Texans pull away late to hand down Cowboys another prime-time loss

On By Littum

Tyler Guyton’s heart was in the right place.

Guyton’s mistakes don’t come close “butt grope” lore, but that summed up the sad state of the Dallas Cowboys. Guyton, the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick and left tackle, allowed a pressure on one play in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans, and quarterback Cooper Rush had the ball knocked out of his hands. Scooping the ball out of the air, Guyton had visions of glory as he started to run. But he got hit by safety Jalen Pitre and learned that 322-pound men shouldn’t carry the ball in the NFL. Guyton fumbled, Texans defensive end Derek Barnett picked it up and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown and a 17-point Texans lead.

Even worse, Guyton injured his shoulder on the hit and left the game.

The way the Cowboys’ offense has played with Rush, everyone knew that 17 points was too much of a hole for the Cowboys to climb out of. Dallas fans could feel free to apply early if they haven’t already.

The Texans didn’t play very well, but they didn’t need to. At least the Cowboys kept it relatively close after a terrible start, but they are one of the NFL’s worst teams right now, and it showed. The Texans cruised to a 34-10 victory to improve to 7-4 and remain atop the AFC South.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 18: Cooper Rush #10 of the Dallas Cowboys fumbles the ball against Derek Barnett #95 of the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium on November 18, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 18: Cooper Rush #10 of the Dallas Cowboys fumbles the ball against Derek Barnett #95 of the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium on November 18, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Houston Texans defensive end Derek Barnett’s (95) scoop-and-score touchdown effectively sealed the game for Houston on Monday night in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

It was the sixth straight home game in which the Cowboys trailed by at least 20 points, an NFL record, according to ESPN.

The Cowboys are 3-7, even worse without injured quarterback Dak Prescott, and not getting much better. They can just hope to limit the embarrassing moments the rest of the way.

On the first play of the game, Nico Collins ran nearly untouched for a 77-yard Houston touchdown. It was called back due to an ineligible man downfield. No problem, because a few plays later, Joe Mixon ran nearly untouched for a 45-yard touchdown, the longest the Cowboys have allowed on the ground this season.

Then the Cowboys tried a fake punt that went nowhere when Texans receiver John Metchie III sniffed it up and hit Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas as soon as he caught a pass from punter Bryan Anger, well short of the first-down marker. Dallas had the worst start imaginable, and that didn’t even include pieces of metal falling from the roof of AT&T Stadium when the Cowboys tried to open it hours before kickoff. (The Texans’ social media team didn’t miss a chance to poke fun.)

It looked like the Cowboys, coming in with a 3-6 record and little hope of a turnaround, might be blown out at home against Texas’ second-ranked NFL team. Give Dallas credit. They battled back after trailing by 14 points.

A poor coverage by Texans cornerback Jeff Okudah allowed Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin to catch a pass on the run and outrun everyone for a 64-yard score. That got Dallas back in the game. The Cowboys’ defense tightened up after that, and what looked like a potentially awful game Monday night was at least close at the half. The Cowboys trailed 17-10.

Neither team was particularly sharp, but at least the Cowboys kept it interesting.

It’s troubling that the Texans took so long to distance themselves from an inept Cowboys team.

CJ Stroud sinks deeper into another slump. The Texans started off hot, but then had a lull for a couple of quarters. Houston didn’t score an offensive touchdown from the first quarter until 3:16 remained when Mixon hit his third touchdown of the night. The Cowboys appeared to make a 64-yard field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 20-13, but the Texans had a header on the play. The Cowboys took the 15 yards and the first down as well as any team trailing by 10 points, but then went for it on fourth down later in the drive and didn’t get it. Rush missed an open receiver on the play. If he hit that pass and Dallas scored, the Texans might have gone on upset alert. Barnett’s touchdown on the Guyton fumble removed any tension.

Houston can try to fix things and get better, hopeful of better days as they cruise to a likely division title. The Cowboys have nothing to look forward to except the end of a miserable season. It can’t come soon enough.

LIVE COVERAGE HAS ENDED35 updates

  • Give the entire social media department a raise in Houston ASAP.

  • Final: Texans 34, Cowboys 10

    The Texans now sit at 7-4 after this win, which has them in full control of the AFC South.

    The Cowboys, on the other hand, are just 3-7 on the year following what is their fifth straight loss. They also haven’t won a game at AT&T Stadium this season.

  • Tough night for Cowboys fans everywhere

  • Touchdown, Texans

    Joe Mixon punched in a 1-yard score and the Texans are up 34-10 now with 3:16 left. It’s their first second-half touchdown in their last 23 possessions.

  • “There are 15 flags down the field…throw them if you have them!”

    We’ve got leveling personal fouls after a brief fight broke out, and the Texans’ social media team isn’t holding back.

  • Well, that should do it. The Texans just sacked Cooper Rush on 4th and 16, and they’ll take over in great field position here late in the fourth quarter.

  • Tim settles for the sack

    Tim Settle just made it through untouched to drill Cooper Rush in the backfield. Not great for the Cowboys offensive line…

  • Cowboys challenge Nico Collins’ grip

    The Texans forced a quick Cowboys punt, and CJ Stroud started what looked like a promising drive for Houston after a 20-yard scramble on the first down.

    But after the Cowboys won a challenge to deflect a Nico Collins 20-yard grab, the Texans will have to strike again.

    Texans lead 27-10 with 9:45 left.

  • Derek Barnett extends Texans lead with unreal play

    Derek Barnett just came up with one of the defensive plays of the year to potentially put the Cowboys away. Texans defensive end forced a fumble on a strip sack of Cooper Rush. Offensive lineman Tyler Guyton recovered it, only to lose the ball on a forced fumble by Jalen Pitre.

    Barnett then recovered Guyton’s fumble and returned it for a touchdown to extend Houston’s lead to 27-10 with 12:31 left early in the fourth quarter. What a game.

  • Cowboys take points off the board, don’t get them back

    Brandon Aubrey successfully kicked a 64-yard field goal, but the Cowboys took the points off the board thanks to a header on the kick by Texans defensive end Derek Barnett, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty.

    The Cowboys conceded the first down and ultimately failed to convert on fourth-and-2 at the Houston 8-yard line. Instead of a field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 20-13, the Cowboys go scoreless on a turnover on downs. Houston maintains a 20-10 lead late in the third quarter.

    Here’s Aubrey’s kick:

  • The Texans convert the big Nico Collins gain into a field goal

    The Texans got a big play from Nico Collins on a 33-yard catch-and-run from CJ Stroud. But they didn’t find the end zone. Houston settles for a field goal to extend its lead to 20-10 early in the third quarter.

  • The Cowboys go 3 and out to start the second half

    The Cowboys failed to muster a first down to start the second half and sent the ball to the Texans.

  • Texans 17, Cowboys 10: Key first-half stats

    Joe Mixon set the tone in the first half as a porous Cowboys defense continued to struggle. An interception by CJ Stroud and a pass from Cooper Rush to KaVonte Turpin for a 64-yard touchdown helped the Cowboys overcome several mistakes to keep things close.

    CJ Stroud: 13 of 20 for 159 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception
    Cooper Rush: 15 of 27 for 172 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception

    Joe Mixon: 11 carries for 71 yards, 1 catch for 37 yards, 2 touchdowns
    Rico Dowdle: 8 carries for 18 yards

    Texans in a hurry: 80 yards at 5.7 yards per carry
    Cowboys rushing: 33 yards at 3.3 yards per carry. transportation

    Total Texans yards: 232
    Total Cowboys yards: 209

    Revenue: 1 from each team

  • Texans lead 17-10 at halftime

    The Texans go into halftime with a 17-10 lead that feels like it should be bigger. The Cowboys fumbled a fake punt, threw an interception and missed a field goal in a mistake-filled first half. But the Cowboys have kept things close thanks to gaining 176 yards through the air with quarterback Cooper Rush.

  • Brandon misses home for the first time with the Cowboys

    Dallas had what looked like a safe three points to cut their deficit to four points before the break. But Brandon Aubrey hit the right upright on a 40-yard field goal attempt for his first miss at home since joining the Cowboys last season. Aubrey’s plantar foot slipped on the kick, and the Texans maintain a 17-10 lead in the final minute of the first half.

  • Cowboys running with a chance to tie

    The Cowboys are over midfield with 1:47 left in the second quarter and a chance to tie the game before halftime, trailing, 17-10.

  • Brandon Aubrey good again from deep

    Brandon Aubrey has become the NFL’s most reliable big-leg kicker. He connected from 53 yards out to cut Houston’s lead to 17-10. He is now 20 of 21 from 50-plus yards since joining the Cowboys as a rookie last season.

    The score capped a 35-yard Cowboys drive that was cut short when a third-down Cooper Rush pass was knocked down at the line. There are 5:55 left in the first half.

  • Houston settles for field goals in the red zone

    The Texans settled for a field goal after Joe Mixon’s big gain to extend their lead to 17-7 with 9:10 left in the second quarter.

  • Insult to injury for the Cowboys

    Joe Mixon just ripped the Cowboys again, this time for a 37-yard gain deep into Dallas territory on a screen pass. A low blocking penalty on DeMarvion Overshown added 15 yards to the play to put the Texans in the red zone with a chance to extend a 14-7 lead.

  • KaVontae Turpin torches the Texans secondary for 65-yard TD

    The Cowboys are on the board. On the first play of the second quarter, Cooper Rush found KaVonte Turpin running free from the right slot. Turpin fielded the pass and sprinted untouched through the Texans’ secondary for a 64-yard touchdown. The Cowboys cut the Texans’ lead to 14-7.