Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs Houston Texans

‘We are going to win this game’: Dak Prescott called Cowboys victory after throwing late interception

In Week 14’s darkest moment, the Cowboys QB started rallying his troops for an improbable game-winning drive against an unlikely opponent. | From @ToddBrock24f7

In front of a stunned home crowd, trailing the worst team in the league with under four minutes to play and 98 yards to go, Cowboys right guard Zack Martin was grinning ear to ear as the offense took the field for one last gasp.

“Zack was smiling,” quarterback Dak Prescott recalled for reporters after it was all over. “You’ve got to love it. You’ve got to love these moments, you’ve got to love being in that position. If you don’t, you shouldn’t be there. You shouldn’t be in that huddle; damn sure not with the guys that we have and the culture and the things that we’re building and trying to accomplish.”

It turns out the veteran lineman wasn’t the only one feeling positive. Prescott, who at that point had posted a shaky 18-for-32 day passing with just 205 yards and two very costly interceptions, put it all behind him as he gathered his troops.

“I told them, ‘We are going to go win this game,” Prescott said.

What ensued was a brilliant 11-play march. Prescott went 6-of-7 for 79 yards and added another 15 on the ground. Then running back Ezekiel Elliott punched the ball into the end zone for a game-winning touchdown that may have seemed improbable to fans, given the way Dallas had played for the previous 56 minutes.

After oddsmakers had them listed as 17.5-point favorites, and some outlets were predicting a 30-point blowout, the Cowboys managed to win their ugliest game of the season by just a 27-23 score.

“Right there on that play, I told the offensive line, ‘Hey, I’m giving this to Zeke, no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” said Prescott. “‘Y’all come off the ball and if there is one guy left over, don’t chase it. Zeke will handle him.’ Maybe some other words, but, ‘Let’s go finish this game off.’ That’s exactly what those guys did.”

But Prescott said he actually knew the team’s shot at redemption was coming several minutes earlier, even in the afternoon’s darkest moment. With under six minutes to go, Prescott’s second turnover of the day gave the Texans possession just 12 feet away from the goal line.

A Houston touchdown that would have extended their lead to 10 looked like a given.

“Honestly, I said it after the interception, just having faith and trust in the defense, knowing that those guys were going to go out there and make a play,” the seventh-year quarterback explained. “Then once they did that, I had the opportunity. I told them, ‘One play at a time, heighten the focus.’ That is something I am always reminding the guys. ‘Hey, we are going to win this game, don’t blink,’ and none of those guys did. You could tell it in their eyes; they believed it.”

To a man, they swear they did.

“I knew we were going to go down there and score,” Elliott said after his own 62-yard day. “Dak leading us, taking charge of us in that two-minute drive, there’s not a quarterback I’d rather have in there on those game-winning drives. He’s so poised, he doesn’t blink an eye. He was ready to go, and he made all the plays he needed to to get down there.”

“You could feel the confidence,” Tony Pollard added. “I wasn’t in on that last drive, but the play before when I was in, you could feel that the offense was confident. We knew the defense would come up big for us and we would have a chance to come out and get the victory, and that’s what we did.”

Even head coach Mike McCarthy admitted that the businesslike mood on the sideline made the prospect of taking the ball 98 yards on the final drive seem inevitable.

“It felt that way on the sideline,” McCarthy said in his postgame press conference. “I think every time something doesn’t go right everybody wants to go, ‘Oh their energy is not good.’ I’m with these guys every day. We’re not the high-pitched cartwheel outfit some people are, and that works for some people. The focus was good.”

“We knew that was a defining moment for this team,” rookie lineman Tyler Smith said at his locker. “We knew what we had to do. Everyone was locked in at that point, we were on a mission. There was no fear in that huddle. There was pure drive, guys knew what needed to be done in order to win that game and keep us on the track that we want to be on. We just came together in a way we never have before and executed.”

Week 10’s heartbreaking loss to the longtime rival Packers, when Dallas blew a 14-point lead in head coach Mike McCarthy’s return to Lambeau Field, was supposed to be the scared-straight moment of the Cowboys’ 2022 season, the loss that everyone looks back on and points to as the lesson we needed.

But the lowly one-win Texans gave the Cowboys a stomach-churning close call of a refresher course.

“I think today is clearly a fourth-quarter finish that will pay dividends during the course of the season,” McCarthy said. “And I’m talking about December, January football.”

“I think this will serve us more than the Minnesota game or even the way that we finished last game,” Prescott offered. “We are going to play some tough games as we get going. You’ve got to play one-score games here in the back end, against our division, or in the playoffs. Just for us to have that confidence and trust in one another and continue to tighten our bond is something that we are going to need.”

“I think we need that,” Elliott admitted to media members. “We need that as a team. We can’t keep getting used to blowing guys out, winning by multiple scores, especially with playoff football coming up. We’ve got to have games like this. We have to see how we respond when we get put in tough moments.”

The moments won’t get much tougher than the one the Cowboys put themselves in Sunday afternoon against the unlikeliest of opponents.

But hopefully, they’ll come out smiling then, too.

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Here’s how Twitter reacted during Cowboys’ sleepwalk, grand rising vs Texans

The Cowboys faced a team they were expected to roll, but the hard-hitting Texans fought until the real Dallas showed up. Here’s how Twitter reacted. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys won their 10th game of the season in exciting yet excruciating fashion.  Facing the 1-10-1 Houston Texans and favored by 17.5 points, things did not go the way many expected.

The Texans reached deep in their offensive playbook, using pre-snap shifts and tricky formations, went for it on 4th-and-goal and even rotated quarterbacks within drives. The Cowboys, who have one of the best defensive units, found themselves struggling to get off the field. Lacking much of a pass rush they trailed late into the game despite facing one of the worst offenses in the league.

The Cowboys offense, meanwhile has been one of the best in the league since Dak Prescott’s return. Yet they also struggled with two interceptions, multiple dropped passes and a failed 4th-and-goal. Yet somehow, when they were backed all the way into the corner, already trailing with a double-digit deficit 1st-and-goal-from-the-four away, both units surged into action.

This game could be summarized as ugly, awful, embarrassing… but most importantly, a win to keep pace in the NFC playoff picture. Here are the best reactions to the Cowboys 27-23 win over Houston.

Jason Peters plugs the hole, saves Cowboys offense on final drive vs Texans

Peters was signed to be depth at left tackle, but with the game on the line, Peters manned the right side of it in spectacular fashion. Our player of the game, from @TimLettiero

Narrator: He hadn’t, but that didn’t stop Peters from playing like he did.

Veteran Jason Peters was called upon to save the day during the Dallas Cowboys’ lackluster performance on Sunday. The Cowboys’ protection was breaking down at right tackle after an injury brought in a player who doesn’t look ready for the NFL spotlight. Peters has had stints and both LT and LG over the course of the season, but had yet to play on the right side before the Cowboys’ called his number, and his one drive was enough to make him the Player of the Game.

Prior to his insertion, the name of the game was inconsistency, unfortunately, during much of the Week 14 game against the Houston Texans. Neither the defense nor offense truly ever figured out the Texans’ game plan, ultimately leading to a nail-biter of a finish. The team played down to the 1-10-1 Texans, which was compounded by injuries throughout the game.

Dallas had been relatively healthy entering the game where multiple players went down. Most notable was right tackle Terence Steele, who has been having by far the best season of his career. Steele was replaced by second-year and fourth round pick Josh Ball, who struggled mightily. On back-to-back plays Ball allowed pressures on quarterback Dak Prescott that resulted in a strip sack and then a hit-arm interception. It invoked horrid memories of turnstile tackles of the past.

And then Peters entered the contest with the game on the line. The 18-year swapped sides with the game on the line and gave the Cowboys’ quarterback the necessary time to orchestrate a 98-yard game-winning drive.

Prescott suddenly had the time to start with a 21-yard completion to TE Dalton Schultz. Then Prescott escaped around the right side, Peters’ right side for a nine-yard scramble. Another completion to Schultz gained 13 yards. Later, finally on Houston’s side of the field, a 3rd-and-1 QB sneak it was Peters sealing an alley with Zack Martin to get Prescott six yards. The entire drive, there was no pressure to be found coming from the QB’s front.

In what could be the most unsung performance of any Cowboy on the season, Peters proved the value of having someone like him on the roster. Peters’ flowers are long overdue and others mirror this sentiment as well.

The Cowboys did win, when on third down from the two-yard line, a handoff to Ezekiel Elliott got Dallas into the end zone with just 41 seconds remaining. It appears that Terence Steele may be lost to the club moving forward, but if Sunday’s winning drive is any indication, Peters on the right side could keep things from falling apart when the games matter most.

 

Prescott’s near-perfect drive, Elliott’s late score lead Cowboys to win

On the verge of a huge upset, Prescott led a masterful drive and the Cowboys escaped via an Elliott touchdown. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys played badly for a majority of the game against the Texans. Late in the first quarter, quarterback Dak Prescott turned it over near his own red zone and it appeared the Texans would close the door on a gut-wrenching upset. With their back against the wall, the Dallas defense responded with a goal line stop and gave Prescott the ball with 98 yards to cross down three points.

Through all the miscues, Prescott stayed confident in his receivers and delivered into tight windows for tight end Dalton Schultz and wide receiver Noah Brown en route to the goal line. Prescott was a perfect 8-for-8 for 88 yards on the drive until the near-touchdown effort to wide receiver Michael Gallup, who was hit hard and lost control. On the next play, running back Ezekiel Elliott made up for the goal line denial early in the second half by breaking through and taking the lead.

Elliott’s touchdown saved Dallas from a massive upset and Prescott was miraculous with his back against the wall regardless of the struggles against an inferior opponent. The Texans had a hail mary attempt and the Cowboys ended the game with a second takeaway courtesy of the effort.

98-yard drive saves Cowboys from upset, down Texans 27-23

The Cowboys played their worst game of the season but somehow pulled out the game-winning drive. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Hugh sigh of relief.

The Dallas Cowboys played their worst game of the season on Sunday. Favored by 17 points at home against the Houston Texans, Dallas looked absolutely horrible. They were discombobulated on both offense and special teams, putting the defense in hideous field positions throughout the game. The defense got absolutely no pressure and was confounded by the Texans dual-QB attack.

There were turnovers that started Houston drives at the Cowboys’ 27, 24 and amazingly at the four-yard line with a lead and just five minutes remaining. Somehow, the Cowboys pulled off the goal-line stand when the Texans failed on a fourth-down try. The Cowboys somehow got their act together, going on a 98-yard drive culminating in an Ezekiel Elliott touchdown run on third and goal. Dallas would hold on for the 27-23 victory.

The team moved to 10-3 on the season and somehow kept pace with the Philadelphia Eagles who moved to 11-1 with a big win over New York.

Quarterback Dak Prescott somehow turned a horrible game into a deep-sigh victory, throwing for 73 yards and rushing for another 15 on the winning drive. It was his first game-winning drive of the season and 18th of his career as Dallas secured their fourth win in a row. He overcame two interceptions for the game, one a tip drill off of Noah Brown’s hands, another when his arm was hit in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys were fortunate to escape with a victory, but it counts the same nonetheless. They’ll next travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in Week 15.

WATCH: Wilson forces fumble, Diggs scrambles on return

Dallas started the second half with a big takeaway courtesy of Donovan Wilson, but the offense came up empty with a short field. | From @CDBurnett7

The first half was one to be forgotten for the Cowboys heading into the break down 20-17 to the one-win Texans. Houston started off the second half with the ball and Dallas responded with instant momentum.

Safety Donovan Wilson broke through on a rushing attempt by Dameon Pierce and forced the ball out, which went flying towards cornerback Trevon Diggs. He recovered the loose ball and scrambled in all directions, looking like he would lose yards, then finding space before running out of gas for a 15-yard return.

Following the first Dallas takeaway of the game, Kellen Moore went back to the run game and Ezekiel Elliott. The physical back ran it seven times for 23 yards on the drive, working down to the goal line until a fourth down with a yard left for a score. A normal success point for Elliott, the Texans stuffed the Cowboys at the goal line for a turnover on downs to erase the big takeaway.

Cowboys RT Terence Steele suffers leg injury late in first half

The injury misfortune continued against Houston with Terence Steele heading to the locker room with a leg injury. | From @CDBurnett7

Facing a struggling Texans team, Dallas got off to a 7-0 start but it’s been a lot of scares since. Cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered an injury but returned then Johnathan Hankins went down with an arm injury. On the other side of the ball, the injury misfortune struck again.

Starting right tackle Terence Steele was rolled onto late in the second quarter and spent a long time down with a leg injury. Once he was back to his feet, Steele was helped straight to the locker room.

Steele struggled early as a Cowboy but became a consistent piece over the last season for the Dallas offense. With Steele off the field, Josh Ball came into the game and the drive stalled out for a field goal. Eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith is approaching his return, and it may be right in time so the offensive line can move pieces around if Steele is out for extended time.

As it stands, injuries are piling up against an inferior team and the Cowboys are tied as the first half comes to a close.

Diggs suffers injury scare, Hankins questionable to return

Dallas had a sigh of relief after an injury scare for Diggs while Hankins suffered an injury on a fourth-down stop. | From @CDBurnett7

Amidst all the worries at the cornerback position, Trevon Diggs has been the one consistency. After his meteoric rise with 11 interceptions in 2021, he’s converted into a complete cornerback in 2022 that quarterbacks have stayed away from with purpose.

With both Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown’s seasons over, Diggs went to the sideline in the second quarter against the Texans, clearly feeling some pain in his left hand. Trainers came to Diggs, and he went straight to the locker room to be evaluated.

During Diggs’ absence, Nahshon Wright took over in his place. Late in the second quarter, Diggs returned to the field after being evaluated in the locker room. defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins made a fourth-down stop but suffered a right arm injury in the process.

With the concern of Hankins, Dan Quinn’s defense takes another hit. In good news for Hankins’ absence, defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna is back after a month-long absence. For now, Dallas has Diggs back and a sigh of relief on that end.

WATCH: Cowboys Pollard reaches end zone for 2nd time in 1st half

The Tony Pollard tour continues with his second touchdown of the game after Prescott’s third-down dominance sparked the drive. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys’ rare quick start was instantly negated by a muffed punt by wide receiver KaVontae Turpin which snowballed into a 10-7 lead for the Texans. After an unimpressive start to the third Dallas drive, the inevitable happened.

Quarterback Dak Prescott’s offense has held the highest third-down conversion percentage since his return and they faced a 3rd-and-12. Prescott extended the play and then delivered a deep ball to wide receiver Noah Brown for a 51-yard gain, shaking the ice off the offense. Now in the red zone, Prescott went through his progressions and found running back Tony Pollard, who weaved under a defender’s arms and scored his second touchdown of the day.

Pollard is up to 12 touchdowns on the season and it’s a weekly celebration at this point for the star in a contract year. The Cowboys take a 14-10 lead as the defense looks to get their feet under them against the inferior Texans offense.

WATCH: Cowboys run game dominant, Pollard scores opening TD

Dallas got off to a quick start on the shoulders of their run game, ripping off 55 yards on the ground during their first drive. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys are accustomed to slow starts, but the prospect of a one-win team presented the opportunity to get going early on offense, and they did just that. Quarterback Dak Prescott started things by continuing his third-down hot streak, converting with a 13-yard pass to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

After the early conversion, the tandem of running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard broke down the Texans in a blink. The pair combined for five runs and 55 yards on the drive, and Pollard closed it with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Pollard’s ninth rushing touchdown is a quick one, setting the tone against a struggling Houston team, setting Dan Quinn’s unit up to pin their ears back.