HOUSTON, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys fell short against the Houston Texans in overtime 19-16 on the road at NRG Stadium. The matchup marked the third straight loss on the road for Dallas. Each away game, the Cowboys’ offense has struggled and this meeting in Houston was no different. The Cowboys’ offense made it into the end zone once during the third quarter with a three-yard pass from Dak Prescott to Allen Hurns. The rest of the game, the team had to settle for field goals. Luckily for the Cowboys, Brett Maher is proving his place in the NFL and with America’s Team after they let go of longtime kicker Dan Bailey. Maher was three for three, his longest being a 48-yarder. Dak Prescott finished 18 of 29 for 208 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
The Cowboys were predictable offensively and the Texan’s 3-4 defensive front was ready for them. Dallas could not get the passing game going to open up the running game.
Following the game Prescott stated, “ Our offense has not been able to get going on the road. We did not execute the way we should. It is about holding ourselves accountable and…keeping our confidence. “
Defensively, the Cowboys had several impactful players carrying the weight minimizing the Texan’s offense on the field:
Leighton Vander Esch led the defense with 11 tackles and two assists. He had great speed off the snap of the ball and was constantly around the ball making plays from sideline to sideline.
Jaylon Smith sacked Deshaun Watson in the red zone for a loss of one to keep him from crossing the goal line and putting points on the board. Smith finished with six tackles, six assists, and one sack. He had great cleanup in the inside getting to ball carriers.
Xavier Woods and Jeff Heath tackled Deshaun Watson on the two-yard yard line to keep him from crossing the goal line for the touchdown. Several plays later, Heath tackled DeAndre Hopkins at the one-yard line to keep the Texan’s from scoring yet again. Those guys put in the effort as the last line of defense to put their offense back on the field and contained Watson on the run.
Dallas’ defense is good attacking against the run but struggled against the pass. Watson finished with 375 passing yards. They could not limit his efficiency in the pocket with a pass rush. He had all day to throw and extended plays when he broke out of the pocket.
