In the fourth quarter of the Houston Texans' Monday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, Texans defensive end Derek Barnett blew by the Cowboys' offensive line to strip-sack quarterback Cooper Rush. Offensive lineman Tyler Guyton recovered the ball, but just as quickly fumbled the ball away thanks to pressure from safety Jalen Pitre. Barnett, still in the vicinity, then scooped up the football and hustled to the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.
Thanks to the chaos, the Texans extended their lead to 27-10 with just over 12 minutes remaining. The Cowboys had been held scoreless since the second quarter – a 53-yard field goal – and were repeatedly giving the ball up with nothing to show for it. But Barnett's touchdown was the nail in the coffin.
"The play he made really changed the game for us," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "It flipped the momentum. It got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play. Something we talk about and harp on is attacking the football."
Houston's defense was in attack mode all night, finishing with five sacks, one interception, a pair of forced fumbles and six tackles for loss. The Cowboys' final eight possessions resulted in a missed field goal, three turnovers on downs, two punts, a fumble and the end of the game.
"It's just about us coming out, playing with the right energy, executing and finishing the proper way," Ryans said. "That's what finish looked like. If we want to continue to progress and move forward and play good football, we have to finish second halves."
The offense came through as well, as C.J. Stroud completed 23-of-34 passes for 257 yards and running back Joe Mixon had 20 carries for 109 yards and all three of the Texans' touchdowns.
"Joe has been amazing," Stroud said. "He's been somebody who came in and taught guys how to win more."
"He's a force for us," Ryans said.
Two of Mixon's touchdowns came in the first quarter, setting the tone early, and his third came on the Texans' final possession of the game, bringing their lead to 34-10 and sealing the victory.
The Texans are now 7-4 on the season as the only team above .500 in the AFC South. They play the Tennessee Titans (2-8) at NRG Stadium on Sunday.
AFC South standings after Week 11:
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Texans | 7-4 |
| Colts | 5-6 |
| Titans | 2-8 |
| Jaguars | 2-9 |
