It was really a tale of two halves. After little could go right through the first two quarters, the Dallas Cowboys could seemingly do no wrong over the final two, claiming state bragging rights with a last-second, come-from-behind 34-30 victory over the Houston Texans.
Following a heartbreaking loss and brutal travel schedule the previous weekend, the Cowboys could perhaps be forgiven for being out of sync and generally overpowered by their opponent at the start. However, that all changed after halftime.
The sledding was tough for Dak Prescott against Houston's defense, especially in the early going. He was often under pressure, although much of that was due to being unable to find open targets downfield, which in turn gave the Texans' formidable front time to get to the quarterback.
But he stuck with it, and the offense opened up in the second half. Or rather he stuck with wideout CeeDee Lamb. Prescott completed 32 of his 45 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown for a 99.8 passer rating. And 17 of those throws connected with Lamb, which was the second-highest catch total for a game in franchise history. Those receptions went for 189 yards, which allowed the star receiver to surpass fellow No. 88 Drew Pearson for fourth on the Cowboys' all-time list for career receiving yards, earning 7,914.
The running game didn't find the going any easier against the Texans, but Javonte Williams got the job done when he needed to, scoring three touchdowns on the ground, a new career high.
Defensively, the Cowboys struggled to contain Nico Collins in his return, but like the offense, they, too, got better as the game went along. Houston's star receiver finished with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback C.J. Stroud totaled 347 yards passing for a 126.7 passer rating. But for the first time this season, Dallas held its opponent under 100 yards rushing.
Overall, the Cowboys narrowly outgained the Texans, 399 yards to 397, but held a considerable advantage in the time of possession, 33:27 to 26:33, and were far less penalized, being flagged six times for 47 yards compared to Houston's 13 penalties for 90.
First Quarter
Collins certainly didn't waste time making his presence known. After missing the last two games because of a hamstring injury, on the very first snap of this one, he hauled in a pass over the middle and raced downfield for a 45-yard gain. He then capped off the eight-play, 85-yard drive by grabbing a 7-yard dart from Stroud in the back of the end zone for a quick 7-0 Texans lead.
The Cowboys offense tried to keep pace with a Brandon Aubrey 39-yard field goal on the team's first possession, but Houston answered with a 51-yarder of its own to maintain the seven-point difference, 10-3. One play on the Texans' drive did the damage, a 52-yard pass down the left sideline to wideout Jaylin Noel.
Second Quarter
As the second frame got underway, the Cowboys were already in Houston territory, facing a third-and-5 at the 44-yard line. And while they indeed picked up the first down, the Houston 32 was where the team again had to call on Aubrey. The sure-footed kicker was good on the 50-yard field goal to add another three points.
After a back-and-forth of punts, with the Dallas defense forcing consecutive three-and-outs, the Cowboys got close enough to let Aubrey try a 62-yard field goal, but for the second time in this young season, his attempt was blocked. And he got another shot at a 65-yarder with 30 seconds in the half, but that one sailed wide left.
Making matters worse, both of those misses set the Texans up with great field position, which they used the first time to kick a 39-yard field goal. And then despite there being only 26 seconds remaining in the half after the second wayward field goal, that was time enough for Houston to add a 54-yarder to give the home side a 16-6 advantage at the break.
Third Quarter
And then things changed. Desperately needing a spark, the Cowboys got just that when KaVontae Turpin returned the kickoff to start the second half 48 yards to the Houston 49. Four plays later, which included a 30-yard pass to Lamb, Dallas was in the end zone. Williams got the score, taking the handoff and rumbling off left tackle 8 yards to pay dirt.
The good vibes were short-lived, though, when the Texans promptly returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Dallas 38. They also needed only four plays to cross the goal line, with Collins catching his second touchdown pass of the game to keep the 10-point lead.
Then it was déjà vu all over again, as Turpin returned the kickoff 32 yards to get his team going, and Prescott followed that by connecting on another deep ball, this time to George Pickens for 53 yards to the Houston 11. Thankfully, although the Cowboys failed to get into the end zone on a fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line, a defensive holding penalty granted them a fresh set of downs. Given that gift, Williams took the next snap up the middle for the touchdown, the score narrowed to 23-20.
Fourth Quarter
The longer the game progressed, the more Prescott and the offense seemed to find their rhythm. At the Houston 33-yard line when the final quarter got underway, the Cowboys quarterback engineered the 14-play drive by completing all nine of his pass attempts for 89 yards, which included five to Lamb for 69. But it was Williams who picked up his third touchdown of the game, powering up the middle the final 2 yards to give Dallas its first lead.
After a swap of punts and just under seven minutes left on the clock, the Texans were able to get their offense back on track, finding themselves at the Dallas 27-yard line on third-and-14. That's when Stroud and company ran a hook-and-ladder play with tight end Dalton Schultz catching the ball and flipping it to running back David Montgomery, who ran down to the Cowboys 6 for a 19-yard gain. Woody Marks then finished off the series with a touchdown run and a three-point lead, 30-27.
Now, with only 2:15 remaining, the Cowboys needed to regain their momentum once more. They did.
Prescott worked his magic, driving the offense 74 yards in 11 plays for the touchdown. The drive included 15- and 22-yard strikes to Lamb and Pickens, respectively, before Prescott found, who else but Lamb in the end zone to give the Cowboys a thrilling 34-30 victory.
