So it continues. The same struggles that have plagued the Dallas Cowboys all season led to a 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans in a prime-time showdown on Monday night. Dropping their fifth home game of the season – all due to double-digit deficits – the Cowboys struggled to put points on the board, were hampered by penalties and turnovers, and struggled to stop the run.
And unfortunately, a team already decimated by injuries got more bad news on that front. Starting cornerback Jourdan Lewis had already been ruled out of Saturday’s game, the latest blow to Dallas’ defense. But late in the first quarter, tight end Jake Ferguson left with a concussion, while safety Markquese Bell went to the sideline early in the second quarter with a shoulder injury.
Then the fourth quarter proved disastrous for the team’s offensive line. The first left tackle, Tyler Guyton, did not return after bumping his shoulder, and then Zack Martin, who has battled a number of injuries throughout the season, left the game. Finally, left guard Tyler Smith had rolled his left ankle, his night was over as well.
While Cooper Rush’s second start of the season may have been slightly better than his first, his numbers didn’t exactly jump off the page. The quarterback was sacked five times and threw for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a passer rating of 75.9. Eleven different receivers caught passes, with CeeDee Lamb being the main target. He totaled eight receptions for 93 yards.
Dallas tried to establish a ground game but didn’t have much success. Although they handed the ball to Rico Dowdle 10 times when the game was still close, the running back averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. As a team, the Cowboys earned a score of 3.6.
Conversely, the Texans were able to gobble up 5.6 yards per carry in their running attack. Joe Mixon led the charge with 109 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback CJ Stroud had three scrambles for 26 yards, an 8.7 average.
Stroud was also effective through the air. Last season’s Rookie of the Year was sacked just once while completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 257 yards, with one interception for a 77.7 rating.
Overall, the team stats were close, with Houston beating Dallas 391 to 388. Both sides converted 33 percent of their third-down chances and each had nine penalties. The Texans narrowly won the time of possession, 30:37 to 29:23.
On the opening second of the game, Nico Collins took a 77-yard screen pass for what would have been a Texans touchdown. Fortunately, Houston was awarded a penalty, which nullified the score. Of course, six plays later, the Texans were actually in the end zone. Mixon took a handoff up the middle and ran 45 yards and a quick 7-0 lead.
And that lead seemed to expand quickly when the Cowboys decided to attempt a fake punt on fourth-and-9 at their own 33-yard line. Punter Bryan Anger completed his pass attempt to Juanyeh Thomas, but he was tackled well before the markers.
Dallas’ defense stopped every scoring attempt, but then on fourth-and-3 at the 30-yard line Cowboys safety Malik Hooker picked off a Stroud pass. Despite being given a gift, Rush gave one away of his own during the ensuing Dallas series, with Texans cornerback Derek Stingley recording the interception to get the visitors back on track.
This time the Cowboys couldn’t deny Houston the end zone. The drive took 10 plays, but the Texans gained the necessary 63 yards. Mixon got his second score of the night with a race to the right pylon from 3 feet away.
And then lightning struck. At the opening second of the second quarter, KaVontae Turpin made a huge move at the line of scrimmage, taking a Rush pass up the middle and then turning on the jets to shoot untouched to the goal line for a 64-yard touchdown. This halved the deficit, 14-7.
The two sides then exchanged field goals, with the Cowboys staying within striking distance. Houston first covered 77 yards in 9 plays, but ultimately had to settle for a 33-yard field goal. That was immediately followed by Brandon Aubrey splitting the uprights 53 yards out, giving Dallas an eight-play, 35-yard possession. With his shoe, Aubrey set a new team record, being the first to make 20 field goals of at least 50 yards.
Aubrey then had a chance to cut the deficit to just four, but when he attempted a 40-yard field goal with 59 seconds left, his plant foot slipped. That caused his kick to sail right and hit the goal post, not good. Dallas would go into halftime down 17-10, but clearly had some momentum.
The third quarter has been a nightmare for the Cowboys this season, with the team entering this game being outscored 82-22 within the frame. The doldrums continued.
Dallas got the ball to start the half and went on a quick three-and-out, which was followed by the Texans coming right back and kicking a 29-yard field goal to increase their lead to 20-10. The Cowboys then appeared to get a 64-yard field goal from Aubrey, but when Houston was called for a penalty, Dallas picked up the first down and continued its advance.
In doing so, the Cowboys did manage to get to the Texans’ 8-yard line, where head coach Mike McCarthy decided to go for it on fourth-and-2. When Rush’s pass subsequently fell incomplete, the offense left the field empty-handed.
And then the wheels fell off. On second-and-6 at his own 40-yard line, Rush dropped back to pass, but the ball was stripped from his hand. The fumble then bounced off the back of a lineman and into the arms of left tackle Tyler Guyton, who collected the award and tried to gain as much yardage as possible. Instead, he was hit and fumbled with Houston defensive end Derek Barnett, who scooped up the ball and fumbled 28 yards for the touchdown.
That effectively ended the match.
The Texans reached the end zone one more time. Dallas had no choice but to go for it on fourth-and-16 at its own 40-yard line, only to see Rush sacked for a 6-yard loss. Lined up at the Cowboys’ 35-yard line, Houston needed six plays to cross the goal line as Mixon ran it in from the 1 for his third score of the night.
