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By Jon Machota
Oct. 4, 2026 Updated 8:45 pm CDT
HOUSTON — While walking out of Reliant Stadium’s visiting locker room Sunday afternoon, CeeDee Lamb said he purchased 18 tickets for friends and family to see his Dallas Cowboys play the Houston Texans. It’s the most he’s ever requested.
It was fitting that his first game back in his hometown ended up being arguably the best of his seven-year NFL career.
Lamb caught a career-high 17 passes for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown in Dallas’ come-from-behind 34-30 win over the Texans.
“(This city means) everything,” Lamb said. “My grandma came out, that was really good to see. She doesn’t really come to many of my games. It was good to see my family here. It’s been a long road to end up in this situation, and I’m grateful for it. And just coming back and seeing a lot of things that I’m familiar with growing up, it was fire.”
The game felt similar to the last time the Cowboys were on the field. Last week, in the final 30 seconds in Brazil, Dallas had a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. But the Cowboys’ offense came up short, settled for a field goal and then allowed Baltimore to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Fighting to avoid a 1-3 start to the season, Dallas made the key plays this time around. No one made more of them than Lamb.
Facing second-and-10 with 40 seconds remaining, quarterback Dak Prescott was presented with an easy decision. The Texans didn’t seem overly concerned that Lamb was dominating their defense. They left him in single coverage against defensive back Jalen Pitre. The result was one of the easier connections the two had all day.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t get this,” NFL analyst Greg Olsen said on the Fox telecast. “Look at the leverage of Jalen Pitre. This is outside, backpedal, soft leverage with no help on the inside. He has (17) catches. Double him. Take him away. Play him inside and out. You can’t just let him run a skinny post uncontested for the go-ahead touchdown here with 40 seconds left. I just don’t love that coverage.”
The result dropped the Texans to 0-4, a stunning start for a team that entered the season as a purported Super Bowl contender.
It looked like one in the first half. Dallas had no answer for NFL Defensive Player of the Year favorite Will Anderson Jr. Whether he was lining up on either edge, over the center or on special teams blocking a field goal, Anderson was consistently making things difficult for the Cowboys.
Combined with C.J. Stroud’s strong first half, the Texans went into halftime leading 16-6. It appeared that the story of the game would be how Houston’s talented defense got the best of Dallas’ loaded offense.
Things shifted in the second half. A Cowboys offense that managed only two field goals in the first two quarters scored touchdowns on four of its five second-half possessions.
Houston limited receiver George Pickens to no catches on only one target in the first half. In the second half, Pickens had two catches for 75 yards but also drew two defensive holding calls that kept a key third-quarter drive alive. As was the case through the previous three games, the extra attention on Dallas’ other big-time receiver helped open things up for Lamb.
“CeeDee played the way he always plays: dynamite,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “He’s been playing that way all year. The ball found him a lot. That’s what happens. The beauty of our offense is if you want to try to take away George or try to take away CeeDee, we got another guy over there that’s pretty good. When George got his opportunity, what does George do? He makes plays.”
Lamb now has 498 receiving yards, the most through the first four games of a season in Cowboys history. He said last week that the key to his fast start has simply been his health. Lamb missed three games last season after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 3, the most he’s ever missed in a season.
While Prescott, Lamb and Pickens were doing most of the heavy lifting through the air, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams continued to capitalize on the ground, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards on 19 carries.
Defensively, the Cowboys are still far from a good group. They continue to allow too many big plays, particularly early to Texans star wide receiver Nico Collins. But there were some positive steps. Veteran edge rusher Rashan Gary had his best game of the season. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has played better the last two weeks. The secondary could be much improved with the addition of cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
“Very proud of those guys,” Schottenheimer said of the defense. “They’re getting a lot better.”
Porter made his Cowboys debut Sunday, playing 24 defensive snaps. It was easy to see that Stroud wasn’t interested in targeting receivers in Porter’s area, instead opting to challenge DaRon Bland.
“When I was out there, I was comfortable with the calls,” Porter said. “The defense was helping me. (Caleb Downs and Malik Hooker) were talking to me all game. Without them, I wouldn’t have even been able to play out there. …
“I want to be out there with the guys,” Porter continued. “I have to prove why they got me here, and I feel like I did that today.”
Prescott probably took more hits than the Cowboys would’ve liked, especially with them having to play again Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. The quarterback sat at his postgame news conference with a bandage over the back of his throwing hand. His hand was stepped on while he tried to throw the ball away to avoid a sack. He insisted there were no significant issues with it, but the training staff wanted to wrap it up to prevent any potential swelling.
Prescott continued to play at an elite level, finishing 32-for-45 passing for 335 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers.
“There’s nothing like winning,” he said. “I want to say it fixes all the problems, but it doesn’t. It makes you feel good for at least a day or so, but at this point, we’ve got to turn the page and get ready for Thursday. We can’t sit here and have some winning hangover. …
“We got it going in the second half on offense, particularly, and did enough. It just shows the resilience of this team to win. Now, it’s about stacking these kinds of wins with great momentum and belief in the team we’ve created.”
With Sunday’s huge performance, Lamb passed Drew Pearson for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time receiving yards list. Lamb (7,914 yards) now trails only Jason Witten (12,977), Michael Irvin (11,904) and Tony Hill (7,988).
“Right now, I can’t really fathom it,” Lamb said, “but I will say I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s a lot of emotions going through me right now. … But (this is) a moment of gratitude. I’m definitely happy to be in this position, and I’m happy for the opportunity, and I’m looking forward to breaking more records. That’s nothing toward the guys ahead of me, but here I come.”
Most important, the Cowboys can move past the ugly way they lost in the final 30 seconds last week. There’s a big difference between 1-3 and 2-2.
“(This was) a morale booster,” Pickens said, “something to build off. Definitely.”
Oct. 4, 2026 Updated 8:45 pm CDT
HOUSTON — While walking out of Reliant Stadium’s visiting locker room Sunday afternoon, CeeDee Lamb said he purchased 18 tickets for friends and family to see his Dallas Cowboys play the Houston Texans. It’s the most he’s ever requested.
It was fitting that his first game back in his hometown ended up being arguably the best of his seven-year NFL career.
Lamb caught a career-high 17 passes for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown in Dallas’ come-from-behind 34-30 win over the Texans.
“(This city means) everything,” Lamb said. “My grandma came out, that was really good to see. She doesn’t really come to many of my games. It was good to see my family here. It’s been a long road to end up in this situation, and I’m grateful for it. And just coming back and seeing a lot of things that I’m familiar with growing up, it was fire.”
The game felt similar to the last time the Cowboys were on the field. Last week, in the final 30 seconds in Brazil, Dallas had a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. But the Cowboys’ offense came up short, settled for a field goal and then allowed Baltimore to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Fighting to avoid a 1-3 start to the season, Dallas made the key plays this time around. No one made more of them than Lamb.
Facing second-and-10 with 40 seconds remaining, quarterback Dak Prescott was presented with an easy decision. The Texans didn’t seem overly concerned that Lamb was dominating their defense. They left him in single coverage against defensive back Jalen Pitre. The result was one of the easier connections the two had all day.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t get this,” NFL analyst Greg Olsen said on the Fox telecast. “Look at the leverage of Jalen Pitre. This is outside, backpedal, soft leverage with no help on the inside. He has (17) catches. Double him. Take him away. Play him inside and out. You can’t just let him run a skinny post uncontested for the go-ahead touchdown here with 40 seconds left. I just don’t love that coverage.”
The result dropped the Texans to 0-4, a stunning start for a team that entered the season as a purported Super Bowl contender.
It looked like one in the first half. Dallas had no answer for NFL Defensive Player of the Year favorite Will Anderson Jr. Whether he was lining up on either edge, over the center or on special teams blocking a field goal, Anderson was consistently making things difficult for the Cowboys.
Combined with C.J. Stroud’s strong first half, the Texans went into halftime leading 16-6. It appeared that the story of the game would be how Houston’s talented defense got the best of Dallas’ loaded offense.
Things shifted in the second half. A Cowboys offense that managed only two field goals in the first two quarters scored touchdowns on four of its five second-half possessions.
Houston limited receiver George Pickens to no catches on only one target in the first half. In the second half, Pickens had two catches for 75 yards but also drew two defensive holding calls that kept a key third-quarter drive alive. As was the case through the previous three games, the extra attention on Dallas’ other big-time receiver helped open things up for Lamb.
“CeeDee played the way he always plays: dynamite,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “He’s been playing that way all year. The ball found him a lot. That’s what happens. The beauty of our offense is if you want to try to take away George or try to take away CeeDee, we got another guy over there that’s pretty good. When George got his opportunity, what does George do? He makes plays.”
Lamb now has 498 receiving yards, the most through the first four games of a season in Cowboys history. He said last week that the key to his fast start has simply been his health. Lamb missed three games last season after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 3, the most he’s ever missed in a season.
While Prescott, Lamb and Pickens were doing most of the heavy lifting through the air, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams continued to capitalize on the ground, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards on 19 carries.
Defensively, the Cowboys are still far from a good group. They continue to allow too many big plays, particularly early to Texans star wide receiver Nico Collins. But there were some positive steps. Veteran edge rusher Rashan Gary had his best game of the season. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has played better the last two weeks. The secondary could be much improved with the addition of cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
“Very proud of those guys,” Schottenheimer said of the defense. “They’re getting a lot better.”
Porter made his Cowboys debut Sunday, playing 24 defensive snaps. It was easy to see that Stroud wasn’t interested in targeting receivers in Porter’s area, instead opting to challenge DaRon Bland.
“When I was out there, I was comfortable with the calls,” Porter said. “The defense was helping me. (Caleb Downs and Malik Hooker) were talking to me all game. Without them, I wouldn’t have even been able to play out there. …
“I want to be out there with the guys,” Porter continued. “I have to prove why they got me here, and I feel like I did that today.”
Prescott probably took more hits than the Cowboys would’ve liked, especially with them having to play again Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. The quarterback sat at his postgame news conference with a bandage over the back of his throwing hand. His hand was stepped on while he tried to throw the ball away to avoid a sack. He insisted there were no significant issues with it, but the training staff wanted to wrap it up to prevent any potential swelling.
Prescott continued to play at an elite level, finishing 32-for-45 passing for 335 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers.
“There’s nothing like winning,” he said. “I want to say it fixes all the problems, but it doesn’t. It makes you feel good for at least a day or so, but at this point, we’ve got to turn the page and get ready for Thursday. We can’t sit here and have some winning hangover. …
“We got it going in the second half on offense, particularly, and did enough. It just shows the resilience of this team to win. Now, it’s about stacking these kinds of wins with great momentum and belief in the team we’ve created.”
With Sunday’s huge performance, Lamb passed Drew Pearson for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time receiving yards list. Lamb (7,914 yards) now trails only Jason Witten (12,977), Michael Irvin (11,904) and Tony Hill (7,988).
“Right now, I can’t really fathom it,” Lamb said, “but I will say I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s a lot of emotions going through me right now. … But (this is) a moment of gratitude. I’m definitely happy to be in this position, and I’m happy for the opportunity, and I’m looking forward to breaking more records. That’s nothing toward the guys ahead of me, but here I come.”
Most important, the Cowboys can move past the ugly way they lost in the final 30 seconds last week. There’s a big difference between 1-3 and 2-2.
“(This was) a morale booster,” Pickens said, “something to build off. Definitely.”
