After two quarters, the Dallas Cowboys trail the Houston Texans 20-17.

The most points the Texans have scored in the first half all season.

Here we are just like a week ago, the Cowboys not being able to find a rhythm in the first half against a bad football team until they play with tempo.

Trevon Diggs and Johnathan Hankins both ended up in the locker room in the first half. Not ideal for a defense that is already been hit by the injury bug.

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs (left thumb) is questionable to return

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 11, 2022

The Texans came into this matchup down a handful of starters on offense. They are playing without WR Brandin Cooks, CB Derek Stingley, and WR Nico Collins.

Yet somehow they have found the end zone twice in the first half, and doing whatever they want on offense.

The opening drive of the game for the Cowboys resulted in a touchdown by Tony Pollard. The offense went 76 yards in 9 plays.

The defense forced a punt on the first drive for the Texans and on the return KaVontae Turpin made his first mistake as a Cowboy. He muffed the fair catch, setting Houston with a short field.

The Texans would use the short field to tie the game 7-7 on one-yard run by Dameon Pierce.

After falling behind 10-7, the Dallas offense would drive the length of the field again and regain the lead 14-10. Pollard scored his second touchdown of the first half, a swing pass from Dak Prescott.

I still can’t grasp why this offense at times plays so conservative, you have all the playmakers to continue to put pressure on teams and they wait until they absolutely have to put their foot on the gas.

The Cowboys are eating the cheese right now, letting a 1-10-1 football team push them around and control the football game.

This team is in trouble if they don’t stop overlooking them. They are on the brink of being headline news for the next week and half.

Dallas needs to come out in the second half and absolutely take the game over.

Dallas should still win this game, but I thought the game would be a bit out of reach by this point.