Roof falls in on Cowboys as Houston Texans extend Dallas’s slump

Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns to extend his TD streak to six games since returning from injury, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score and the Texans defeated the Cowboys 34-10 on Monday night.

The Texans (7-4) stopped just the second two-game losing streak of C.J. Stroud’s young career while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South.

Houston pulled away in the second half a week after losing 26-23 in its last game to Detroit at home, as the Texans gave away a 23-7 halftime lead.

“It’s not as bad as it ever seems, and it’s never as good as it ever seems,” Stroud said. “In those kinds of games you have to come out with a win, especially if you go up like that at half time [against the Lions]. But what are we going to do about it?”

During a dismal season for the Cowboys (3-7) on the field, debris fell from their stadium’s retractable roof as it opened a few hours before the game. There were no delays and no injuries reported, just another misfortune that heralded a fifth straight loss for a team that has lost a total of five games in each of the past three seasons.

Cooper Rush threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin but lost his second start since Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury.

Dallas’ losing streak is its longest since a seven-game skid in 2015, and the Cowboys fell to 0-5 at home. According to Sportradar, Dallas is the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six consecutive home games, including last season’s wild-card playoff loss to Green Bay. The Cowboys had reached the playoffs in each of their previous three seasons, but that streak is all but over.

“Well, they better be frustrated,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think something would be wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just be very honest with everything and stay informed about what’s ahead. And that’s the only way I’ve ever done it.”

The Cowboys trailed 20-10 early in the fourth quarter when Barnett knocked the ball out of Rush’s hand. Dallas rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton caught the ball and tried to run when Jalen Pitre knocked the ball loose. Barnett picked up the ball and scored, although he almost stepped out of bounds.

“The play he made was really game-changing for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It turned the momentum around. It kept everyone on the sidelines. It was just a big play.”

Earlier, the Cowboys appeared to have come within a touchdown on a 64-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey, but Barnett was penalized for hitting Terence Steele during the rush. Dallas erased the points by taking the penalty, but Rush’s fourth-down pass from the Houston eight-yard line was incomplete on the Cowboys’ only good scoring opportunity of the second half.

“The defense played with elite energy,” Ryans said. “One big game we gave up. I’d like to get that back, but overall I think our guys played really well.

Texans receiver Nico Collins returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury and took a 77-yard screen pass to the end zone on the first play of the game, but he was called back due to an ineligible receiver on the field.

That possession ended with a touchdown anyway on Mixon’s 45-yard dash up the middle, and he ran wide for a one-yard score and a 14-0 lead. Mixon had 109 yards rushing that day and set up a field goal with a 37-yard catch-and-run on a screen.

“I really like that first play because it showed what we could do in this game,” Ryans said. “Even though it was called back, I told all our guys, ‘We can start scoring against these guys again.’ Just keep in mind that we will score again.”

Already without Prescott, the Cowboys lost tight end Jake Ferguson to a concussion and perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith to ankle injuries. Rush was sacked five times, three on the same possession when Martin and Smith were injured.

Stroud, who has been in a mini slump, threw for 257 yards while avoiding mistakes after an early interception on fourth down. It was the third time in five games he hasn’t had a touchdown pass, and he has two touchdowns and three picks in that stretch.

Rush was 32 of 55 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turpin had three catches for 86 yards.