Texans’ nightmare start has reached a dangerous point after Cowboys collapse image
The Houston Texans were 40 seconds away from changing the conversation around their season.
Instead, it became significantly worse.
Houston fell to 0-4 Sunday after allowing the Dallas Cowboys to drive 74 yards for the winning touchdown in a 34-30 defeat. The Texans had just taken a 30-27 lead and appeared positioned to finally earn their first victory.
Then their defense couldn’t finish.
One fourth down changed everything
The play Houston will remember came before CeeDee Lamb caught the winning touchdown. Dallas faced fourth-and-4 from its own 32-yard line with 1:34 remaining. A stop essentially ends the game.
Dak Prescott instead found Jake Ferguson for seven yards. The Cowboys were alive. Prescott connected with Lamb for 15 yards and George Pickens for 22 before finding Lamb again for a 12-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left.
Houston had gone from potentially 1-3 to 0-4 in less than two minutes. That difference is enormous.
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Houston is running out of time
The frustrating part for the Texans is that their offense finally showed signs of life. C.J. Stroud threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins returned and caught seven passes for 118 yards and both scores. Houston even created one of Sunday’s wildest sequences, using a lateral during its late go-ahead possession before Woody Marks eventually scored.
None of it mattered.
The Texans are now off to their worst start since 2020. An 0-4 record doesn’t mathematically eliminate anyone, but Houston has placed itself in a position where every future mistake becomes magnified.
The Texans can point to encouraging offensive signs. They can argue they were one defensive stop away from a breakthrough.
Both are true. The standings don’t care. Houston has played four games. It has lost all four. And after letting its best opportunity disappear against Dallas, the Texans are quickly reaching the point where simply playing better will no longer be enough.
They need wins immediately.
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