Terence Steele, Jake Ferguson, Johnathan Hankins ruled out for Cowboys vs Texans

The Dallas Cowboys ruled out a trio of players on Sunday versus the Houston Texans as the team headed toward the halftime locker room. Right tackle Terence Steele, tight end Jake Ferguson and nose tackle Johnathan Hankins are all out for the second half as the Cowboys trail by a field goal.

Aside from Steele with a left knee injury, Ferguson with a head/neck injury and Hankins with a right shoulder injury, the Cowboys could have it worse. Star cornerback Trevon Diggs briefly exited the field in the first half with a hand injury, however, he later returned and recovered a turnover.

Dallas also had a pregame scare with safety Jayron Kearse. Kearse hurt himself in warmups and left the field with medical personnel but he made it back in time to start the game.

The Cowboys have their hands full with the Houston Texans who are playing much better than their 1-10-1 record suggests. Although the two teams have stunningly similar offensive stats through three quarters, Houston has the upper hand in the turnover battle. Dallas lost a fumble and Dak Prescott threw an interception ahead of halftime.

At 9-3 on the season, Dallas remains in an excellent position for a playoff berth.

Philadelphia leads the NFC East by a two-game margin, at 11-1. But Dallas’ 9-3 mark is tied for the third-best record in the NFC, behind Philadelphia and Minnesota (10-2), while matching Kansas City (9-3).

Still, even with the Cowboys sporting a comfortable lead for a Wild Card playoff berth, a win Sunday against the Houston Texans would go a long way toward shoring up a postseason bid.

Dallas had four players on the inactives list on Sunday. Jalen Tolbert, Markquese Bell, Jabril Cox, Chauncey Golston and Will Grier all made the list ahead of the game.