How Texans thumping of Cowboys resets expectations for Houston
TEXANS POUND COWBOYS!
19 November 2024
Texans defeat the Cowboys, 34-10.Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images.
Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score and the Houston Texans beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 on Monday night.
The Texans (7-4) stopped just the second two-game losing streak in quarterback C.J. Stroud's two seasons while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South.
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the win on YouTube!
In a season filled with things gone wrong for the Cowboys (3-7), debris fell from their stadium's retractable roof as it was opening a few hours before the game.
There was no delay and no injuries were reported, just another mishap to foreshadow a fifth consecutive defeat for a team that lost five games total in each of the past three playoff 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. The Dallas losing streak is its longest since a seven-game skid in 2015.
The Cowboys trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter when Barnett knocked the ball out of Rush's hand as he was throwing. Dallas rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton caught it and was trying to run when Jalen Pitre knocked the ball loose again.
Barnett scooped it and scored, although he almost stepped out of bounds running free toward a pylon.
Earlier, the Cowboys appeared to have pulled within a touchdown on a 64-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but Barnett was penalized for slapping Terence Steele on the rush.
Dallas erased the points by taking the penalty, but Rush's fourth-down pass from the Houston 8-yard line was incomplete.
Texans receiver Nico Collins returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury and took a screen pass 77 yards to the end zone the first time he touched the ball, only to have it called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield.
That possession ended with a touchdown anyway on Mixon's 45-yard sprint up the middle, and he ran wide for a 1-yard score and 14-0 lead. Mixon had 109 yards rushing and set up a field goal with a 37-yard catch-and-run on a screen.
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.
The Texans didn't need much from Stroud, who has been in a mini-slump. He threw for 257 yards with an early interception on fourth down.
Rush was 32 of 55 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turpin had three catches for 86 yards.
Injuries
Texans DE Will Anderson Jr., who entered the week tied for fifth in the NFL with 7 1/2 sacks, was inactive because of an ankle injury. ... Cowboys DB Markquese Bell didn't return after injuring a shoulder covering a kickoff in the second quarter.
Up next
Texans: Host Tennessee on Sunday.
Cowboys: At Washington on Sunday.
Cubs finalize trade and compensation with Astros for reliever Ryan Pressly
Jan 28, 2025, 3:26 pm
The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Ryan Pressly and cash from the Houston Astros on Tuesday for minor league pitcher Juan Bello.
Pressly likely slides into the closer's role with Chicago, which is looking to go back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. He had a 3.49 ERA in 59 appearances last year while serving as a setup man for Josh Hader.
The 20-year-old Bello went 4-5 with a 3.21 ERA in 22 starts for Class A Myrtle Beach last year. He is 4-8 with a 3.66 ERA in 35 career minor league games.
To make room for Pressly on the 40-man roster, Chicago designated right-hander Matt Festa for assignment. Festa, 31, was acquired in a trade with Texas on Jan. 9.
The Pressly move is the second major offseason deal between Chicago and Houston. The Cubs added All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a multiplayer trade with the Astros in December.
Pressly waived his no-trade clause to go to Chicago. He had the right to block the deal because of his 12 years in the majors and six-plus seasons with Houston.
Chicago had been searching for bullpen help since it went 83-79 and finished second in the NL Central in 2024 for the second straight season. It was reportedly in the mix for Tanner Scott before he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs are paying $8.5 million of Pressly's $14 million salary for 2025 in the last year of his contract.
Pressly's departure provides some financial flexibility for Houston that it could use to make a renewed push for a reunion with free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. It also could look to upgrade its outfield.
Hader replaced Pressly as Houston’s closer after he agreed to a $95 million, five-year contract last January. He had a 3.80 ERA and 34 saves in 71 games as the Astros won the AL West for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
With the Pressly trade, Bryan Abreu and Tayler Scott each could take on a more prominent role in Houston’s bullpen.
Pressly, a 36-year-old Dallas native, made his big league debut with Minnesota in 2013 and spent his first five-plus seasons with the Twins. He was traded to Houston in July 2018.
Pressly rose to prominence with the Astros, becoming one of baseball’s best relievers. The two-time All-Star had a streak of 40 consecutive games without allowing a run from Aug. 15, 2018, to May 23, 2019.
He was a key performer when Houston won the franchise’s second World Series title in 2022. He had a career-high 33 saves with a 2.98 ERA during the regular season, and then went on a dominant run in the playoffs. He saved six postseason games, striking out 13 while allowing an unearned run and four hits in 11 innings over 10 appearances.
Pressly is 35-36 with a 3.27 ERA and 112 saves in 623 major league games. He also has 693 strikeouts and 190 walks in 650 innings.
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