The Cowboys come up against two teams that haven't won yet in 2026, and now they've gotten even more help.
The Dallas Cowboys can't feel sorry for themselves for too long after the horrific 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio.
With the 0-3 Houston Texans up next, the AFC South team isn't the same threat they were last season, so that game takes on a different look in Week 4.
After Houston, the Cowboys will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to AT&T Stadium, where Brian Schottenheimer's team might have caught another break.
Baker Mayfield injured his thumb late in the fourth quarter in the loss to the Cleveland Browns and is reportedly set to miss the next three weeks.
That means Jalon Daniels - no, not "Jayden Daniels,'' that's "Jalon Daniels,'' an undrafted rookie - will likely be quarterback in Week 4.
When the schedule dropped, this was a gauntlet period for the Cowboys, but now, they might have caught a break. Well, two, actually.
1 - An 0-3 Texans team that isn't the beast it was last season (giving up 25 points per game).
2 An 0-3 Buccaneers outfit without their starting quarterback.
You could make the case that Dallas, if it plays to the level it did in Rio, minus a few brain cramps, could very well be above .500 after Week 5.
Of course, given the sheer number of injuries, Christian Parker's defense, which was already wobbly at best, will be relying on bench-warmer defenders and could still be conceding 30+ points.
And "minus very few brain cramps'' seems like asking a lot right now.
But maybe, once wounds get licked back at The Star this week, there can be a level of optimism that wouldn't have been there otherwise with the Texans and Buccaneers winless to start 2026.
Can Schottenheimer's Cowboys take advantage of the "breaks" they've appear to have gotten?
We bet Cowboys Nation isn't ready to buy that right now. But the Cowboys themselves need to do so.
