The Texans had their best chance yet to flip the script on this season, and they let it slip through their hands in the final 40 seconds.
Houston dropped to 0-4 on Sunday after Dallas marched 74 yards for the winning touchdown in a 34-30 Cowboys victory. The Texans had just grabbed a 30-27 lead and looked poised to finally get into the win column. Instead, the defense couldn’t close the door.
The turning point came on fourth-and-4 from the Cowboys’ own 32-yard line with 1:34 left. A stop there would have effectively ended it.
Dak Prescott kept the drive alive by finding Jake Ferguson for seven yards, and Dallas never looked back. Prescott then hit CeeDee Lamb for 15 yards, connected with George Pickens for 22 more, and finished the job with a 12-yard touchdown to Lamb with 40 seconds remaining.
That sequence flipped Houston from what would have been a 1-3 record into 0-4 in a flash.
The loss wasted a strong offensive showing from the Texans. C.J.
Stroud threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns, while Nico Collins made an immediate impact in his return, catching seven passes for 118 yards and both scores. Houston also produced one of the day’s most chaotic plays, using a lateral on its late go-ahead possession before Woody Marks eventually scored.
It still wasn’t enough.
The Texans are now off to their worst start since 2020. An 0-4 record doesn’t end anything mathematically, but it does leave little room for error. Houston can point to the offense finally finding some rhythm and to being one defensive stop away from a breakthrough.
The problem is the standings don’t reward near misses. After four games, the Texans are still winless, and after watching their best opening vanish against Dallas, they’re at the point where better play alone won’t fix this. They need wins now.
In Other News...
Joey Porter Jr. Changed Houstons Entire Plan In Cowboys Debut
Joey Porter Jr. arrived in a Cowboys uniform for Week 4 against the Houston Texans and immediately altered the way Houston approached the passing game. The cornerback, acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers, logged 24 defensive snaps in his season and Dallas debut, and the Texans quickly showed they wanted little part of testing him in coverage.
Instead of leaning on his side, Houston largely steered its attention toward other Dallas cornerbacks, leaving Porter matched up against the Texans top receiver without a target. He was thrown at once and did not allow a completion, a small sample to be sure, but one that suggested the Cowboys may already have added a defender offenses are going to notice right away. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Let One Cowboys Receiver Take Over When It Mattered Most
CeeDee Lamb made sure the Cowboys left Houston with a win, turning a tight road game into a showcase for Dallas top pass catcher. In a 34-30 victory over the Texans, Lamb piled up 17 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown, the kind of workload that kept Dallas moving when it needed it most and helped deliver the team its second win of the season.
The volume was as striking as the production, with Lambs 17 receptions tying him for the seventh-most in a single NFL game. For a Cowboys offense still looking for consistency, the performance was a reminder of how quickly one receiver can tilt a game when the situation demands it, even if the bigger question is how often Dallas can lean on that kind of night going forward. [Read more 🡒]
CeeDee Lamb Sent A Strong Message On Brian Schottenheimer
CeeDee Lambs afternoon against the Texans already stood out as one of the biggest individual performances of his career, and the timing made it even more meaningful for a Cowboys offense that needed a lift. His 17 catches for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown helped Dallas escape with a 34-30 victory, a result that offered a much-needed jolt after the frustration of the previous week.
Brian Schottenheimer was part of the backdrop to all of it. The Cowboys offensive coordinator had taken heat after the loss to the Ravens, but Lamb made sure his support was public once the win was in hand. For a Dallas team trying to stack good weeks together, the message mattered almost as much as the result, especially with Tampa Bay waiting on Thursday Night Football. [Read more 🡒]