Houston Texans came within seconds of their first win of the season but fell to the Dallas Cowboys 34-30 at home. The Texans led 30-27 with just over two minutes remaining before Dak Prescott engineered a 74-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 12-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb with 40 seconds left. The loss dropped Houston to 0-4, their first four-game losing start since 2020.
C.J. Stroud delivered one of his best games of the season, completing 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He repeatedly made big throws and kept Houston in control for long stretches. Yet the result was another loss.
After the game, DeMeco Ryans was asked whether the Texans were putting too much pressure on Stroud.
“C.J. is a big boy, he played outstanding today, threw the ball around really well,” Ryans said in post-game media conference. “It’s great having Nico back, would love to be up here celebrating Nico. For him being back, creating explosive plays there to start the football game, to get in the end zone two times.”
“They did a really great job, whether it’s running the ball, throwing the ball, didn’t matter. Our guys moved the ball really well, it just didn’t play well enough defensively. And it’s a bad feeling, right?” Ryans added.
The Cowboys overcame a 10-point halftime deficit and scored on three straight second-half possessions. Prescott finished with 335 passing yards, while Lamb produced a career-high 17 catches for 189 yards and the winning touchdown.
C.J. Stroud Takes Accountability After Texans’ Loss
Stroud did not point fingers after another heartbreaking defeat. Instead, he put some of the responsibility on himself. He called his own performance “not good enough” despite throwing for 347 yards and two scores.
“I got to find a way to find bigger plays, I guess, on third down, trying to get us first downs. I thought I took care of the ball, try to do the best as I can in that area. But I think it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, we got to be able to win,” Stroud told reporters during his postgame press conference per Heavy.
“I have to do more, you know, and put more on my plate, then I’m fine with that. And, you know, we got to go find ways to win. But that’s the main thing, and I think as a team we all feel that way.”
Houston’s passing attack was productive, but the ground game continued to struggle. The Texans managed only 62 rushing yards on 19 attempts, while Stroud added 12 yards on two carries. Stroud specifically said the team needs to find ways to give its running backs better opportunities and improve its run-game execution.
