Five keys to Texans’ 34-10 victory over Dallas Cowboys

ARLINGTON – How the Texans took over AT&T Stadium was obvious in areas beyond a lopsided scoreboard as they earned a dominant victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Many estimated that the Texans’ raucous fans outnumbered or matched the home team faithful at the 92,969 sold-out stadium.

In halting a two-game losing streak and extending the reeling Cowboys’ slide to five games in a row and 0-5 in home games, the Texans’ fans were a definite factor.

As offensive tackle Tytus Howard emphasized afterward, the Texans proved they’re the best NFL team in the Lonestar state.

And Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshow had taunted the Texans before kickoff, calling the Texans Dallas’ “lil bros.”

Definitely not on Monday night football before a primetime audience.

“We wanted this win,” Howard told KPRC 2. “A lot of them guys were talking crazy, saying we was their lil bros, so it felt good to come out here and get a win, not just because it’s a Texas team, but to get back on a win column and score some points.”

Overshown previously said the Cowboys run Texas.

“Nah,” Howard said. “He knows that now.”

“It was all talk,” Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil said. “We talk with our pads.”

Texans fans were even chanting “Houston ... Texans!” a sound that reverberated throughout the stadium.

“Yeah, it was awesome, seeing all our Texans fans show up,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “That was really cool to see on the road, to see all the Texans jerseys, see how fired up our fans were, created some crowd noise. Now, that’s cool. Any time you can come into an away stadium and really feel your fans, hear your fans being loud, being disruptive, that was really cool for our guys.”

Here are five keys to how the Texans improved to 7-4:

1. A major turning point.

When Texans backup defensive end Derek Barnett stripped Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush from the football, that set in motion a bizarre play for the defense.

The loose football in the Cowboys’ backfield was picked up by left tackle Tyler Guyton, who attempted to run for glory. Instead, he fumbled as nickel Jalen Pitre delivered a thunderous hit that dislodged the football again.

And Barnett showed off his alertness and athleticism as he scooped up the football on the hop and returned it for a touchdown. A double fumble is a rare occurrence that hadn’t happened in the NFL on a touchdown since a Sept. 10, 2023 game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts when quarterback Trevor Lawrence fumbled on a hit from DeForest Buckner, it was recovered by Tank Bigsby and then he fumbled and it was recovered by Buckner who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Both Pitre and Barnett forced fumbles, and Barnett, who didn’t stick around the locker room for interviews as his teammates heaped praise on him, sprinted into the end zone.

“Derek Barnett, the play he made really change the game for us,” Ryans said. “They flipped the momentum and got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play. Him, get the strip sack for Pitre to come up and force the ball out. Something we talk about, we harp on, is attacking the football. And we talked about, this week, not just attacking it but going to score. So, that was a huge play for us defensively.”

2. A hat trick for Joe Mixon

Texans running back Joe Mixon punished the Cowboys’ suspect defense, rushing for 109 yards and three touchdowns. He had 153 total yards from scrimmage and is now the fourth running back in franchise history to run for three touchdowns in a single game.

Mixon is the fifth player in NFL history to have at least 90 yards from scrimmage and run for a touchdown in seven of his first eight games in a season, joining Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson, Priest Holmes and LeSean McCoy. He had a 45-yard touchdown run, his longest score of the season. And he has nine rushing touchdowns in the past six games, the most in franchise history in that span.

“The run game starts with our offensive line,” Ryans said. “I asked them, I challenged them to play fast, play aggressive and I thought they did a really nice job. And Joe, when he’s on, he’s a force for us. I just really liked the way we just kept churning it in the run game. And proud of the guys for stepping up to the challenge.”

3. Offensive line improves

The Texans’ oft-criticized offensive line had a resurgent game. The line configuration of Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, left guard Juice Scruggs, center Jarrett Patterson, right guard Shaq Mason and Howard at right tackle finally clicked.

They allowed just one sack on quarterback C.J. Stroud as he was only hit once. Cowboys Pro Bowl linebacker Micah Parsons had one tackle, no sacks and no quarterback hits. He had at least a handful of pressures.

“We put in good work, some good work in practice this week and it showed up today,” Tunsil said. “We just try to stay consistent and build off this. We can accomplish a lot and make sure that C.J. is comfortable and that Joe has holes to run through. When you do your job, they aren’t going to say much to you. They’re going to leave you alone. Joe is a damn good back. He’s going to find the holes. He is tough, lot of respect for him.”

4. Nico Collins makes an impact.

On the first play from scrimmage, the star wide receiver took off on a 77-yard screen play for a touchdown that was nullified by an ineligible receiver downfield call against Tunsil.

Although the score didn’t count, Collins left no doubt about his health or his speed.

Collins finished the game with four catches for 54 yards, production matched identically by wide receiver Tank Dell.

“I really love that first play because it showed what we could do in this game,” Ryans said. “Even though it got called back, I just told all our guys, ‘We can go score on these guys again. Just get it in your mind we’re going to score again.’”

As for Collins, who missed five games with a hamstring injury and was the NFL receiving yardage leader before he got hurt, “I felt good. Just being back out there with the guys, that’s the most important thing.”

When asked if this is just the preview for him, Collins replied: “Yeah, this is just the intro.”

5. Pass rush and coverage working in tandem

The Texans sacked Rush five times, including a pair of sacks from Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, one sack from defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr., another sack from defensive end Denico Autry and another by Barnett.

That boosted coverage, including standout cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. shadowing wide receivers as he intercepted one errant Rush pass.

Stingley helped contain Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, a Foster graduate who was held to two catches for 19 yards with three passes defensed and one interception on 17 routes against the Texans former third overall pick from LSU.

“I thought the D-line really played well in the second half,” Ryans said. “And Stingley, really great job in coverage all game. And we get the pick, that was big-time for us.”

What’s next for Texans:

A home game against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium.

The Titans are 2-8 this season.

And the Texans, who hadn’t scored an offensive touchdown in the second half since an Oct. 13 blowout road win over the New England Patriots when backup running back Dameon Pierce ran for a touchdown, ended that drought when Mixon busted into the end zone from one yard out. The Texans had an epic collapse in a loss to the Detroit Lions just a week ago when they squandered a halftime lead and were outscored 19-0 in the second half as Stroud was uncharacteristically intercepted twice.

This time, the Texans were sharp in the second half.

“Playing the way we played in the second half is just for our entire team to understand we finish the way we finish in the second half,” Ryans said. “Hold the team out of the end zone, and we’re able to put more points on the board. Like we can play with anybody.

“It’s just a matter of continuing to press forward, and continue to just execute, and don’t make it bigger than what it is. If everybody is doing their job on the details, we’re good football team.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

Read more on the Texans:

• ‘I believe in Tank, I have all the faith in Tank,’ Texans want to get Tank Dell more involved after zero-catch game
• How ‘everything is on the table’ for Texans after pass protection meltdown, Laremy Tunsil emphasizes bigger picture
• ‘It’s not good enough,’ Texans’ banged-up defense played well, but can’t get one final stop in loss to Packers
• ‘I’m never the bigger person,’ tempers flare between Texans’ Stefon Diggs and Packers, Jaire Alexander
• Best in class: Texans’ C.J. Stroud, Packers’ Jordan Love meet for first time in battle of talented quarterbacks, friends
• ‘I’m ready for the ball,’ Texans corner D’Angelo Ross reflects on first NFL start, ‘challenge’ of Packers’ Jordan Love