4 winners & 4 losers in Cowboys loss to Texans on Monday Night Football

The Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-7 with a loss to the Texans on Monday Night Football. Here are the players who stood out in the Week 11 defeat.

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Dallas Cowboys punter Bryan Anger / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Another week of football led to another loss for the Dallas Cowboys.

This time, they fell 34-10 to the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. It was a frustrating night for a team still looking for a win at home. Not only are they struggling in AT&T Stadium, but in Week 11, they had to hear the crowd enjoy their downfall since it was full of Houston fans.

Dallas has a short week with the Washington Commanders on the schedule this Sunday. Before looking ahead to that, let's see who stood out as winners and losers in Week 11.

Winner: Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle (23) is helped up by tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford (89) / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Jake Ferguson was sidelined early in this game with a concussion which opened the door for undrafted rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford. He came into this game with two catches for 20 yards on the year and topped those numbers with four catches for 42 yards. It might not have been an elite showing, but it was very promising for the young man.

Loser: John Fassel, Special Team Coach

Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

When Dallas lost to the Atlanta Falcons, there was one play that showed just how terribly things were going for them. Bryan Anger attempted a fake punt, that never had a chance. That failed play gave Atlanta a short field in a one-sided contest.

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Special teams coach John Fassel obviously learned nothing from this as he dialed up another fake punt on their first fourth-down play of the game. This time, he completed the pass to Juanyeh Thomas. The only problem was that it was good for four yards, but they needed nine.

Dallas was bailed out by their defense with Malik Hooker recording an interception on fourth down. That doesn't mean it was a good call from Fassel though.

Winner: Luke Schoonmaker, TE

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Brevyn Spann-Ford wasn't the only tight end to get extra time with Jake Ferguson out. Luke Schoonmaker was also on the field more than we've seen this season, and he took advantage as well.

Coming into this one with just 56 yards on eight receptions, Schoonmaker had six catches for 56 yards in this game. That included a tough catch while taking a shot from two defenders — and drawing a flag — and a long of 24 yards on 3rd-and-13 in the fourth quarter.

Seen as a bust after a poor showing during his rookie season in 2023, Schoonmaker's play in Week 11 could be exactly what he needed to take a step forward in his progression.

Loser: Trey Lance, QB

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Cooper Rush was much better against Houston than he was in Week 10. But he still wasn't very good. He was also under pressure all night, which makes sense considering Tyler Guyton, Zack Martin, and Tyler Smith were all hurt at one point.

Despite this, they kept Trey Lance on the bench. While it's true that Lance is far from a refined passer, he's an incredibly mobile QB who might have had more luck against the Houston pass rush. Instead, it appears the player they added in exchange for a 4th-round pick is seen as a bust.

Winner: KaVontae Turpin, WR

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Dallas has been lacking explosion all season but they finally had a big play on Monday. KaVontae Turpin, their speedy return man, was lined up at receiver and took a short pass from Cooper Rush and turned it into a 64-yard touchdown.

TURPIN SPEEDS FOR 64. TD, COWBOYS!

📺: #HOUvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/58pkIaiCvb
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2024

There was a moment when the entire stadium held its breath since there was a flag on the field. That wound up being against Houston, so the touchdown stood. It wasn't enough for them to make this one a contest but it was a fun moment for Turpin.

Loser: CeeDee Lamb, WR

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

With Dak Prescott out, the Cowboys need to be able to count on CeeDee Lamb. That wasn't the case in Week 10 when he hauled in 21 yards on six receptions. This week, he produced more on offense but was called out by Peyton Manning when he didn't run a third-down route properly, leading to an interception.

Lamb finished with eight receptions for 93 yards which was impressive. But he had the early gaffe that led to a pick and a touchdown that hurt his team. He also seemed to display poor body language at times, especially when the passes weren't crisp from Rush.

Winner: Micah Parsons, EDGE

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Dallas missed Micah Parsons while he was dealing with a high ankle sprain. He recorded two sacks in his return last week and was making life difficult for C.J. Stroud this weekend. He finished with just one tackle but that doesn't tell the whole story. He continually provided pressure and made plays not shown on the box score.

Bill Belichick broke down Cowboys DE Micah Parsons’ game: “Yeah, he’s definitely a problem.” pic.twitter.com/Q2fG6qSuUl
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) November 19, 2024

One example was when Parsons prevented a touchdown on the Texans' first drive in the third quarter. He burst past the OL and got pressure on Stroud, forcing him to throw the ball quicker than he would have liked. That led to an inaccurate pass to Joe Mixon, who couldn't haul it in. Had Stroud hit him in stride, Mixon would have walked in for six. Instead, Kai'imi Fairbairn came in for a 29-yard field goal.

Loser: Terence Steele, RT

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Dallas is the only team that hasn't scored on the first drive of the first or third quarter — and that remained the case on Monday. Trailing 17-10, the Cowboys took the opening kickoff in the second half and promptly had a three-and-out. The primary reason for that was a Danielle Hunter sack on second down.

Hunter went right past Terence Steele and got a hold of Cooper Rush for a four-yard loss. Steele has been an issue ever since signing an extension ahead of the 2023 season and this play was one example of his struggles.