Dallas Cowboys vs Houston Texans: Dallas battles back, trail 17-10 at the half

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2nd Quarter

The next quarter opened with bad news; TE Jake Ferguson was ruled out of the game with a concussion from the previous drive. But the offense found something to feel good about when Rush hit KaVontae Turpin out of the slot for a 64-yard touchdown!

After a muffed kickoff return that put them on their own 8-yard-line, the Texans went 77 yards thanks largely to a 37-yard pass to Mixon. The drive stalled out in the redzone, but Houston did come away with three points off a short field goal.

Dallas got well within Brandon Aubrey’s range on their next possession, setting up the answer with his 53-yard field goal. As it turns out, it gave Aubrey another line in the history books.

The Cowboys’ defense stepped up on the next drive, holding Houston to 19 yards and forcing a punt. It gave the offense time to get down into scoring position and another field goal attempt. But Aubrey’s plant foot slipped and caused a miss from 40 yards out, his first miss at home since joining Dallas.

Houston went three-and-out on their next possession, punting the ball with just 37 seconds left on the clock. The Cowboys took some shots down the field but didn’t get far, and ultimately headed into the locker room with a 17-10 deficit.

1st Quarter

Houston started with the ball and it felt like they’d set a dominant tone right away. The first play was a 77-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins that got called back on a penalty. But the Texans kept rolling and eventually scored on a 45-yard run by Joe Mixon.

The Cowboys gained just 19 yards on their first possession and then attempted another poorly executed fake punt. Bryan Anger lofted the ball to Juanyeh Thomas behind the 1st-down marker and the Texans stopped him, getting the ball back in excellent field position. But a bad throw by C.J. Stroud fell in the lap of Malik Hooker, giving Dallas some life.

Dallas hot-potatoed the momentum right back to Houston on the next drive. After a couple of positive plays from Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb, Cooper Rush hit Texans’ CB Derek Stingley Jr. for the interception.

The Texans marched again, including a 4th-down conversion in the redzone, before capping the drive with another Mixon touchdown.

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Notable Recent News

The Cowboys are going deep into the bench tonight with wide receiver Ryan Flournoy getting his first start. Recently traded-for Jonathan Mingo is also expected to play, indicating lesser roles potentially for Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin (with Jalen Brooks inactive) as Dallas tries to shake up its stagnant offense.

Injury Updates

CB DaRon Bland will not play tonight as the All-Pro continues recovering from a preseason foot injury. Dallas is likely playing it safe with Bland given the state of their season. Jourdan Lewis will also be out with a neck issue, leaving the Cowboys very thin at cornerback.

FB Hunter Luepke is also inactive with a reportedly minor calf injury.

NFL News Relevant To The Cowboys

The Giants have benched QB Daniel Jones, looking to avoid any injury that could trigger clauses in his contract. Dallas will likely see Tommy DeVito in the Thanksgiving game.

Rookie RB Jonathon Brooks, who many Cowboys fans pined for in the 2024 Draft, is expected to finally make his debut for the Panthers this Sunday. Brooks has been rehabbing from an ACL surgery last year which hurt his draft stock, but was generally considered the best prospect in the class.

Up Next For The Cowboys

Dallas finally has its first 2024 meeting with the Commanders. Washington isn’t riding as high after two losses and losing NFC East control to the Eagles, but they’re still in a much better place right now than the Cowboys. Hosting their struggling rivals should be good medicine for the Commanders and more misery for America’s Team.