The energy was weird before the game even started. You probably saw the clips. A piece of metal fell from the AT&T Stadium roof while it was opening, which, looking back, was a pretty ominous sign for the home team. By the time the final whistle blew, the Texans vs Cowboys score sat at a lopsided 34-10 in favor of Houston.
Honestly, it wasn't even that close.
While the "Battle for Texas" usually brings a lot of hype, this Monday Night Football matchup felt more like a changing of the guard. The Texans, led by C.J. Stroud, looked like a team ready for a deep playoff run. The Cowboys? They looked like a team waiting for the season to end. If you're a Dallas fan, the score wasn't just a loss—it was a reminder of how much has gone wrong since Dak Prescott went down.
Breaking Down the Texans vs Cowboys Score
The final 34-10 margin was built on the back of a monster performance by Joe Mixon. He was basically the entire Houston offense for large stretches of the night. Mixon finished with three rushing touchdowns, cutting through the Dallas defense like it wasn't even there.
Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead early. It felt like the blowout was on immediately. Mixon’s first score was a 45-yard burst that left defenders grasping at air. Then he punched in another from one yard out.
Dallas did show a spark of life, though. KaVontae Turpin, who is probably the fastest human being in Arlington, took a slant 64 yards to the house in the second quarter. At that point, the score was 14-7 and it felt like we might actually have a game on our hands.
👉 See also: Jan Davis: What Really Happened at El Capitan
The Turning Point That No One Expected
The second half was a mess for Dallas.
There was a moment where the Cowboys could have made it a one-score game. Brandon Aubrey—who is basically a robot disguised as a kicker—nailed a 64-yard field goal. But a penalty on Houston gave the Cowboys a first down. Mike McCarthy decided to take the points off the board and go for it.
They didn't convert.
Turning down a 64-yard field goal (that actually went through!) only to come away with zero points is the kind of thing that breaks a team’s spirit. Shortly after, the Texans' defense decided to join the scoring party.
That Bizarre Defensive Touchdown
The play of the night—and maybe the season for the Texans' defense—was Derek Barnett’s strip-sack. He got to Cooper Rush, the ball popped out, and Dallas offensive lineman Tyler Guyton actually picked it up.
For a second, it looked like a great recovery. Then Guyton got hit, fumbled the ball again, and Barnett scooped it up and ran it 28 yards for a touchdown. That made the Texans vs Cowboys score 27-10. At that point, the air completely left the building.
The Numbers Behind the Blowout
If you just look at the total yards, you’d think the game was tight. Houston had 391 yards, and Dallas had 388. But yards are a "lying" stat in this case.
📖 Related: ACC Women's Soccer Tournament 2024: What Really Happened in Cary
Dallas was forced to throw 55 times because they were constantly playing from behind. Cooper Rush threw for 354 yards, which sounds impressive on paper, but he didn't have a single passing touchdown outside of that one explosive play to Turpin.
Houston, on the other hand, was efficient.
- Joe Mixon: 20 carries, 109 yards, 3 TDs.
- C.J. Stroud: 23/34 for 257 yards. No TDs, but he managed the game perfectly.
- Nico Collins: 4 catches for 54 yards in his big return.
The real difference was the sacks. The Texans got to Rush five times. Danielle Hunter was a nightmare off the edge, and the Cowboys' offensive line just didn't have any answers once the game became one-dimensional.
Why This Score Matters for Both Teams
For the Texans, this was a "get right" game. They had lost two in a row before this, including a frustrating heartbreaker against Detroit. Winning by 24 on the road in prime time solidified their spot at the top of the AFC South. It proved that when Joe Mixon is healthy, this offense is a problem for anyone.
For Dallas, the 34-10 score represents the fifth straight home loss of the season. All five of those losses have been by double digits. That hasn't happened to the Cowboys in a long time. It's tough to watch a team with this much talent look so disjointed, but with no Dak and a defense that’s giving up 5.6 yards per carry, there aren't many easy solutions.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're following these teams for the rest of the season, here’s what you should be looking at based on what we saw in the Texans vs Cowboys score:
- Monitor Joe Mixon's Workload: The Texans are a different team when he's the focal point. If he gets 20+ touches, Houston is almost impossible to beat because it opens up the play-action for Stroud.
- Watch the Cowboys' Fourth-Down Decisions: McCarthy is taking huge risks to compensate for a lack of scoring power. Sometimes it works; sometimes you lose three points and the game.
- The Nico Collins Factor: His stat line wasn't huge, but his presence on the field changes how defenses play the Texans. Expect his numbers to jump as he gets his legs back under him.
If you're betting or playing fantasy, the takeaway is clear: Houston is a safe bet against struggling defenses, and the Cowboys are in a "wait and see" mode until they can find some semblance of a running game to take the pressure off Cooper Rush.
The final score was 34-10, but the impact of this game will likely be felt for the rest of the 2024-2025 season.