Cowboys injury report and questions heading into Week 11 matchup with Texans

The list of questionable players in this week's Cowboys injury report is lengthy.

• Jake Furgeson (Questionable)
• Tyler Smith (Questionable)
• Hunter Luepke (Questionable)
• Zack Martin (Questionable)
• DaRon Bland (Questionable)
• Jordan Lewis (Questionable)
• Caelen Carson (Questionable)
• Nick Vigil (Questionable)

Time to regroup

After losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, the Dallas and get ready for their in-state rival, the Houston Texans. The Cowboys come into this game having lost their last four games and they’ve been bitten by the injury bug, often this year. Dak Prescott is done for the year after having surgery on his hamstring Wednesday, Micah Parsons recently returned from an ankle injury and Demarcus Lawrence is still out with a foot injury.

On top of those star players, Dallas had four active players who did not suit up for practice on Thursday. Jake Furgerson (illness), DaRon Bland (foot), Calen Carson (shoulder/illness), Jordan Lewis (neck), Hunter Luepke (calf). All four are listed as questionable. Zack Martin, Tyler Smith and Nick Vigil were also listed as questionable.

In the all-time battle state bragging rights between these teams, the Cowboys lead it with a record of 4-2. Keep in mind the Texans have only been around since 2002 and they play in different conferences so they only meet every few years. Maybe we’ll get an all-Texas Super Bowl one day, but don’t hold your breath for that happening anytime soon.

Can the Cowboys get back on track?

It feels like we’ve been asking this question all season. Neither team is entering this matchup playing their best football of late. While Dallas has lost its last four games, the Texans have been losers in three of the last four games themselves. Both teams need a win but for several reasons.

Houston needs to keep pace in the AFC playoff race among division leaders. Dallas simply needs a win for team morale. They are coming dangerously close to the point where guys begin to check out on the coaching staff if they haven’t already. The Cowboys aren’t technically out of the NFC playoff hunt but another loss or two would be all she wrote.

Other than beating a division rival, there couldn’t be a better way than to turn this ship around at the expense of the Texans. The odds of it happening are worse than they’ve been in a long time but stranger things have happened. It’ll be tough though based on how the Cowboys have looked this season. For as much as the Texans have struggled lately, the Cowboys have been that much worse.

Question marks heading into MNF showdown

One of the main questions for the Cowboys heading into this game with the Texans is where the offensive production will come from. Coopers Rush and Trey Lance failed to pass for 70 yards combined. Rush has had success as the starter in place of Prescott in the past but it doesn’t seem he’ll be able to muster up that same magic this time.

Dallas did get 75 yards rushing from their running backs last week. That’s combined between Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott. So, it’s not much better than this Cowboys offense has been able to produce all year. No running game, backup quarterbacks and a lackluster offensive line. When you break things down it explains this offense, scoring just six points against the Eagles. Despite what we’ve seen out of this offense, some are trying to put a positive spin on what’s been a disappointing season thus far.

"The work is going to get done," CeeDee Lamb said. "And, with me, I take full responsibility in getting in sync with him. We're going to ride this thing out through the rest of the season, so I have the most confidence in him. I don't care what happened last week, and last week is last week. So, with that being said, we've got a game to win."

Seems Lamb is attempting to manifest the Cowboys a win this week against the Texans. The sustained positivity is great, but it’s going to take more than belief to get the job done against Houston. Dallas isn’t the only desperate team in this game and there’s a lot more on the line for Houston in this situation. Honestly, it’s hard to see the Cowboys winning this game because they haven’t shown anything that makes you believe they will.