HOUSTON — Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a 12-yard touchdown with 43 seconds remaining Sunday, and the Dallas Cowboys rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Houston Texans 34-30 in an in-state matchup at NRG Stadium.
The win evens Dallas at 2-2 after a last-second 34-31 home loss to Baltimore a week earlier.
Houston controls the first half
The Texans struck first on their opening possession, when C.J. Stroud hit Nico Collins on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 10:06 left in the first quarter. From there, the first half became a kicking contest. Brandon Aubrey answered with field goals of 39 and 50 yards for Dallas, but Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn matched and exceeded him, connecting from 51, 39 and 54 yards. His final kick came with two seconds left in the half and sent Houston into the locker room ahead 16-6.
Dallas moved the ball through the first two quarters but repeatedly stalled short of the end zone. The Cowboys also had a field-goal attempt blocked.
Williams carries the comeback
The second half turned on running back Javonte Williams. He scored on an 8-yard run around left end on the first possession of the third quarter, cutting the lead to 16-13. Houston answered quickly when Stroud and Collins connected again, this time on a 22-yard throw down the right side for Collins’ second touchdown, which made it 23-13.
Williams scored again on a 1-yard plunge late in the third quarter. Early in the fourth, he gave Dallas its first lead with a 2-yard run, making it 27-23 with 11:20 to play. All three of Dallas’ rushing touchdowns belonged to Williams.
A late exchange of leads
Houston regained the lead with 2:26 left, when Woody Marks ran 6 yards off left tackle for a 30-27 advantage. Dallas then drove for the decisive score. Prescott capped the march by finding Lamb over the middle, and the Texans’ final possession did not produce points.
By the numbers
On paper the game was nearly even. Dallas outgained Houston by just two yards, 399 to 397, and neither team committed a turnover. The differences were elsewhere:
- Possession and sustained drives: Dallas ran 73 plays to Houston’s 52, held the ball for 33:27, and had 28 first downs to the Texans’ 16.
- Penalties: Houston was flagged 13 times for 90 yards. Four of those penalties gave Dallas first downs. The Cowboys were penalized six times for 47 yards.
- Big plays: Houston was more explosive. Its passing game went 21-for-31 for 347 yards and averaged more than 10 yards per attempt, but it ran only 19 times for 62 yards.
- Red zone: Dallas settled for field goals early, then scored touchdowns on all four of its second-half scoring drives.
Houston’s kicking game was perfect, with Fairbairn going 3-for-3 on field goals. That was not enough to offset the Texans’ penalty yardage and Dallas’ advantage in time of possession during the second half.
Up next
Dallas has a short week before hosting Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football, October 8.
