The Houston Texans dominated their interstate rival the Dallas Cowboys to cap Week 11 in the NFL, winning 34-10.
Joe Mixon ran for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Texans. C.J. Stroud completed 23 of 34 passes for 257 yards.
The Cowboys’ offense struggled. Cooper Rush, starting in place of the injured Dak Prescott at quarterback, completed 32 of 55 passes for 354 yards. But Rush was sacked five times and also intercepted once. Dallas converted only five of 19 third and fourth downs.
The game started with a six-play, 77-yard drive by Houston, which took a 7-0 lead after its first possession.
The Cowboys couldn’t get a first down after faking a punt on their first drive, before the quarterbacks exchanged picks on the next two possessions. But the Texans settled down with a 10-play, 63-yard drive for another Mixon touchdown.
Dallas answered three plays later with a 64-yard touchdown pass to KeVontae Turpin to cut the deficit to 14-7. Both sides added field goals before the half, giving Houston a 17-10 lead at the break.
The Texans would score the next 17 points, including a long field goal drive, a fumble return for a score and one last Mixon touchdown late in the fourth.
The win stopped a two-game losing skid for Houston. The Texans are in first place in the AFC South, two games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts. Houston will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12.
The Cowboys have lost four games in a row. Their next matchup is against the Washington Commanders.
C.J. Stroud talks big win
Final: Texans 34, Cowboys 10
The Cowboys hung around probably longer than anyone expected, but they were clearly overmatched by the Texans tonight.
Houston runs away with this one to improve to 7-4. Joe Mixon had three touchdowns.
Dallas is now 3-7. Will we see Trey Lance start a game soon?
Touchdown, Texans
Joe Mixon just ran in a score from one yard out for his third touchdown of the game.
It’s Houston’s first second-half touchdown in five games.
The Texans lead 34-10.
Cooper Rush sacked on fourth down ...
... And the Texans will take over leading 27-10. Dallas hung around for a little bit, but this one has gotten out of hand.
Texans punt after four plays
The Texans decided to keep passing and paid the price, punting after taking not even two minutes off the clock.
Touchdown, Texans!
What a wild series of events!
Cooper Rush was strip sacked, but it was recovered by his left tackle Tyler Guyton, who then tried to run and pick up some positive yards.
But then Guyton was popped by Jalen Pitre, knocking the ball loose again. And Derek Barnett — who stripped Rush initially — scooped the ball and scored.
Houston now leads 27-10.
Texans punt after six plays
The Texans opted not to go for it on 4th-and-Inches, instead punting from their own 34.
The punt was downed inside the Cowboys’ 10, where Cooper Rush and Co. will take over trailing 20-10.
End of third: Texans 20, Cowboys 10
Only three points in the third quarter, courtesy of a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal.
The Cowboys are hanging around, but can't break through. They’ve missed a field goal and failed on two fourth-down attempts.
The Texans will have the ball when the final quarter begins.
Cowboys turn the ball over on downs
What an eventful yet ultimately disappointing possession for the Cowboys.
Brandon Aubrey hit a 64-yard field goal, but a Texans penalty kept the drive alive for Dallas. After taking the points off the board, the Cowboys picked up one more first before facing a 4th-and-2 at the eight-yard line.
They went for it, but Cooper Rush threw incomplete, and Dallas also committed a holding penalty to boot.
The Texans still lead 20-10.
Texans settle for another red zone field goal
A 65-yard drive by the Texans stalled at the Cowboys’ 10-yard line, and they settled for another field goal.
A 33-yard pass to Nico Collins got Houston inside the 15, but a holding penalty two plays later set the drive back, allowing Dallas’s defense to make a red zone stand.
The Texans now lead 20-10, but the Cowboys are hanging around still.
Cowboys go three-and-out
Dallas starts the second half with a quick three-and-out and punts for the first time tonight.
The Texans will take over on their own 25 with a 17-10 lead.
Halftime: Texans 17, Cowboys 10
The Texans take a seven-point lead into halftime.
C.J. Stroud is 13 of 20 for 159 yards, while Joe Mixon has added 71 yards and two scores on the ground.
Cooper Rush is 15 of 27 for 172 yards and a touchdown.
Both quarterbacks have thrown a pick.
The Cowboys will receive to start the second half.
Texans go three-and-out
Houston can’t do anything after the missed field goal, and the Cowboys will have one more possession with 37 seconds to go in the first half.
Can Cooper Rush lead another scoring drive?
Cowboys doink field goal, no good!
Oh no!
Cooper Rush led a 12-play, 58-yard drive, but Brandon Aubrey slipped on a field goal attempt and missed, keeping the Houston lead at 17-10.
That was Aubrey’s first missed kick at home this season.
Texans punt after one first down
Nice defense by the Cowboys, who hold the Texans to only 19 yards and a punt. Dallas will get the ball back after a touchback trailing only by seven.
That was the first punt of the game.
Cowboys cut into lead with field goal
It’s a one-score game again after a 53-yard field goal by the Cowboys. Cooper Rush led an eight-play, 35-yard drive to get Dallas into scoring territory.
It’s a 17-10 Texans lead. The Cowboys are hanging around!
Texans settle for field goal in the red zone
The Texans made it as far as Dallas’s nine-yard line, but the Cowboys’ defense held ground inside the 10, forcing Houston to kick a field goal.
The Texans now lead 17-7.
Jake Ferguson is done for the night
Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has been ruled out for the game with a concussion. Dallas was already without Dak Prescott, and now life will be harder for Cooper Rush.
Touchdown, Cowboys!
Cooper Rush hit Kevontae Turpin on a slant for 64-yard touchdown and the Cowboys are back in the game.
Great route by Turpin, who faked outside before running free into the middle of the field.
It’s now a 14-7 Texans lead.
End of first: Texans 14, Cowboys 0
The Texans are dominating after one quarter.
The Cowboys’ two possessions so far have ended in a failed fake punt and an interception.
Dallas will have a 3rd-and-5 on its own 41 when the second quarter begins.
Touchdown, Texans!
After the Cooper Rush interception, the Texans marched 63 yards in 10 plays for their second touchdown.
Joe Mixon punched in the score from one yard out after he also picked up a 4th-and-1 earlier in the drive.
Houston now leads 14-0. Mixon has both touchdowns.
And now Cooper Rush is picked off!
The Cowboys were putting together a nice little drive, getting all the way to Houston’s 41, but Cooper Rush was intercepted trying to hit CeeDee Lamb on 3rd-and-9.
It appeared to be a miscommunication between receiver and quarterback, but in any event, the Texans will take over the ball leading 7-0.
C.J. Stroud picked off!
After the failed fake punt by the Cowboys, Houston was facing a 4th-and-3 from the Dallas 30-yard line and DeMeco Ryans decided to go for it.
But C.J. Stroud was picked off after an errant pass to Nico Collins and now the Cowboys will take over on their own 33.
Cowboys fake punt, don't pick it up
The Cowboys tried to find a spark with a fake punt, but they completed a pass short of the sticks and now the Texans will take over on the Dallas 37.
Touchdown, Texans!
Joe Mixon ran 45 yards for a touchdown and the Texans have an early 7-0 lead over the Cowboys.
Houston needed only six plays to go 77 yards and take the lead.
We’re off!
The Texans start with the ball and their first play from scrimmage is a Nico Collins touchdown....that got called back because of an ineligible man downfield penalty.
Cowboys on four-game losing streak
Dallas is coming off a 34-6 loss to Philadelphia in Week 10. It's the Cowboys' fourth straight loss and the longest losing streak since 2020.
Over that period, they are allowing 34.5 points per game during 4-game and averaging 15 points per game.
Dallas is 0-4 at home for first time since 2010. From 2022-2023 it was 16-1 at home.
Debris falls from roof at AT&T Stadium
Tonight's game will no longer have an open roof after debris fell from it once opened. Yikes.
Cowboys arrive ahead of MNF
Inactives for Texans
Star wide receiver Nico Collins is back after missing time on the IR.
Seventh matchup ever between two Texas teams
This is seventh matchup all-time between the Texans and Cowboys, and the first since 2022. Dallas leads the all-time series 4-2 and is 3-0 all-time at home vs. the Texans.