The Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans in Week 4 for their second win of the season. It was much bigger than it seemed at first sight.

Listen, I understand Cowboys fans who want to go into frustration mode even after a win. I really do. The Texans should not be scoring 30 points on you. Dallas needs to find a way to stop Nico Collins from ripping off big gain after big gain, and the same goes for Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson. The offense also needs to produce more than six points against this defense in the first half, or any NFL defense for that matter. I don’t care if it’s the scary and fearsome Texans.

So trust me, I get it. There’s a lot to clean up. But this win was huge, and a few takeaways from Sunday are highly promising. Let’s break it down.

CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott showed why the Cowboys can be special

This is the headline of the game. The Cowboys have a unique duo at quarterback and wide receiver.

Was it a slow start? For sure. But CeeDee Lamb finished witha career-high 17 catches. He’s playing the best football of any wide receiver so far, and he’s the favorite in my book for Offensive Player of the Year.

Lamb also took advantage of the Texans zeroing in on George Pickens. So if you’re concerned about Pickens having just two catches, don’t be. Houston’s defense wasn’t respecting No. 88, and Lamb made the Texans pay for it.

Then there’s Dak Prescott on the final drive. Talk about locked in. To be fair, he threw a pass on the first play that could have been intercepted. He shook it off and went to work. His throw to Lamb, fitting it between a safety and a cornerback while working from the opposite hash mark, was crazy quarterbacking. He made a similar throw against the Washington Commanders, and he did it again Sunday.

Prescott is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now. And there’s no denying it. 

Tyler Guyton is no longer a project

Lamb and Prescott stole the headlines. But here’s a stat you may not have expected: Tyler Guyton allowed zero pressures, according to SumerSports. Not to Will Anderson Jr., not to Danielle Hunter, and not to anyone else on that Texans defense.

Do you know how crazy that is? In my Friday preview, I figured Anderson would get Guyton at least once. He didn’t.

I’m sure the film will show the Cowboys helping their tackles with some chipping, plus Prescott getting rid of the football quickly. Still, Guyton balled out. In his third NFL season, I don’t think he’s a developmental project anymore. He’s an NFL offensive tackle, and at 6-foot-7, we’re starting to see him play bigger and meaner in both the run game and the pass game.

Joey Porter Jr. did exactly what he was brought in to do

There’s a lot to fix on defense, and one trade doesn’t change an entire unit that’s struggling. But Joey Porter Jr. was acquired to be a boundary eraser, per defensive coordinator Christian Parker. On Sunday, he was.

The Texans targeted Porter a grand total of zero times.

As fun as it was to watch Trevon Diggs grab 11 interceptions in 2021 and DaRon Bland set the NFL record for pick-sixes in a single season in 2023, neither has ever been what Porter is supposed to be: a cornerback opposing passers avoid. In his first game with the Cowboys, Porter was immediately that guy.

He won’t fix the whole defense, but he’ll have a ripple effect. He’ll allow Dallas to load the box and blitz more often. Speaking of which, the linebackers delivered a couple of well-timed blitzes Sunday.

Porter played about 50% of the snaps. Let’s see if that number climbs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. Malik Hooker’s return was encouraging as well. He delivered two big hits and broke up two crucial passes.

The concerns: DaRon Bland and the pass rush

I’m concerned about Bland. I really am. He struggled mightily in coverage and lost several matchups, to the point I wonder how secure his spot in the lineup is once Shavon Revel Jr. and Kobe Durant are fully available. Revel is working back from an injury, though he did play Sunday, and Durant was out.

The Cowboys like Bland a lot. But Sunday’s performance was severely underwhelming, and it feels like he’s on the field because there aren’t many better options.

Then there’s the pass rush. It was a little poetic watching Jadeveon Clowney have a monster game against the Cowboys’ offensive line while Dallas couldn’t generate pressure on defense. The Cowboys said Clowney wasn’t a scheme fit for Parker’s defense. Well, he sure fit with the Texans. Clowney was the team’s sack leader in 2025, and it looked like he played with a personal vengeance.

The Cowboys aren’t getting home with four rushers, and letting their sack leader walk is starting to look like a massive mistake. Maybe another trade or a scheme adjustment is coming. Either way, they need to get to the quarterback.

To be fair, the defense made a couple of big stops. The Texans also shot themselves in the foot with several dumb penalties, and C.J. Stroud missed a wide-open receiver on third down. Dallas may be taking steps in the right direction, but there’s a long way to go.

Why this win matters

With the Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles up next, those three games look much more winnable now than they did back in August.

This is a .500 team. For now, let’s see if the Cowboys can become a winning one as soon as Thursday.