The Houston Texans fell to 0-4 after the Dallas Cowboys rallied for a 34-30 win Sunday. Houston led 30-27 with just over two minutes remaining, but Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb produced the decisive 74-yard touchdown drive. It was another game in which the Texans had enough offense to win but could not finish defensively.
C.J. Stroud and the passing game delivered with two touchdowns, both to Nico Collins. Collins returned from a two-game absence and caught seven passes for 118 yards and two scores. Houston also got 85 receiving yards from Jaylin Noel and 46 from Xavier Hutchinson.
Stroud played every offensive snap, while the Texans gave their core offensive linemen full workloads. On defense, Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter also never left the field.
Texans Offensive Snap Counts
C.J. Stroud played all 55 snaps, 100%. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, posting a 126.7 passer rating. His workload was not surprising, but his efficiency stood out.
Aireontae Ersery, Ed Ingram, Keylan Rutledge, Trent Brown and Evan Brown each played all 55 offensive snaps. That continuity matters for an offense trying to protect Stroud and establish a better rushing attack. Blake Fisher also saw eight snaps as an extra offensive lineman.
Nico Collins 38 snaps, 69%. He did not need a full workload to make a major impact. Returning from a hamstring injury, he caught 7 of 8 targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns. His first score came on a 7-yard reception, while his second was a 22-yard touchdown that helped Houston regain a 10-point lead in the third quarter.
Jaylin Noel 34 snaps, 62%: Noel’s workload increased significantly. He caught three passes for 85 yards, including a 52-yard reception that helped set up a Houston field goal. Dalton Schultz 35 snaps, 64%: Schultz remained heavily involved in the passing game and also played a role in Houston’s late offensive surge. Kayshon Boutte matched Noel with 34 snaps, while David Montgomery played 31 and Woody Marks 24.
Texans Defensive Snap Counts
Derek Stingley Jr. 78 snaps, 100%: Stingley played every defensive snap and was one of the Texans’ most trusted defenders.
Kamari Lassiter 78 snaps, 100%: Lassiter also played every snap. With Dallas throwing 45 passes, Houston needed its starting corners on the field almost constantly. The workload shows how important Lassiter was to the defensive plan, even though the secondary could not make the final stop.
Jalen Pitre 76 snaps, 97%; C.J. Bullock 75 snaps, 96%: The two safeties were also near every-down players. Pitre finished at 97% of the defensive workload, while Bullock played 96%. Houston’s back end was heavily tested by Prescott, particularly after halftime.
Jake Hansen 74 snaps, 95%: Hansen became one of the most important pieces of the linebacker group with Azeez Al-Shaair unavailable.
Kenneth Murray 64 snaps, 82%: Murray stepped into the largest linebacker role in place of Al-Shaair and played 82% of the snaps.
