Cowboys 34, Texans 30: drive chart, EPA and box score

Week 4 · Sun, Oct 4 · Reliant StadiumFinal

Final

	1	2	3	4	T
DAL	3	3	14	14	34
HOU	10	6	7	7	30

Home · 3-5HoustonTexans30

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 4:47 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans 34-30 on Sun, Oct 4 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX (Week 4, 2026 season). Records after the game: Cowboys 4-5, Texans 3-5. C.Stroud (HOU) led all players with +15.9 EPA on 33 dropbacks.

Who won Cowboys vs Texans?

The Dallas Cowboys won 34-30. By quarter: DAL 3-3-14-14, HOU 10-6-7-7.

Who was the best player in Cowboys vs Texans?

By expected points added: C.Stroud (HOU, +15.9 EPA on 33 dropbacks), C.Lamb (DAL, +13.6 EPA on 21 targets) and N.Collins (HOU, +9.4 EPA on 8 targets).

What was the turning point of Cowboys vs Texans?

The biggest swing in win probability (45 points toward the Cowboys) came in Q4 at 0:40: (Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short middle to C.Lamb for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger. ** Injury Update: HST-J.Crumedy has returned to the game.

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Cowboys 34, Texans 30: Week 4 recap”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-10-04-dal-at-hou (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

The Verdict

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Cowboys44% success · +0.14 EPA/play

3430

Texans48% success · +0.24 EPA/play

DAL 36% deserveddeserved 64% HOU

Cowboys won as the underdog of the snaps: 36%, with Texans better by 1.9.

Deserved marginHOU by 1.9

Real marginDAL by 4

Luck pts DAL−2.2

Luck pts HOU+1.4

The swingQ4 0:43 · DAL · +29 pts of win probability. (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass short middle to 88-C.Lamb for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Flags that moved this game

1Offensive HoldingHOU → helped DAL · Wk 4 Q4 3:30 · (Shotgun) 4-W.Marks left end to DAL 15 for 8 yards (24-M.Hooker). PENALTY on HOU-69-E.Ingram, Offensive Holding, 10 yards,…+14.3 WP
2Defensive HoldingHOU → helped DAL · Wk 4 Q3 6:59 · (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass incomplete short middle to 19-R.Flournoy (5-J.Pitre) [51-W.Anderson]. PENALTY on HOU-3-K.Lassiter,…+8.7 WP

Deserved win probability from the snaps, fumble bounces evened out. How we judge

From the Lab

This game, re-drawn

All Lab tools →

Game DNA148 plays, one strand3 lead changes · 13 explosive plays · downloadable poster →

Officiating crewBrad Allen19 accepted flags in this game · 15 a game this season (about league average)Market vs SnapsLine: HOU by 3 · Snaps: HOU by 1.9Cowboys covered; the snaps agree

34@30

Week 4

If the Texans had stopped that fourth-and-4

Texans after the play69%what really happened

Q4 1:34 4-D.Prescott pass short middle to 87-J.Ferguson to DAL 39 for 7 yards (2-C.Bullock).

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Home win probability, play by play

The river

100%

Hover, tap or drag along the river to read any play. Arrow keys work too. Click to jump to its drive.

HOU ▲DAL ▼

Q1Q2Q3Q4

The five biggest swings

+45%Q4 0:40 · for DAL(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short middle to C.Lamb for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger. ** Injury Update: HST-J.Crumedy has returned to the game.
+34%Q4 2:34 · for HOU(Shotgun) C.Stroud pass short right to D.Schultz to DAL 25 for 2 yards. Lateral to D.Montgomery pushed ob at DAL 6 for 19 yards (D.Winters; A.Speed).
+21%Q4 0:52 · for DAL(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass deep left to G.Pickens pushed ob at HST 12 for 22 yards (R.Blankenship).
+13%Q4 14:00 · for DAL(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb to HST 20 for 21 yards (R.Blankenship; J.Hansen).
+13%Q4 3:30 · for DAL(Shotgun) W.Marks left end to DAL 15 for 8 yards (M.Hooker).PENALTY on HST-E.Ingram, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at DAL 23 - No Play.

Every drive, on the field

HOU attacks →← DAL attacks

Q1 15:00TD8p · 85y · 4:59
Q1 10:01FG10p · 44y · 4:51
Q1 5:10FG6p · 59y · 3:21
Q1 1:49FG8p · 36y · 4:19
Q2 12:30PUNT3p · 5y · 2:12
Q2 10:18PUNT6p · -5y · 2:05
Q2 8:13PUNT3p · 3y · 1:03
Q2 7:10MISS7p · 20y · 2:12
Q2 4:58FG6p · 28y · 2:53
Q2 2:05MISS7p · 27y · 1:39
Q2 0:26FG4p · 9y · 0:26
Q3 15:00TD4p · 49y · 2:05
Q3 12:55TD4p · 38y · 2:05
Q3 10:50TD7p · 64y · 4:01
Q3 6:49PUNT4p · 22y · 1:45
Q3 5:04TD14p · 81y · 8:47
Q4 11:17PUNT4p · 17y · 2:37
Q4 8:40PUNT3p · 4y · 1:45
Q4 6:55TD9p · 87y · 4:32
Q4 2:23TD11p · 74y · 1:43
Q4 0:40END4p · 24y · 0:40

Cowboys10 drives6scoring drives (4 TD)60%drives ending in pointsOWN 32avg starting field position1three-and-outs0turnovers incl. downs

Texans10 drives6scoring drives (3 TD)60%drives ending in pointsOWN 28avg starting field position2three-and-outs0turnovers incl. downs

Scoring summary

Q1
10:01Touchdown(Shotgun) C.Stroud pass short middle to N.Collins for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN. K.Fairbairn extra point is GOOD, Center-A.Brinkman, Holder-K.Kroeger.0–7
Q1
5:10Field goal B.Aubrey 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.3–7
Q1
1:49Field goal K.Fairbairn 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-A.Brinkman, Holder-K.Kroeger.3–10
Q2
12:30Field goal B.Aubrey 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.6–10
Q2
2:05Field goalK.Fairbairn 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-A.Brinkman, Holder-K.Kroeger.6–13
Q2
0:00Field goal K.Fairbairn 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-A.Brinkman, Holder-K.Kroeger.6–16
Q3
12:55Touchdown(Shotgun) J.Williams left end for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.13–16
Q3
10:50Touchdown(Shotgun) C.Stroud pass deep right to N.Collins for 22 yards, TOUCHDOWN.PENALTY on DAL-R.Steward, Unnecessary Roughness, 8 yards, enforced between downs. K.Fairbairn extra point is GOOD, Center-A.Brinkman, Holder-K.Kroeger.13–23
Q3
6:49TouchdownJ.Williams up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. HST-J.Crumedy was injured during the play. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.20–23
Q4
11:17TouchdownJ.Williams right guard for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.PENALTY on HST-T.Togiai, Illegal Formation, 5 yards, enforced between downs.27–23
Q4
2:23Touchdown(Shotgun) W.Marks left tackle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. K.Fairbairn extra point is GOOD, Center-A.Brinkman, Holder-K.Kroeger.27–30
Q4
0:40Touchdown(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short middle to C.Lamb for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger. ** Injury Update: HST-J.Crumedy has returned to the game.34–30

Team stats

DALvsHOU

399Total yards397

324Passing yards335

75Rushing yards62

5.5Yards per play7.6

28First downs16

5-14 · 36%Third down3-10 · 30%

1-1Fourth down0-0

4-4Red zone TDs2-2

32/45Comp / att21/31

3.0Yards per carry3.3

0Turnovers0

3 (−11 yds)Sacks allowed2 (−12 yds)

6 for 47Penalties13 for 90

33:27Possession26:33

Expected points added · nflverse model

The game in EPA

EPA per play+0.144+0.238

Dropback EPA+0.171+0.481

Rush EPA+0.084-0.233

Success rate44%48%

Explosive plays68

Plays7350

Who moved the needle

C.StroudDropbacks: 33+15.9

C.LambTargets: 21+13.6

N.CollinsTargets: 8+9.4

D.PrescottDropbacks: 50+8.6

J.NoelTargets: 3+4.7

G.PickensTargets: 3+3.9

Cost their side the most

D.MontgomeryCarries: 10-3.6

J.WilliamsTargets: 5-1.8

W.MarksCarries: 6-0.3

Box score

Dallas Cowboys

Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
Dak PrescottQB	32/45	335	7.4	1	0	3-11	86.6	99.8

Rushing	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Javonte WilliamsRB	19	62	3.3	3	13
Tyler GoodsonRB	3	12	4.0	0	10
Dak PrescottQB	2	7	3.5	0	6
CeeDee LambWR	1	-6	-6.0	0	-6

Receiving	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
CeeDee LambWR	17	21	189	11.1	1	30
George PickensWR	2	3	75	37.5	0	53
Ryan FlournoyWR	4	5	37	9.3	0	19
Javonte WilliamsRB	5	5	21	4.2	0	9
Jake FergusonTE	3	4	11	3.7	0	7
Hunter LuepkeFB	1	1	2	2.0	0	2
Brevyn Spann-FordTE	0	1	0	0.0	0	0
Jonathan MingoWR	0	2	0	0.0	0	0
Tyler GoodsonRB	0	1	0	0.0	0	0

Defense	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS
Malik HookerS	7	5	0	0	2	0
Caleb DownsS	7	5	0	0	0	0
Dee WintersLB	5	2	0	0	0	1
Reddy StewardCB	4	4	0	0	0	0
Quinnen WilliamsDT	4	2	1	2	0	1
Kenny ClarkDT	4	1	0	0	0	1
DaRon BlandCB	3	3	0	0	0	0
Ameer SpeedCB	3	2	0	0	0	0
Donovan EzeiruakuLB	3	1	0	0	0	0
Brevyn Spann-FordTE	3	0	0	0	0	0

Kicking	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Brandon AubreyPK	2/4	50.0	50	4/4	10

Houston Texans

Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
C.J. StroudQB	21/31	347	11.2	2	0	2-12	61.0	126.7

Rushing	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
David MontgomeryRB	10	24	2.4	0	6
Woody MarksRB	6	22	3.7	1	9
C.J. StroudQB	2	12	6.0	0	9
Jaylin NoelWR	1	4	4.0	0	4

Receiving	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Nico CollinsWR	7	8	118	16.9	2	45
Jaylin NoelWR	3	3	85	28.3	0	52
Xavier HutchinsonWR	3	5	46	15.3	0	26
Kayshon BoutteWR	3	4	36	12.0	0	21
Cade StoverTE	1	1	20	20.0	0	20
David MontgomeryRB	0	0	19	0.0	0	19
Brevin JordanTE	1	1	13	13.0	0	13
Dalton SchultzTE	2	2	9	4.5	0	7
Foster MoreauTE	1	1	1	1.0	0	1
Woody MarksRB	0	1	0	0.0	0	0

Defense	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS
Jake HansenLB	12	7	1	2	0	1
Reed BlankenshipS	11	5	0	0	0	0
Jalen PitreS	9	7	0	1	1	0
Kamari LassiterCB	8	7	0	0	2	0
Calen BullockS	8	4	0	0	0	0
Will Anderson Jr.DE	5	3	0.5	1	0	5
Tommy TogiaiDT	5	1	0	0	1	0
Jadeveon ClowneyDE	4	2	0.5	1	0	2
Kenneth Murray Jr.LB	4	1	0	0	0	0
Cade StoverTE	3	3	0	0	0	0

Kicking	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Ka'imi FairbairnPK	3/3	100.0	54	3/3	12

Before kickoff · Regular season through week 3 · rank out of 32

Where it was expected to be decided

1Cowboys dropback offense vs Texans pass defense
The Cowboys' dropback offense ranks 4th in EPA per dropback (+0.30, 118 dropbacks) against a Texans pass defense ranked 19th (+0.10 allowed, 110 dropbacks faced).
4thDAL offense15 spots apart19thHOU defense
2Texans big-play offense vs Cowboys defense against big plays
The Texans' big-play offense ranks 16th in explosive-play rate (9.0%, 200 plays) against a Cowboys defense against big plays ranked 28th (11.6% allowed, 190 plays faced).
16thHOU offense12 spots apart28thDAL defense
3Texans ball security vs Cowboys takeaway defense
The Texans' ball security ranks 7th in turnovers per game (0.7 giveaways a game, 3 games) against a Cowboys takeaway defense ranked 22nd (0.7 takeaways a game, 3 games).
7thHOU offense15 spots apart22ndDAL defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters

When the Cowboys have the ballEdge DAL · +15 ranks

DAL dropback offenseEPA per dropbackHOU pass defense

4th+0.30118 dropbacks

DAL +15

+0.10 allowed110 dropbacks faced19th

DAL run gameEPA per rushHOU run defense

18th-0.0760 rushes

HOU +10

-0.18 allowed71 rushes faced8th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Texans have the ballEdge HOU · +10 ranks

HOU dropback offenseEPA per dropbackDAL pass defense

21st-0.03134 dropbacks

HOU +10

+0.43 allowed97 dropbacks faced31st

HOU run gameEPA per rushDAL run defense

27th-0.2266 rushes

DAL +8

-0.05 allowed93 rushes faced19th

Third downEdge DAL · +9 ranks

DAL third-down offensethird-down conversion rateHOU third-down defense

2nd57.1%35 third downs

DAL +9

38.5% allowed39 third downs faced11th

HOU third-down offensethird-down conversion rateDAL third-down defense

24th36.4%44 third downs

HOU +8

60.6% allowed33 third downs faced32nd

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneNo big edge

DAL red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateHOU red-zone defense

6th69%13 trips

38% allowed8 trips faced5th

HOU red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateDAL red-zone defense

22nd50%12 trips

71% allowed14 trips faced22nd

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge HOU · +12 ranks

DAL big-play offenseexplosive-play rateHOU defense against big plays

30th6.2%178 plays

HOU +9

10.5% allowed181 plays faced21st

HOU big-play offenseexplosive-play rateDAL defense against big plays

16th9.0%200 plays

HOU +12

11.6% allowed190 plays faced28th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge HOU · +9 ranks

DAL pass protectionsack rateHOU pass rush

2nd2.5% sacked118 dropbacks

10.0% of dropbacks110 dropbacks faced2nd

HOU pass protectionsack rateDAL pass rush

21st7.5% sacked134 dropbacks

HOU +9

2.1% of dropbacks97 dropbacks faced30th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge HOU · +15 ranks

DAL ball securityturnovers per gameHOU takeaway defense

7th0.7 giveaways a game3 games

1.0 takeaways a game3 games14th

HOU ball securityturnovers per gameDAL takeaway defense

7th0.7 giveaways a game3 games

HOU +15

0.7 takeaways a game3 games22nd

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

Sample: DAL 3 games, 178 offensive and 190 defensive plays · HOU 3 games, 200 offensive and 181 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Starters, confirmed

ConfirmedEvery game →

Confirmed from the official snap counts: at every position group the starters are the snap leaders. Expected lineup = today's depth chart, adjusted for the injury report.

Expected, did not start

Hunter LuepkeFB→ Tyler Goodson

Brevyn Spann-FordTE→ Jake Ferguson

Tyler SmithLG→ T.J. Bass

Otito OgbonniaNT→ Jaishawn Barham

DeMarvion OvershownLILB→ Shemar James

Markquese BellSS→ Reddy Steward

Woody MarksRB→ David Montgomery

Xavier HutchinsonWR→ Kayshon Boutte

Marvin Harrison Jr.WR→ Jaylin Noel

Henry To'oTo'oWLB→ Kenneth Murray Jr.

Azeez Al-ShaairMLB→ Jadeveon Clowney