Cowboys Rally Past Texans 34–30 on Late Prescott-to-Lamb Touchdown

Dallas erased a 10-point halftime deficit, took the lead in the fourth quarter and answered one final Houston touchdown with a game-winning drive of its own.

For most of the first half Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys looked like a team still trying to recover from the previous week's trip to Rio.

By the end of the second, they looked like a team that had finally learned how to finish.

Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb for a 12-yard touchdown with 40 seconds remaining, completing an 11-play, 74-yard drive that lifted Dallas to a 34–30 victory over the Houston Texans.

The win evened the Cowboys' record at 2–2 and came one week after Dallas lost 34–31 to Baltimore on a field goal in the final seconds. This time, when another close game reached its decisive moments, the Cowboys had the final answer.

Houston Controls the First Half

The Texans wasted little time putting Dallas on its heels.

On Houston's first offensive snap, C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for 45 yards. Collins eventually finished the opening drive himself, catching a 7-yard touchdown pass that gave Houston an early 7–0 lead.

Dallas responded with a 39-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal, but Houston added a 51-yarder before Aubrey connected again from 50 yards early in the second quarter.

The Cowboys' defense began settling down, forcing consecutive three-and-outs, but Dallas couldn't turn those stops into enough points.

Aubrey had a 62-yard field-goal attempt blocked and later missed from 65. Houston took advantage of the field position following both attempts, adding field goals of 39 and 54 yards.

Instead of closing the gap before halftime, Dallas went to the locker room trailing 16–6.

The Cowboys Come Alive

KaVontae Turpin provided the spark immediately after halftime, returning the opening kickoff 48 yards to the Houston 49.

Four plays later, Javonte Williams scored from 8 yards out, cutting the deficit to three.

Houston answered almost immediately. A 53-yard kickoff return put the Texans at the Dallas 38, and Stroud found Collins for his second touchdown of the afternoon to restore Houston's 10-point advantage.

Then Dallas answered again.

Turpin delivered another strong return, Prescott hit George Pickens for 53 yards, and a defensive holding penalty on fourth-and-goal gave the Cowboys another opportunity near the goal line. Williams punched it in from a yard out, pulling Dallas within 23–20.

What had been a sluggish game suddenly became a shootout.

Dallas Takes Its First Lead

Prescott and the Cowboys opened the fourth quarter in rhythm.

Dallas put together a 14-play drive during which Prescott completed all nine of his passes for 89 yards. Five went to Lamb for 69 yards.

Williams finished the possession with his third rushing touchdown of the game, a 2-yard score that gave Dallas its first lead, 27–23.

Williams finished with 62 rushing yards on 19 carries. The yardage wasn't spectacular, but his three rushing touchdowns were a career high.

Houston wasn't finished.

With less than seven minutes remaining, the Texans drove back into Dallas territory. Facing third-and-14, Houston used a hook-and-ladder from Dalton Schultz to David Montgomery to pick up 19 yards and reach the Cowboys' 6.

Woody Marks scored on the next play.

Houston led again, 30–27.

Dallas had 2:15 left.

Prescott and Lamb Finish It

This time, the Cowboys didn't leave the ending to anyone else.

Prescott moved Dallas 74 yards in 11 plays, including a 15-yard completion to Lamb and a 22-yard connection with Pickens.

With 40 seconds remaining, Prescott found Lamb for the 12-yard touchdown that put Dallas back in front for good.

Prescott finished 32-of-45 for 335 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, posting a 99.8 passer rating.

Lamb was even better.

He caught a career-high 17 passes for 189 yards, with the winning touchdown capping his biggest performance of the season. The 17 receptions were the second-most in a game in Cowboys history, and his afternoon also moved him past Drew Pearson into fourth place on the franchise's career receiving-yardage list.

A Needed Finish

Dallas finished with a narrow 399–397 advantage in total offense and controlled possession for 33:27. The Cowboys also committed only six penalties for 47 yards compared with Houston's 13 for 90.

The defense surrendered 347 passing yards to Stroud and 118 receiving yards with two touchdowns to Collins, but Dallas held an opponent below 100 rushing yards for the first time this season.

There was plenty that Dallas will want to clean up. The slow start, pressure on Prescott and continued defensive issues aren't erased by one fourth-quarter comeback.

But a week after leaving Rio knowing it had let a winnable game slip away, Dallas found itself in another late-game fight.

This time, the Cowboys finished it.