on offense, other than that he was used primarily on special teams. This trend will likely continue.Grade: 60.5 (ST Grade) Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Houston Texans Blake Fisher Second RoundFisher is playing swing-tackle for Houston and has come in for 114 snaps this season. On 71 pass sets, Fisher has allowed ten pressures and one sack. The Notre Dame tackle was probably over-drafted here in the second round and Houston is finding that out. He was benched a number of times for the Fighting Irish, his biggest problem is oversetting or playing off his heels.Grade: 46.5 Kamari Lassiter Second RoundThe young Georgia Bulldog cornerback has played pretty well this season so far. He’s played as one of the teams starting corners and has allowed a reception rate of just 44% and a passer rating allowed of 55.2. To add to that impressive start he also has three interceptions with two coming last week against the Detroit Lions.Grade: 69.8 Calen Bullock Third RoundBullock has been the team’s starting free safety from Week 4 and has played in every game this year. He leads the team in interceptions with four and his ability to cover ground quickly and transition quickly with fluid hips has been on display.Grade: 51.5 Cade Stover Fourth RoundStover plays the TE2 role behind Dalton Schultz, so naturally he plays mostly as an extra blocker. He has made eight receptions this year for 87 yards, but his main duties are either blocking or contributing on special teams.Grade: 50.7 Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images