The Houston Texans defense dominated the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Monday Night Football.

The Texans defense controlled the Cowboys on Monday night.

Houston prevailed 34-10 on the road at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, pushing the AFC South’s best record to 7-4 in 2024.

The defense finished with five sacks, an interception, a pair of forced fumbles, six tackles for loss and just 10 points allowed.

However, a turning point in the game came early in the fourth quarter when defensive end Derek Barnett sacked Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush. The fumble was recovered by offensive lineman Tyler Guyton, who was promptly shot by safety Jalen Pitre. Guyton fumbled the ball away, and Barnett scooped it up and raced to the front left pylon of the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.

It turned a 10-point lead into a 27-10 lead, and the Texans were able to go from there.

“Derrick Barnett, the play he made really changed the game for us,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It changed the momentum. It got everyone on the sidelines. It was just a big play. Something we talk about and we insist on is attacking the football. We talked about it this week: don’t only attacking, but also defensively, this was a huge action for us.”