Dallas needs a response: can the Cowboys avoid another stumble against Houston?

The Dallas Cowboys head to Houston needing a response. At 1-2, Dallas isn't facing a must-win game in the traditional sense, but the urgency is obvious. The Cowboys are coming off a frustrating 24-21 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, a game in which they believed they had enough opportunities to win but repeatedly hurt themselves with mistakes.

Now they face the 0-3 Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday. Houston's record makes this look like a matchup between struggling teams. The numbers tell a more complicated story . Two of the Texans' three losses have come by one possession.

Their defense ranks among the NFL's best against the run , while their passing offense has been among the league's top 10 through three games. Dallas , meanwhile, finally found some life in its running game against Baltimore . The question is whether the Cowboys can build on it.

Can Dallas run the ball against Houston?

For the first two weeks, Dallas struggled to establish much of anything on the ground. That changed against Baltimore. Javonte Williams rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Tyler Goodson added 22 yards on six carries in his first action with the Cowboys. That production gives Dallas something to build around.

But Houston presents a very different challenge. Williams has been particularly effective on outside-zone runs, averaging 7.2 yards per carry on those plays. On his other carries, however, he's averaging only 2.9 yards. The problem? The Texans have been extremely good at defending outside runs.

Houston has allowed just 112 yards and one touchdown on 30 outside carries, making it the NFL's fourth-best defense against those runs. That could force Dallas to adjust. Rather than simply trying to duplicate what worked against Baltimore, the Cowboys may need to find ways to attack Houston between the tackles, particularly with the Texans dealing with injuries at linebacker.

Azeez Al-Shaair is doubtful with a groin injury, Jake Hansen has been limited by a calf injury and three other Houston linebackers are on injured reserve. That could mean increased responsibilities for rookies Aiden Fisher and Wade Woodaz. For Dallas, t hat's an opportunity, but only if the offensive line can create enough movement to take advantage of it.

The biggest problem could be Will Anderson Jr.

The Cowboys don't just have to figure out Houston's linebackers. They have to survive Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. That's a considerably more difficult assignment. Anderson already has 20 pressures and four sacks this season. Hunter has added 11 pressures and 1.5 sacks.

Both defensive linemen can attack from multiple alignments, making it difficult for an offense to simply identify one side of the formation and assume the pressure is coming from there. For Dallas , one matchup deserves particular attention. Anderson is expected to see plenty of Terence Steele on the Cowboys' right side.

Steele has had some difficult moments in isolated pass-protection situations. He has been left in one-on-one pass blocks on just 68.7% of his pass-blocking snaps, the lowest rate among players with at least 25 such snaps in 2026.

That number suggests Dallas could continue using protection help rather than repeatedly asking Steele to handle Anderson by himself. And that creates another problem. Every extra blocker used to account for Houston's pass rush is one fewer player available in the passing game. That makes the Cowboys' ability to establish the run even more important.

Dallas doesn't necessarily need sacks to disrupt C.J. Stroud

The Cowboys' defense has generated pressure this season, but finishing those pressures with sacks has been a problem. Dallas has faced three quarterbacks who are particularly capable of turning pressure into explosive plays: Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and Washington's Jayden Daniels, among them.

C.J. Stroud presents a different challenge. Stroud can run when necessary, but he's not the same type of open-field threat as Jackson or Daniels . That could allow Dallas' pass rush to play more aggressively. Stroud has thrown for 794 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions through three games, but his production drops sharply when he's pressured.

He's been sacked 10 times this season, the same number of completions he has recorded while under pressure. His 31.3% completion rate and two yards per attempt under pressure rank among the NFL's lowest figures. That's the opening Dallas needs to attack.

The Cowboys don't have to turn every pressure into a sack. Of course, sacks would be preferable. But if Dallas can consistently collapse the pocket, force Stroud to speed up his reads and make Houston operate behind schedule, the defense could create enough third-and-long situations to change the game.

The Cowboys have to stop beating themselves

That may ultimately be the simplest formula for Dallas. Against Baltimore, the Cowboys had opportunities. They couldn't consistently capitalize. Against Houston, the margin for error could be just as small. The Texans are 0-3, but their record doesn't indicate that they've been overwhelmed.

Two losses have come by one score, and their defense has demonstrated the ability to make opponents work for every possession. Dallas therefore cannot afford another game filled with wasted opportunities. The Cowboys need the running game to remain functional. They need to protect against Anderson and Hunter. They need to make Houston pay for its linebacker injuries.

Defensively, they need to pressure Stroud and make that pressure meaningful, even if it doesn't always result in a sack. And above all, Dallas needs to eliminate the self-inflicted mistakes that turned a winnable game against Baltimore into a loss.

Can Dallas get back to .500? Yes, but the path is fairly clear. The Cowboys don't need to reinvent their offense at NRG Stadium. They need to prove that the progress they showed against Baltimore wasn't a one-week development.