ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Houston Texans defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 at AT&T Stadium for the first time in franchise history Monday and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Texans were fueled by running back Joe Mixon's three rushing touchdowns and 109 rushing yards. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and their defense carried them for the rest of the game. Houston sacked Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush five times, intercepted him once and scored a touchdown on a strip sack. The win puts the Texans two games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, whom they have already beaten twice, in the AFC South, and their next two games are against the two-win Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams: AP Photo/Jerome Miron Houston Texans (7-4) Pivotal play: The defense put the game away in an unusual way early in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Derek Barnett had a strip sack, and Cowboys right tackle Tyler Guyton picked up the loose ball trying to run for the first down. Guyton didn't get far as safety Jalen Pitre knocked the ball out, and Barnett scooped the loose ball and sprinted into the end zone.
The score put the Texans up 27-10 to help secure the victory. Surprising performance: Coach DeMeco Ryans usually doesn't let cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. follow opposite star receivers. But against the Cowboys, he occasionally let Stingley follow All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and he answered the challenge. Stingley covered Lamb for 17 routes and allowed only two catches for 19 yards with an interception and two pass breakups while drawing an offensive pass interference. Rush had a passer rating of 3.5 when throwing in Stingley's direction, according to Next Gen Stats. Troubling trend: The Texans had nine penalties for 69 yards, which allowed the Cowboys to hang around. The first play of the game was a 77-yard touchdown pass to wideout Nico Collins in his first game back after missing the previous five with a hamstring injury, but left tackle Laremy Tunsil was called for an illegal man downfield that nullified the play. The unit still scored thanks to a Mixon 45-yard rushing touchdown. But on the first drive of the third quarter, the Texans marched to the Cowboys' 5-yard line, and left guard Juice Scruggs was called for holding, which pushed the Texans to second-and-18. That drive ended in a field goal instead of six points. Houston has to clean up its sloppiness as the postseason nears. -- D.J. Bien-Aime Next game: vs. Tennessee Titans Read More>>
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