It's hard to imagine a worse feeling than what the Dallas Cowboys went through this past weekend in Rio. One could argue being blown out is worse, but at least in those games the outcome is certain fairly quickly.
This weekend was arguably more painful since the Cowboys not only stood up to a team that was favored to win, but they had the chance to win it at the end. Through self-inflicted wounds , they ended up flying back to Texas feeling the sting of a 34-31 loss .
Now, they turn their attention to the Houston Texans , who they face on the road in Week 4. Entering this game, there will be no shortage of Cowboys with something to prove , but these four are facing the most pressure.
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele defends against linebacker Jaishawn Barham at training camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The light bulb is starting to come on for left tackle Tyler Guyton , who is off to the best start of his career. On the other side of the line, the Cowboys might need to re-think things with Terence Steele.
Their veteran right tackle has two penaltes, four pressures, and one sack while earning a PFF grade of 56.0 through three weeks. That has him 58th out of 69 qualified tackles, and while he played better against the Ravens than he had in previous games, he will be tested this week in Houston with Will Anderson lined up across from him.
Anderson is one of the best defensive ends in the game and can wreck a gameplan if he's not held in check. Steele will get help throughout the day, but there will be times that he has to hold his own. If he can't the calls for Broderick Jones to take over will grow deafening.
Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Malik Hooker , Jalen Thompson , and P.J. Locke all injured, Markquese Bell is the new leader of the safety corps. It's likely that rookie Caleb Downs takes more snaps at safety rather than nickel, but the Cowboys would love to keep Downs near the line of scrimmage where he's most effective.
For that to happen, Bell has to prove he can handle the starting job. He didn't have a great outing in Week 3, but was battling dehydration in the humid weather . This week, he has to be much sharper to keep the secondary from being carved up.
Dallas Cowboys OLB Rashan Gary looks dejected after the loss to the Ravens. | REUTERS
Dallas took a lot of grief for trading for Rashan Gary, but they believed he could be the veteran leader of their pass rush. Through three games, Gary has just six tackles, six pressures, and zero sacks. He's currently ranked 78th out of 109 EDGE rushers , according to PFF, with a 57.6. The Dallas secondary is hurting and the best way to help them would be to get after C.J. Stroud . Gary doesn't have to do it alone, but it's time for him to prove Dallas made the right call bringing him in.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts during the game against the Ravens in Rio. | REUTERS
No one is under a brighter microscope in Dallas right now than Brian Schottenheimer. The second-year head coach was guilty of multiple game management errors on Sunday, which left points on the board at the end of the first half as well as at the end of the fourth quarter. A lot had to go wrong for Dallas to lose in regulation, and somehow, Coach Schotty allowed every negative scenario to play out .
Jerry Jones has been patient with coaches in the past, but he's been showing more urgency to win this offseason. If Schottenheimer doesn't get the most out of this team, especially with such a high-priced offense, his seat will become hot in a hurry. That's why he's feeling more pressure than anyone entering Week 4.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/onsi as 4 Dallas Cowboys With Most To Prove Entering Week 4 vs Texans .
