Mixon, Texans’ defense 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 Monday and snapped 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 carried them 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 from Monday night for both teams:

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

Surprising performance: Coach DeMeco Ryans usually doesn’t let cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. follow opposite star receivers. But against the Cowboys, he occasionally let Stingley follow former All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and he answered the challenge. Stingley covered Lamb for 17 routes and allowed only two catches for 19 yards with an interception and two pass breakups while drawing an offensive pass interference. Rush had a passer rating of 3.5 when throwing in Stingley’s direction, according to Next Gen Stats.

Troubling trend: The Texans had nine penalties for 69 yards, which allowed the Cowboys to hang around. The first play of the game was a 77-yard touchdown pass to wideout 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 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, which pushed the Texans to second-and-18. That drive ended in a field goal instead of six points. Houston has to clean up its sloppiness as the postseason nears. — D.J. Bien-Aime

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

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

Despite the Cowboys dropping their fifth straight, the season isn’t over mathematically. But what gives you hope that things can turn around? Quarterback Dak Prescott is 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 streak 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 in a row to finish 6-10 in 2008 with the Green Bay Packers.

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

And this might be the most ignominious stat of them 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 as Jerry Jones’ tenure as owner and general manager.

QB breakdown: By the second quarter, Rush had more passing yards than he had in all of last week’s 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 took until the fourth quarter for Rush to have another completion of 20 yards or more despite finishing with 354 passing yards. Still, the fourth-quarter sack fumble that was eventually returned for a touchdown that pushed Houston’s lead to 17 points was just another reminder that the Cowboys just 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 because of an ineligible man downfield penalty on the Texans. Six plays later, Mixon had the game’s first touchdown on a 45-yard run. For as poor as the Cowboys run defense had been (No. 31 in the league coming into the game), it was the longest run allowed by the Cowboys this season. It surpassed a 39-yard run by San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on a jet sweep. Big plays have been a nemesis 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.

Troubling trend (part 2): The Cowboys have allowed points in 21 straight 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 straight quarters in 1960, the Cowboys’ inaugural season. The Texans opened the second half with a field goal drive, which marked the eighth time in 10 games a Cowboys’ opponent scored on the first possession of the third quarter. — Todd Archer

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