Cowboys' Texas Jab at Texans Tops NFL Week 4 Trolls

The Dallas Cowboys turned a Week 4 win over the Houston Texans into the sharpest jab of the NFL's first full weekend of October, according to an ESPN roundup of league trolling published Oct. 4, 2026. The network's story, headlined "'Kings of the State': Cowboys poke fun at Texans, lead NFL Week 4 trolls," credited Dallas with the week's top needle after the Cowboys beat their in-state rival.

ESPN's staff framed the moment as part of a season turning more serious — and more personal — as October arrived, with Week 4 supplying the proof.

What Was the Cowboys' "Kings of the State" Jab About?

ESPN's headline built the Dallas dig at Houston around the idea of ruling Texas football, a label the network attached to the Cowboys after the win. The story, bylined by Anthony Gharib with contributions from ESPN's NFL staff, placed the Cowboys-Texans result atop a broader Week 4 trolls list that also touched on sideline swagger and locker-room talk across the league. ESPN's piece, as supplied for this report, did not spell out the exact wording of the jab beyond the "Kings of the State" framing itself, leaving the specifics of the taunt to the network's own coverage.

How Did Dallas Get to This Win?

The victory over Houston followed a setback for the Cowboys. A separate ESPN piece referenced within the same Week 4 package, by Dan Graziano, carries the headline "Cowboys flip script after Rio loss with key win over Texans." That headline indicates Dallas had dropped a game played in Rio de Janeiro before turning around to beat Houston in Week 4, giving the Cowboys both a result and a rivalry talking point in the same stretch of the season.

"Welcome to the first weekend of October, when the games get a little more meaningful and the trolls follow suit. Week 4 of the NFL season proved exactly that." — ESPN's Week 4 trolls roundup

What Other Trolling Defined NFL Week 4?

The Cowboys-Texans storyline did not stand alone on ESPN's Week 4 page. An Editor's Pick item flagged Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson among what ESPN called the week's "most fashionable arrivals," a separate category the network tracked as part of the same roundup that put Dallas atop the trolling list — a reminder that the networ's Week 4 coverage spanned more than one kind of needle.

What Else Stood Out Around the League in Week 4?

Elsewhere in the same ESPN coverage, the Minnesota Vikings moved to 4-0, with ESPN's Kevin Seifert writing that Minnesota made history doing it without relying on touchdowns from its offense. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow addressed his team's second straight loss by telling reporters, in ESPN's phrasing via writer Ben Baby, that the situation was not "Armageddon." The New York Jets snapped what ESPN's Rich Cimini described as a historic interception drought even as the team "sputtered otherwise" in a loss. And ESPN's Marc Raimondi examined Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson's production in prime time, asking whether he has become the league's best back under the lights.

Where Can Fans Find the Full Week 4 Rundown?

ESPN's complete Week 4 trolls package, including highlights from the Cowboys' win over the Texans, is available on ESPN.com. The network paired the trolls story with a one-minute highlight reel of the Dallas-Houston game and additional Week 4 coverage spanning comeback wins, three remaining unbeaten teams, and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan's performance on Sunday night — all part of the slate ESPN's staff said made the first weekend of October "a little more meaningful."

What Other NFL Coverage Ran Alongside the Trolls Roundup?

ESPN's Week 4 page also pointed readers toward a running playoff picture, with the network's staff publishing updated projections and postseason chances for every team in the same cycle of coverage that carried the Cowboys-Texans story. A separate ESPN staff item looked further ahead, projecting the 2027 NFL draft order and flagging which teams could land an early pick based on early-season results. Writers Mel Kiper Jr. and Jordan Reid contributed their own forward-looking pieces, including a top-50 prospect ranking that put Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith at No. 1, according to Reid's byline on the list. None of those stories altered ESPN's Week 4 trolls ranking, but they filled out the same page where the network declared Dallas the winner of the week's needle.