Mixon, Texans defense too much for Cowboys on MNF

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Houston Texans defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 at AT&T Stadium on Monday for the first time in franchise history, snapping 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 held them up 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, who 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 for both teams starting Monday night:

Crucial game: The defense put the game away in unusual fashion early in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Derek Barnett had a strip sack and Cowboys right tackle Tyler Guyton picked up the loose ball while trying to run for the first down. Guyton didn’t get far, as safety Jalen Pitre knocked the ball out, and Barnett scooped up the loose ball and sprinted into the end zone. The score put the Texans up 27-10 and helped secure the win.

Surprising performance: Coach DeMeco Ryans releases cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. typically do not follow the opposite star receivers. But against the Cowboys, he had Stingley shadow former All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb at times, and he answered the challenge. Stingley covered Lamb for 17 routes and allowed just two catches for 19 yards with an interception and two pass breakups while getting an offensive pass interference call. According to Next Gen Stats, Rush had a passer rating of 3.5 when he threw in Stingley’s direction.

Troubling trend: The Texans had nine penalties for 69 yards, allowing the Cowboys to hang around. The first play of the game was a 77-yard touchdown pass to 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 down field that negated the play did. . The unit still scored thanks to a Mixon rushing touchdown of 45 yards. 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, pushing the Texans to second-and-18. That drive ended in a field goal instead of six points. Houston needs to clean up its sloppiness as the postseason approaches. — DJ Bien-Aime

Next game: vs. Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Seven weeks of misery remain in the Cowboys’ season, but their losing streak continues.

Despite the Cowboys dropping their fifth consecutive series, the season isn’t mathematically over. But what gives you hope that things can change? Quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season after hamstring surgery, and in the span of three plays in the fourth quarter, they lost right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith.

The losing streak is the Cowboys’ longest since 2015 – when they lost seven straight en route to a 4-12 finish – and this loss marks the longest stretch of Mike McCarthy’s coaching career. He lost five in a row and finished 6-10 with the Green Bay Packers in 2008.

As a reminder, he does not have a contract for this season.

And this may be the most shameful statistic of all: For the first time since 1989, the Cowboys have lost their first five home games of the season. That team finished 1-15 in the first year of Jerry Jones’ tenure as owner and general manager.

QB breakdown: In the second quarter, Rush had more passing yards than in last week’s entire loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (45 yards). In the second quarter, he had a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin, the second-longest of his career. Turpin had more yards after the catch (56) than passing yards Rush had against the Eagles. But it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Rush again managed a completion of 20 yards or more, despite finishing with 354 passing yards. Still, the fourth-quarter fumble that was ultimately returned for a touchdown that pushed Houston’s lead to 17 points was just a reminder that the Cowboys simply don’t have any margin for error.

Troubling trend: The Cowboys nearly gave up a 77-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, but it was called back due to an ineligible man downfield penalty on the Texans. Six plays later, Mixon had the first touchdown of the game on a 45-yard run. As bad as the Cowboys defense had been (No. 31 in the league coming into the game), it was the longest run the Cowboys allowed this season. It topped a 39-yard run by San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on a jet sweep. Big plays have been an enemy of the Cowboys all year. As of Monday, the Cowboys allowed 28 pass plays of 20 yards or more and 38 runs of 10 yards or more.

Troubling trend (part 2): The Cowboys have allowed points in 21 consecutive quarters, dating back to their Week 5 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to ESPN Research, this is the longest streak in team history. The longest was 19 consecutive quarters in 1960, the Cowboys’ first season. The Texans opened the second half with a field goal, marking the eighth time in 10 games that a Cowboys opponent has scored on the first possession of the third quarter. — Todd Sagittarius

Next game: vs. Washington Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)