Houston crushed Dallas 34-10 at AT&T Stadium in Week 11 Monday Night Football action. Joe Mixon bulldozed his way to 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. C.J. Stroud completed 23 of 34 passes for 257 yards. Derek Barnett stripped Cooper Rush, recovered the fumble, and returned it 28 yards for a defensive touchdown that buried the Cowboys in the fourth quarter.
Table of Contents
Passing Performance
| Player | Team | Comp/Att | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Rating | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | HOU | 23/34 | 257 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 77.7 | 37 |
| Cooper Rush | DAL | 32/55 | 354 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 75.9 | 64 |
| Bryan Anger | DAL | 1/1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83.3 | 4 |
Rush threw for more yards but spent the night under siege. He absorbed five sacks and lost 34 yards behind a battered offensive line. The Cowboys lost left tackle Tyler Guyton, right guard Zack Martin, and left guard Tyler Smith to injuries during the game.
Stroud took just one sack for seven yards. He spread the ball to eight different receivers and managed the game efficiently without needing a touchdown pass.
Rushing Statistics
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Average | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Mixon | HOU | 20 | 109 | 5.5 | 3 | 45 |
| Rico Dowdle | DAL | 10 | 28 | 2.8 | 0 | 9 |
| C.J. Stroud | HOU | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 0 | 20 |
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Deuce Vaughn | DAL | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 0 | 7 |
From the opening drive, Mixon controlled the ground game. Houston averaged 5.6 yards per rush compared to Dallas’s 3.6. His 45-yard touchdown sprint up the middle came on the first possession. He added scoring runs of one yard in the first and fourth quarters.
“Joe Mixon did his thing,” Stroud said after the game, according to ESPN’s game recap.
Stroud contributed 26 yards on three scrambles when the pocket collapsed. The Cowboys couldn’t establish any rhythm on the ground.
Receiving Leaders
| Player | Team | Receptions | Yards | Average | TD | Long | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL | 8 | 93 | 11.6 | 0 | 29 | 12 |
| KaVontae Turpin | DAL | 3 | 86 | 28.7 | 1 | 64 | 3 |
| Luke Schoonmaker | DAL | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 0 | 24 | 10 |
| Nico Collins | HOU | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 33 | 7 |
| Tank Dell | HOU | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 26 | 7 |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford | DAL | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 0 | 17 | 5 |
| Joe Mixon | HOU | 2 | 44 | 22.0 | 0 | 37 | 4 |
Lamb paced Dallas with eight catches on 12 targets but never found the end zone. His 93 yards led all receivers.
Turpin’s 64-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter briefly cut the deficit to 14-7. He reached a top speed of 22.36 mph on the play, the fastest by a ball carrier this season according to Next Gen Stats reported by NFL.com.
Collins returned from a five-game hamstring absence. His first touch nearly went for a 77-yard touchdown on a screen pass, but an ineligible receiver downfield penalty wiped it away. He finished with four catches for 54 yards.
Dell matched Collins’s production with four grabs for 54 yards. Mixon added 44 receiving yards on two catches, including a 37-yard screen pass.
Defensive Statistics
| Player | Team | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | TFL | QB Hits | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Pitre | HOU | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Kendricks | DAL | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Hooker | DAL | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ka’dar Hollman | HOU | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Henry To’oTo’o | HOU | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | HOU | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pitre made the game-changing play in the fourth quarter. After Barnett stripped Rush, offensive lineman Tyler Guyton recovered the loose ball. Pitre blasted Guyton, forcing another fumble. Barnett scooped it up and returned it for the score.
Pass Rush and Turnovers
| Player | Team | Sacks | QB Hits | Pressures | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle Hunter | HOU | 2.0 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Denico Autry | HOU | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Derek Barnett | HOU | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tim Settle Jr. | HOU | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Osa Odighizuwa | DAL | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hunter terrorized the Cowboys offensive line with two sacks and three quarterback hits. The Texans recorded five total sacks despite missing Will Anderson Jr., who sat out with an ankle injury. Anderson entered the week tied for fifth in the NFL with 7.5 sacks.
Derek Stingley Jr. picked off Rush in the first quarter on third and eight. Hooker returned the favor by intercepting Stroud on fourth and three at the Dallas 30.
Barnett’s strip-sack fumble return touchdown extended a 20-10 lead to 27-10 early in the fourth. That play ended Dallas’s comeback hopes.
Special Teams Performance
| Player | Team | Position | FG Made/Att | Long | XP Made/Att | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | K | 2/2 | 33 | 4/4 | 10 |
| Brandon Aubrey | DAL | K | 1/2 | 53 | 1/1 | 4 |
| Tommy Townsend | HOU | P | 4 punts | 59 | 52.5 avg | 0 |
| Bryan Anger | DAL | P | 2 punts | 42 | 41.0 avg | 0 |
Aubrey missed a crucial 40-yard field goal attempt before halftime. His plant foot slipped, causing the kick to bounce off the right upright. That miss kept Dallas down 17-10 instead of cutting it to 17-13.
Aubrey connected from 53 yards earlier in the second quarter. With that make, he became the first Cowboys kicker to hit 20 field goals of at least 50 yards.
Townsend averaged 52.5 yards on four punts with three downed inside the 20. Turpin averaged 28 yards on two kickoff returns while Robert Woods returned one for 21 yards for Houston.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Statistic | Texans | Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 391 | 388 |
| First Downs | 21 | 24 |
| Third Down Conversions | 4/12 | 5/15 |
| Fourth Down Conversions | 1/2 | 0/4 |
| Time of Possession | 30:37 | 29:23 |
| Penalties | 9-69 | 9-66 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Dallas actually outgained Houston 391 to 388 and picked up more first downs. The difference came down to red zone execution, turnovers, and fourth down failures.
The Cowboys went 0 for 4 on fourth down attempts. The Texans converted their only try. Both teams struggled with prime time execution on third downs, converting roughly 33 percent. Each side committed nine penalties.
How The Game Unfolded
Monday Night Football at AT&T Stadium drew 92,969 fans. They watched the Cowboys fall to 0-5 at home this season, extending the most miserable home stretch in franchise history. Dallas became the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six consecutive home games, including last season’s wild card playoff loss to Green Bay.
Houston struck first when Mixon burst through the middle for a 45-yard touchdown on the opening drive. The Cowboys got a lifeline when Hooker intercepted Stroud on fourth down at the Dallas 30.
Rush gave it right back three plays later. Stingley jumped his route for an interception at the Houston 37. The Texans marched 63 yards in 10 plays. Mixon scored from one yard out to make it 14-0.
Turpin’s 64-yard catch and run touchdown early in the second quarter gave Dallas hope. The teams traded field goals before Aubrey’s missed kick just before halftime kept it 17-10.
The second half belonged to Houston’s defense. Dallas managed just 64 total yards on their first three possessions of the third quarter. Fairbairn added a 29-yard field goal to push the lead to 20-10.
“The defense played with elite energy,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game according to the official Texans website. “One big play that we gave up. Like to have that one back, but overall I think our guys played really well.”
The Cowboys made one last push in the fourth quarter before Barnett’s strip-sack fumble recovery touchdown crushed them. Mixon’s third touchdown run with 3:16 remaining provided the final margin.
Individual Performance Analysis
Mixon extended his touchdown streak to six games since returning from his own ankle injury. He now has nine rushing touchdowns on the season. His 44 receiving yards on two catches included a 37-yard screen pass that set up a field goal. The running back has become the centrepiece of Houston’s offensive attack.
Stroud connected with eight receivers without forcing big plays. His lone interception came on fourth down in the red zone, essentially a punt. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three of his last five games. He has two touchdown passes and three interceptions in that stretch.
Rush showed improvement from his first start replacing Prescott. Philadelphia demolished Dallas 34-6 in that game. He completed 58.2 percent of his passes and moved the chains consistently on Monday night.
But five sacks, the fumble, an interception, and 0 for 4 on fourth down attempts doomed Dallas. The Cowboys asked him to throw 55 times without any running game support.
The defensive numbers for Houston were impressive across the board. They held Dallas to 64 rushing yards on 18 attempts. The Cowboys converted just 33 percent of third downs and failed on all four fourth down tries.
According to Pro Football Reference’s advanced stats, Dallas finished with negative expected points added on offense. Houston posted plus 24.00 EPA compared to Dallas’s minus 24.00. The Texans offense contributed plus 11.80 EPA while the defense added plus 11.82 EPA.
Stingley’s interception marked his fifth of the season. He faced five targets in coverage and allowed just one catch for eight yards. PFF’s initial grades gave him an 84.5 coverage grade for the performance.
“Derek Barnett, the play he made really changed the game for us,” Ryans said. “It flipped the momentum. It got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play.”
Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson left in the first quarter with a concussion. Safety Markquese Bell departed in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. The offensive line catastrophe came in the fourth quarter when three starters went down.
Season Implications
The victory pushed Houston to 7-4 and maintained their two game lead in the AFC South. They bounced back from a crushing 26-23 last second loss to Detroit in Week 10. The Texans blew a 23-7 halftime lead in that game despite intercepting Jared Goff five times.
“It’s not as bad as it ever seems, and it’s never as good as it ever seems,” Stroud said about the Detroit loss. “Those type of games, you have to come out with a win, especially going up like that at the half. But what are we going to do about it?”
The Texans answered by dominating Dallas on the road. They host Tennessee next week in an AFC South matchup that could further distance them in the division standings. The wild card race tightens across the conference, but Houston controls their own destiny.
The loss dropped Dallas to 3-7 and 0-5 at home, extending their losing streak to five games. The last time the Cowboys lost five straight was a seven game skid in 2015. They’ve lost five games total in each of the past three seasons that ended with playoff appearances.
“Well, they better be frustrated,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think there’d be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just very honest with everything and stay in tune with what’s right in front of us. And that’s only the way I’ve ever done it.”
The schedule offers no relief. The Cowboys travel to Washington next week, followed by the Giants on Thanksgiving, then Cincinnati on Monday Night Football. The season has slipped away since Prescott went down with a season-ending hamstring injury.
For comprehensive coverage of matchups across the league, The Sportie provides detailed analysis and player performance breakdowns.
The all time series between these teams now stands at 4-3 in Dallas’s favor. Houston has won three of the last four meetings. The Texans had never won a road game against the Cowboys in franchise history before Monday night. The 24 point margin is their most dominant performance in the rivalry.
Advanced Metrics
Rush averaged 6.4 air yards per attempt compared to Stroud’s 4.9. The Cowboys quarterback pushed the ball downfield more often but paid the price with pressure and sacks. Stroud took what the defense gave him and let his playmakers create after the catch.
The Texans averaged 6.8 yards after the catch per completion, Dallas just 6.3. Mixon’s screen passes and Collins’s ability to break tackles created chunk plays without requiring Stroud to take chances downfield.
Third down conversions were nearly identical. Houston went 4 for 12 while Dallas converted 5 of 15. Both teams struggled to sustain drives, but the Texans made up for it with explosive runs from Mixon and smart scrambles from Stroud.
Houston’s pass rush generated a 26.2 percent pressure rate despite not having Anderson. Hunter and Barnett picked up the slack. Dallas managed just one sack through Odighizuwa.
The Texans defense posted a shutout in the final two quarters. Dallas failed to score after halftime.
Division Race Context
Houston’s 7-4 record keeps them on track for their second playoff appearance in three years. Stroud helped transform the franchise into a consistent contender after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. The defense continues to improve under Ryans, a former player and assistant.
The AFC South remains in play despite Houston’s lead. Indianapolis sits at 5-6 and Tennessee at 3-7. Jacksonville is 2-9. The Texans remain in the driver’s seat but face tough games ahead.
Dallas faces questions about whether to give third stringer Trey Lance some reps. McCarthy admitted after the loss that he should have put Lance in during garbage time. The defense ranks near the bottom of the league. More injuries create additional problems.
The franchise’s home struggles have reached historic proportions. Trailing by 20 plus points in six straight home games had never happened to any NFL team before this stretch. The fan base has grown restless watching blowout losses week after week at AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys’ 3-7 start matches their worst through 10 games since 2020 when they finished 6-10. With seven games remaining, the playoff path looks nearly impossible. The NFC East race has passed them by, with Philadelphia and Washington fighting for the division crown.
The stat sheet from this AFC vs NFC showdown explains everything about both teams’ seasons. Houston’s 7-4 record and division lead came from executing in crucial moments. Dallas’s 3-7 collapse came from failing those same tests. These Houston Texans vs Dallas Cowboys match player stats confirm what 92,969 fans watching Monday night already knew. One team is built for a playoff run. The other is playing out the string.
