Texans fall to 0-4 after 34-30 loss to Cowboys

Houston fell to 0-4 after a 34-30 defeat by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Reliant Stadium. quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Nico Collins, returning from a hamstring injury, recorded seven catches for 118 yards and two scores. The Cowboys secured the winning score when receiver CeeDee Lamb caught a 12-yard touchdown pass with 43 seconds left, finishing with 17 receptions for 189 yards.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans said the team needs to improve its ability to close out games, noting the defense allowed go-ahead points with less than a minute remaining in consecutive contests. > "When the offense goes out and plays like they played to give us 30 points, defensively you’ve got to find a way to close that game out," Ryans said. He added that the team must evaluate changes needed on both sides of the ball.

The loss highlighted defensive communication problems, as multiple Cowboys receivers appeared open on key plays. Safety Reed Blankenship and Calen Bullock were each caught out of position on a crucial drive, and the defense was penalized twice on a Dallas drive that resulted in a touchdown. Houston was called for 13 penalties, the most in Ryans’s tenure and the highest total since 2017.

Despite the defeat, the Texans remain in the early part of a 17-game schedule, with upcoming games against the Titans, Jaguars, Giants and Chargers. The team hopes to address the issues identified by Ryans and its players in practice and improve its performance in the coming weeks.