Mixon, Texans’ defense is too much for Cowboys on MNF

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Houston Texans defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 at AT&T Stadium for the first time in franchise history on Monday and snapped a two-game losing streak.

The Texans were boosted by running back Joe Mixon’s three rushing touchdowns and 109 rushing yards.

They took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and their defense held them for the rest of the game. Houston sacked Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush five times, intercepted him once and scored a touchdown on a 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 coming into Monday night for both teams:

Fundamental game: The defense closed the game in an unusual way at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Defensive end Derek Barnett had a sack and Cowboys right tackle Tyler Guyton picked up the loose ball trying to run for the first down. Guyton didn’t get far when safety Jalen Pitre hit the ball and Barnett scooped up the loose ball and ran into the end zone. The score put the Texans up 27-10 to help secure the victory.

Amazing performance: Coach DeMeco Ryans generally doesn’t allow cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to shadow opposing star receivers. But against the Cowboys, he occasionally let Stingley shadow former All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb, and he responded to the challenge. Stingley covered Lamb for 17 routes and allowed just two receptions for 19 yards with one interception and two pass breakups while drawing an offensive pass interference call. Rush had a passer rating of 3.5 when he threw in Stingley’s direction, according to Next Gen Stats.

Worrying trend: The Texans had nine penalties for 69 yards, allowing the Cowboys to stay. The first play of the game was a 77-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nico Collins in his first game back after missing the previous five with a hamstring injury, but left tackle Laremy Tunsil was called for a man illegal on the field 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, pushing the Texans to second-and-18. That drive ended in a field goal in place of six points. Houston has to clean up its sloppiness as the postseason approaches. — DJ Bien-Aime

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

There are seven weeks of misery left in the Cowboys’ season, but their losing streak continues.

Even though the Cowboys lost their fifth straight game, the season is not mathematically over. But what gives you hope that things can change? Quarterback Dak Prescott will be out for the season following hamstring surgery, and in a 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 in a row on their way to a 4-12 finish, and this loss ties the longest of Mike McCarthy’s coaching career. He lost five games in a row and finished 6-10 in 2008 with the Green Bay Packers.

Just a reminder, he does not have a contract beyond this season.

And this might be the most ignominious 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 during 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 Rush had passing yards against the Eagles. But it took until the fourth quarter for the Rush to again complete 20 yards or more despite finishing with 354 passing yards. And there was an interception and a fumble on a sack in the fourth quarter that was ultimately returned for a touchdown that increased Houston’s lead to 17 points. The Cowboys simply have no margin for error to overcome their own mistakes.

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Tempers flare early in heated state rivalry between Cowboys and Texans

The Cowboys and Texans brawl briefly after a kickoff penalty.

Worrying 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 on the field penalty on the Texans. Six plays later, Mixon scored the first touchdown of the game on a 45-yard run. As poor as the Cowboys’ run defense was (31st in the league entering the game), it was the longest run allowed by the Cowboys this season. He beat a 39-yard run by San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on a jet sweep. Big plays have been an enemy for the Cowboys all year. Entering Monday, the Cowboys allowed 28 pass plays of 20 yards or more and 38 runs of 10 yards or more.

Worrying 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, it is the longest streak in team history. The longest had been 19 consecutive quarters in 1960, the Cowboys’ inaugural season. The Texans opened the second half with a field goal, marking the eighth time in 10 games that a Cowboys opponent scored on the first possession of the third quarter. -Todd Archer

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