NFL

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys

· National Football League
7-4, 3-3 Away
Final
34 - 10
3-7, 0-5 Home

Texans never trail while handing Cowboys 5th straight loss, 34-10

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Joe Mixon did his thing, and C.J. Stroud didn’t have to do much to extend the misery of the Dallas Cowboys.

Mixon ran for three touchdowns to extend his TD streak to six games since coming back from an ankle injury, Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score, and the Texans beat the Cowboys 34-10 on Monday night.

The Texans (7-4) stopped just the second two-game losing streak in Stroud's two seasons while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South.

Houston pulled away in the second half a week after a 26-23 last-play loss to Detroit at home when the Texans let a 23-7 halftime lead get away and lost despite Jared Goff five times.

“It's not as bad as it ever seems, and it's never as good as it ever seems,” Stroud said. “Those type of games, you have to come out with a win, especially going up like that the half. But what are we going to do about it?”

In a season filled with things gone wrong for the Cowboys (3-7), debris fell from their stadium's retractable roof as it was opening a few hours before the game.

There was no delay and no injuries were reported, just another mishap to foreshadow a fifth consecutive defeat for a team that lost five games total in each of the past three playoff seasons.

Cooper Rush threw a KaVontae Turpin but lost his second start since Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury.

The Dallas losing streak is its longest since a seven-game skid in 2015, and the Cowboys dropped to 0-5 at home. Dallas is the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six consecutive home games, including last season's wild-card playoff loss to Green Bay, according to Sportradar.

“Well, they better be frustrated,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think there’d be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just very honest with everything and stay in tune with what’s right in front of us. And that’s the only way I’ve ever done it.”

The Cowboys were down 10 early in the fourth quarter when Barnett knocked the ball out of Rush's hand as he was throwing. Dallas rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton caught it and was trying to run when Jalen Pitre knocked the ball loose again.

Barnett scooped it and scored, although he almost stepped out of bounds running free toward a pylon.

“The play he made really changed for game for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It flipped the momentum. It got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play.”

Earlier, the Cowboys appeared to have pulled within a touchdown on a 64-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but Barnett was penalized for slapping Terence Steele on the rush.

Dallas erased the points by taking the penalty, but Rush's fourth-down pass from the Houston 8-yard line was incomplete on the only good scoring chance of the second half for the the Cowboys.

“The defense played with elite energy,” Ryans said. “One big play that we gave up. Like to have that one back, but overall I think our guys played really well.”

Texans receiver Nico Collins returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury and took a screen pass 77 yards to the end zone the first time he touched the ball on the first play of the game, only to have it called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield.

That possession ended with a touchdown anyway on Mixon's 45-yard sprint up the middle, and he ran wide for a 1-yard score and 14-0 lead. Mixon had 109 yards rushing and set up a field goal with a 37-yard catch-and-run on a screen.

“I really love that first play because it showed what we could do in this game,” Ryans said. “Even though it got called back, I just told all our guys, ‘We can go score on these guys again. Just get it in your mind we’re going to score again.’”

Already without Prescott, the Cowboys lost tight end Jake Ferguson to a concussion and perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith to ankle injuries. Rush was sacked five times, three on the same possession when Martin and Smith were injured.

Stroud, who has been in a mini-slump, threw for 257 yards while avoiding any mistakes after an early interception on fourth down. It was the third time in five games without a touchdown pass, and he has two TDs and three picks in that stretch.

Rush was 32 of 55 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turpin had three catches for 86 yards.

Injuries Texans DE Will Anderson Jr., who entered the week tied for fifth in the NFL with 7 1/2 sacks, was inactive because of an ankle injury. ... Cowboys DB Markquese Bell didn't return after injuring a shoulder covering a kickoff in the second quarter.

Up next Texans: Host Tennessee on Sunday.

Cowboys: At Washington on Sunday.

How can I watch Texans vs. Cowboys?

  • TV Channel: Texans at Cowboys 2021-22 NFL, week 11 is broadcasted nationally on ESPN and ABC.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Texans vs. Cowboys on DAZN.

Matchup Prediction

Cowboys: 29.7%
Texans: 70.0%
*According to ESPN's Football Power Index

Scoring Summary

HOU TD 1st Period 12:42 Joe Mixon 45 Yd Rush (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
HOU TD 1st Period 0:49 Joe Mixon 1 Yd Rush (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
DAL TD 2nd Period 14:51 KaVontae Turpin 64 Yd pass from Cooper Rush (Brandon Aubrey Kick)
HOU FG 2nd Period 9:10 Ka'imi Fairbairn 33 Yd Field Goal
DAL FG 2nd Period 5:55 Brandon Aubrey 53 Yd Field Goal
HOU FG 3rd Period 7:05 Ka'imi Fairbairn 29 Yd Field Goal
HOU TD 4th Period 12:31 Derek Barnett 28 Yd Fumble Return (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
HOU TD 4th Period 3:16 Joe Mixon 1 Yd Rush (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/hou.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originHOU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/dal.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originDAL
21 1st Downs 24
13 Passing 1st downs 17
6 Rushing 1st downs 3
2 1st downs from penalties 4
4-12 3rd down efficiency 5-15
1-2 4th down efficiency 0-4
60 Total Plays 79
391 Total Yards 388
6.5 Yards per Play 4.9
10 Total Drives 12
250 Passing 324
23/34 Comp/Att 33/56
7.1 Yards per pass 5.3
1 Interceptions thrown 1
1-7 Sacks-Yards Lost 5-34
141 Rushing 64
25 Rushing Attempts 18
5.6 Yards per rush 3.6
2-4 Red Zone (Made-Att) 0-1
9-69 Penalties 9-66
1 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 1
1 Interceptions thrown 1
1 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
30:37 Possession 29:23

Game Information

AT&T Stadium

Location: Arlington, TX
Attendance: 92,969 · Capacity:

2024 AFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Houston 7 4 .636 0 258 236
Indianapolis 5 6 .455 0 236 250
Tennessee 2 8 .200 0 170 263
Jacksonville 2 9 .182 0 208 316

2024 NFC East Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Philadelphia 8 2 .800 0 259 179
Washington 7 4 .636 0 308 243
Dallas 3 7 .300 0 187 293
New York 2 8 .200 0 156 222
Full Standings

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