Prescott finds Lamb late as Cowboys stun Texans 34-30

Dak Prescott’s 12-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb with 40 seconds left lifted the Dallas Cowboys over the Houston Texans, 34-30, on Sunday, October 4, at Reliant Stadium.

Prescott completed 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards and the decisive touchdown, repeatedly leaning on Lamb, who caught 17 passes for 189 yards and a score. Javonte Williams supplied the balance with 19 carries for 62 yards and three rushing touchdowns, turning a 16-6 halftime deficit into a game Dallas could finish in the final minute.

Dallas answers every turn

Houston built its largest lead with a sharp opening half. C.J. Stroud hit Nico Collins for a 7-yard touchdown, then the Texans added three field goals for a 16-6 edge at halftime; Stroud later found Collins again on a 22-yard score to restore a 23-13 lead early in the third quarter.

Dallas answered that second Collins touchdown with Williams’ 1-yard score, then took its first lead on a 16-play, 81-yard march that consumed 8:47 and ended with Williams’ 2-yard touchdown. The Cowboys had turned Houston’s 10-point lead into a 27-23 advantage by 11:17 of the fourth quarter.

The final possession

The Texans did not go quietly. A 12-play, 87-yard drive ended with a 6-yard touchdown run and put Houston back ahead 30-27 with 2:23 remaining, but Prescott brought Dallas from its own 26 to the end zone in 11 plays and 1:35.

A 22-yard Prescott completion moved the Cowboys to the Houston 12, and Lamb finished the possession over the middle. That touchdown changed Dallas’ win probability from 54% to 99%, the game’s largest swing, and left Houston without an answer in the final 40 seconds.

What the numbers showed

Dallas’ 73 plays gave Prescott and Lamb the volume to keep pressing, while the Cowboys posted a 49% success rate, the share of plays with positive EPA. Their 0.12 EPA per play—EPA measures expected points added on each play—trailed Houston’s 0.23, but Dallas made its most important gains on the final drive.

Stroud completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns, with Collins catching seven balls for 118 yards and both scores. Houston’s passing game produced the explosive plays, including completions of 52 and 45 yards, but the Texans fell to 0-4; they visit the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, October 11. Dallas is 2-2 and hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, October 8.