Viral Cowboys-Texans Photos Show How Dangerously Close Dallas Came To Brutal Loss

The Dallas Cowboys were a lot closer to losing the Week 4 game to the Houston Texans than people realize.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is pressured by. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rashan Gary (7) during the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys were close to losing once again in the Week 4 game against the Houston Texans, but you might not be aware exactly how close that loss was.

The Cowboys got off to a putrid start to the game, climbed back into it and took a lead in the fourth quarter, lost that lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game, and then recovered it with just 40 seconds left on the clock.

But, of course, things can never be even remotely easy for Dallas. The Texans drove up to midfield and put themselves in position to throw up one last prayer that, thankfully for the Cowboys, fell incomplete.

One glaring mistake on the play was that Malik Hooker didn't bat the ball down when he had an opportunity to do so, and that almost proved to be disastrous.

Based on a photo making the rounds on social media, it's quite clear the Cowboys just barely averted disaster, as Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel was maybe a toe and certainly a fingertip length away from breaking the Cowboys' hearts.

Jaylin Noel likely had his foot out of bounds, but this is a testament to how precarious these Hail Mary situations can be when the ball isn't batted down immediately. https://t.co/qIFoocGD78 pic.twitter.com/vyui09FMAv

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) October 5, 2026

Here's yet another angle before that which showed just how close the Texans were to pulling off a miraculous victory.

.@HoustonChron photo from @coomerchron of the final Hail-Mary play. Didn't realize it was that close. pic.twitter.com/BGw26nP1Jr

— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) October 5, 2026

Phew...

Had the Cowboys lost like that, it would have been time to just pack up shop and call it a season.

That would have been two brutally devastating losses in a row for the Cowboys after the last-second debacle that was the Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when the Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a long completion with just one second left, which allowed Tyler Loop to kick the game-winner.

Losing on a Hail Mary to the Texans would have been even worse, but would anyone really be surprised with the way this season has gone thus far? Hard to say we would have been.

Still not good enough

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys' defense is still not playing good enough, as evidenced by the 30 points it allowed on Sunday.

Granted, things got better as the game progressed after Dallas' unit was getting torn to shreds by Houston's passing attack early on, but the Texans still managed to throw for nearly 350 yards and the defense completely folded on Houston's nine-play, 87-yard drive that put the Texans ahead again with 2:23 left.

Thankfully, Dallas' offense was able to bail the defense out, but as we saw in the photos above, the defense nearly wrecked that.

If there was one positive to take away from the defensive effort in Week 4, it's that Dallas' unit completely shut Houston's rushing attack down to the tune of 19 carries for 62 yards, with David Montgomery gaining just 24 of those yards on 10 carries.

However, we even have to be skeptical of that, as the Texans weren't running the ball effectively going into the game.

Long story short: Dallas' defensive showing on Sunday did nothing to quell our fears about the unit.

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