Guyton’s mistake won’t come close to “butt fumble” lore, but it summed up the sorry state of the Dallas Cowboys. Guyton, the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick and left tackle, allowed pressure on a fourth-quarter play against the Houston Texans, and quarterback Cooper Rush had the ball knocked out of his hands. Guyton scooped the ball out of the air and had visions of glory as he started to run. But he was hit by safety Jalen Pitre and learned that 322-pound men shouldn’t be carrying the ball in the NFL. Guyton fumbled, Texans defensive end Derek Barnett scooped it up and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown and a 17-point Texans lead.
Even worse, Guyton injured his shoulder on the hit and left the game.
The way the Cowboys’ offense has played with Rush, everyone knew 17 points was way too much of a hole for the Cowboys to get out of. Dallas fans could feel free to turn in early, if they hadn’t already.
The Texans didn’t play very well but they didn’t have to. The Cowboys at least kept it relatively close after a terrible start, but they are one of the NFL’s worst teams right now and it showed. The Texans cruised to a 34-10 win to improve to 7-4 and stay atop the AFC South. It was the sixth straight home game in which the Cowboys trailed by at least 20 points, which is an NFL record, according to ESPN.
The Cowboys are 3-7, even worse without injured quarterback Dak Prescott, and it’s not going to get much better. They can just hope to limit the embarrassing moments the rest of the way.
Houston Texans defensive end Derek Barnett’s (95) scoop-and-score touchdown effectively sealed the game for Houston on Monday night in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Cowboys have a hideous start
On the first play of the game, Nico Collins ran nearly untouched for a 77-yard Houston touchdown. It was called back due to an ineligible man downfield. No problem, because a few plays later Joe Mixon ran almost untouched for a 45-yard touchdown, the longest the Cowboys have allowed on the ground this season.
Then, the Cowboys tried a fake punt that went nowhere, as Texans receiver John Metchie III sniffed it out and nailed Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas as soon as he caught a pass from punter Bryan Anger, well short of the first-down marker. Dallas was having the worst start imaginable, and that didn’t even include metal pieces falling from the roof of AT&T Stadium when the Cowboys tried to open it hours before kickoff.
It looked like the Cowboys, coming in with a 3-6 record and little hope of a turnaround, might get blown out on their home turf against Texas’ other NFL team. But give Dallas credit. They battled back after falling behind by 14 points.
A bad coverage by Texans cornerback Jeff Okudah allowed Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin to catch a pass on the run and speed past everyone for a 64-yard score. That got Dallas back in the game. The defense tightened up after that, and what looked like a potentially horrible Monday night matchup was at least close at the half. The Cowboys trailed 17-10.
Neither team was particularly sharp, but at least the Cowboys kept it interesting.
Texans pull away
It’s a bit troubling that the Texans took so long to distance themselves from an inept Cowboys team.
C.J. Stroud is sinking deeper into a sophomore slump. The Texans as a team started hot but then had a lull for a couple of quarters. Houston didn’t score an offensive touchdown from the first quarter until 3:16 remained, when Mixon punched in his third touchdown of the night. The Cowboys appeared to made a 64-yard field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 20-13, but the Texans had a head slap penalty on the play. The Cowboys took the 15 yards and the first down, as any team trailing by 10 points would, but then went for it on fourth down later in the drive and didn’t get it. Rush missed an open receiver on the play. If he hit that pass and Dallas scored, perhaps the Texans would have gone on upset alert. Barnett’s touchdown on the fumble from Guyton removed any suspense.
Houston can attempt to fix things and get better, hopeful for better days as they cruise to a likely division title. The Cowboys don’t have anything to look forward to except the end of a miserable season. It can’t come soon enough.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER35 updates
Give the entire social media department a raise in Houston ASAP.
Final: Texans 34, Cowboys 10
The Texans now sit at 7-4 after this win, which has them in full control of the AFC South.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, are just 3-7 on the year after what is their fifth straight loss. They’ve not won a game at AT&T Stadium this season, either.
Rough night for Cowboys fans everywhere
Touchdown, Texans
Joe Mixon punched in a 1-yard score, and the Texans are up 34-10 now with 3:16 left. It’s their first second half touchdown in their last 23 possessions.
“There’s 15 flags down on the field … throw them if you got ’em!”
We’ve got offsetting personal fouls after a brief fight broke out, and the Texans social media team isn’t holding back.
Well, that should do it. The Texans just sacked Cooper Rush on 4th and 16, and they’ll take over in great field position here late in the fourth quarter.
Tim Settle with the sack
Tim Settle just made it through untouched to drill Cooper Rush in the backfield. Not great for the Cowboys offensive line…
Cowboys challenge Nico Collins grab
The Texans forced a quick Cowboys punt, and C.J. Stroud started what looked like a promising drive for Houston after a 20-yard scramble right away.
But after the Cowboys won a challenge to negate a Nico Collins 20-yard grab, the Texans will have to punt again.
The Texans lead 27-10 with 9:45 left.
Derek Barnett extends Texans lead with unreal play
Derek Barnett just came up with one of the defensive plays of the year to potentially put the Cowboys away. The Texans defensive end forced a fumble on a strip sack of Cooper Rush. Offensive lineman Tyler Guyton recovered it, only to lose the ball on a forced fumble by Jalen Pitre.
Barnett then recovered Guyton’s fumble and returned it for a touchdown to extend Houston’s lead to 27-10 with 12:31 early in the fourth quarter. What a play.
Cowboys take points off the board, don’t get them back
Brandon Aubrey successfully kicked a 64-yard field goal, but the Cowboys took the points off the board thanks to a head-slap on the kick by Texans defensive end Derek Barnett that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty.
The Cowboys accepted the first down and eventually failed to convert on fourth-and-2 at the Houston 8-yard line. Instead of a field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 20-13, the Cowboys walk away with no points on a turnover on downs. Houston maintains a 20-10 lead late in the third quarter.
Here’s Aubrey’s kick:
Texans convert big Nico Collins gain into field goal
The Texans got a big play from Nico Collins on a 33-yard catch-and-run from C.J. Stroud. But they didn’t find the end zone. Houston settles for a field goal to extend its lead to 20-10 early in the third quarter.
Cowboys go 3 and out to start second half
The Cowboys failed to pick up a first down to start the second half and punted the ball to the Texans.
Texans 17, Cowboys 10: Key first-half stats
Joe Mixon set the tone in the first half as a porous Cowboys defense continued to struggle. An interception of C.J. Stroud and a pass from Cooper Rush to KaVonte Turpin for a 64-yard touchdown helped the Cowboys overcome multiple miscues to keep things close.
C.J. Stroud: 13 of 20 for 159 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception Cooper Rush: 15 of 27 for 172 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Joe Mixon: 11 carries for 71 yards, 1 catch for 37 yards, 2 touchdowns Rico Dowdle: 8 carries for 18 yards
Texans rushing: 80 yards on 5.7 yards per carry Cowboys rushing: 33 yards on 3.3 yards per carry
Total Texans yards: 232 Total Cowboys yards: 209
Turnovers: 1 by each team
Texans lead 17-10 at halftime
The Texans go into a halftime lead with a 17-10 lead that feels like it should be bigger. The Cowboys failed on a fake punt, threw an interception and missed a field goal in a mistake-filled first half. But the Cowboys have kept things close thanks to gaining 176 yards through the air with quarterback Cooper Rush.
Brandon misses at home for first time with Cowboys
Dallas had what looked like a sure three points to cut their deficit to four points before halftime. But Brandon Aubrey hit the right upright on a 40-yard field goal attempt for his first miss at home since joining the Cowboys last season. Aubrey’s plant foot slipped on the kick, and the Texans maintain a 17-10 lead in the final minute of the first half.
Cowboys driving with a chance to tie the game
The Cowboys are over midfield with 1:47 remaining in the second quarter and a chance to tie the game before halftime, trailing, 17-10.
Brandon Aubrey good again from deep
Brandon Aubrey has become the NFL’s most reliable big-leg kicker. He just connected from 53 yards to cut Houston’s lead to 17-10. He’s now 20 of 21 from 50-plus yards since joining the Cowboys as a rookie last season.
The score capped a 35-yard Cowboys drive that was cut short when a third-down Cooper Rush pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage. There’s 5:55 remaining in the first half.
Houston settles for red-zone field goal
The Texans settled for a field goal after Joe Mixon’s big gain to extend their lead to 17-7 with 9:10 remaining in the second quarter.
Insult to injury for Cowboys
Joe Mixon just ripped the Cowboys again, this time for a 37-yard gain deep into Dallas territory on a screen pass. A penalty for a low block on DeMarvion Overshown added 15 yards to the play to put the Texans in the red zone with a chance to extend a 14-7 lead.
KaVontae Turpin torches Texans secondary for 65-yard TD
The Cowboys are on the board. On the first play of the second quarter, Cooper Rush found KaVonte Turpin running free from the right slot. Turpin corralled the pass and sprinted untouched through the Texans secondary for a 64-yard touchdown. Cowboys cut Texans’ lead to 14-7.
