Game Recap: Cowboys lose to Texans after crucial turnovers
In the third preseason game, the Dallas Cowboys lost to their in-state rivals, the Houston Texans, 20-14. This game was a tune-up before the regular season for the starting offense and defense. Even without quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, there were things to like on the offensive side of the ball.
With backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert looking lackluster to start the game, quarterback Cooper Rush took full advantage of his added snaps. He led the team in passing, going 10 of 12 for 97 yards, and threw two touchdowns. It looks like the roster spot behind Prescott is still up for grabs.
Third-year running back Tony Pollard brought the offense to life with a run up the middle in the first quarter for 15 yards. He finished the drive off with a touchdown on a screenplay in the red zone tieing the game 7-7. Pollard finished the night running for 20 yards on five carries.
After being down early in the first quarter, the first-team defense started to flex their muscles against the Texan’s offense. With a big stop on fourth down from defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa and Leighton Vander Esch leading the team with four tackles, the Dallas defense shows fans a preview of how dominant they can be.
For all the positives, the Dallas Cowboys could not seem to get out of their own way tonight, which led to the loss. Turnovers led to the Texan’s first 14 points in the first half. In the second half, quarterback Ben DiNucci would set them back any time the offense moved downfield. He finished the night completing 14 of 19 passes for 120 yards and three costly interceptions, one on the final drive to win the game.
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The first team offense did look better this week, showing they could score in the red zone, and the defense caused the Houston offense to go 0 for 6 on third down in the first half. With tonight’s loss, the Cowboys record is 0-3 in the preseason. Next week, they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 29th at 1:00 p.m at AT&T Stadium before the regular season