Another week, another harrowing finish for the Dallas Cowboys. They needed this one desperately to avoid a 1-3 start, and through the heroics of CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, they hung on in a 34-30 thriller.
Even better, the Los Angeles Rams did them a favor by beating the Philadelphia Eagles, so it was a good day as the Cowboys won and it wasn’t so sunny in Philadelphia. The clutch victory came down to several pivotal moments. Here are the five key plays that delivered the much-needed win.
Lamb’s 30-yard pickup jump-starts the second-half offensive flurry
Down 16-6 at the break, the Cowboys had themselves largely to blame. A blocked 62-yard field-goal attempt late in the second quarter gave Houston a chance to tack on three more points, and the Texans took a 10-point lead into intermission.
For most of the first half, Dallas’ offense couldn’t do anything right against Houston’s pass rush. The tide turned on the opening possession of the third quarter.
After a pair of successful runs, the Cowboys dialed up play-action. Prescott sold the fake, stepped up to elude Will Anderson and the edge pressure, and found an open Lamb in a soft spot in the middle of the defense for 30 yards. That connection put Dallas deep in the red zone.
On the next snap, Javonte Williams scored the first of his three touchdowns behind strong offensive-line blocking. The play ignited an offense that stayed on fire the rest of the afternoon.
Lassiter lassoes Pickens
There are few things George Pickens does better than catching contested balls and drawing flags. After hauling in a spectacular 53-yard grab over Kamari Lassiter, Pickens kept working. On third-and-7 deep in the red zone, Lassiter was flagged for defensive pass interference as Pickens worked off the line, giving the Cowboys a fresh set of downs at the one.
Lassiter looked stunned, as did many of the Houston fans. Three plays later, on fourth-and-goal, Lassiter grabbed Pickens’ jersey for a holding penalty that kept the drive alive. Williams punched it in on the next play to cut the deficit to three.
Without those two flags, Dallas likely would have failed to score on the possession. Given how the Cowboys’ defense has performed this season, Houston could easily have answered with a long drive to widen the gap even further. Lassiter’s inability to play clean football proved costly.
Parker dials up the right call
Christian Parker’s tenure as defensive coordinator has drawn plenty of criticism, even with the unit depleted by injuries. Communication breakdowns and coverage issues have been recurring problems, especially in zone.
After the Cowboys closed the gap to 23-20, Parker needed a stop. Facing third-and-8 from their own 42, Houston was one conversion away from field-goal range for Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Parker sent pressure that overloaded the middle and brought Dee Winters off the edge. The blitz was in C.J. Stroud’s face immediately; the quarterback had just enough time to scramble and throw the ball away. Dallas capitalized on the ensuing possession to take its first lead of the game.
Pitre can’t come up with the pick
The comeback nearly died before it fully arrived. On the game-winning drive, Prescott went looking for Lamb in a tight window. Jalen Pitre broke on the throw and had a real chance at the interception, but the ball slipped through his hands.
Had Pitre secured it, the Cowboys would have faced roughly 2:10 remaining and needed a defensive stop after already burning a timeout on a failed challenge earlier. Instead, the drive stayed alive, and Dallas eventually took the lead for good.
Houston’s 13 penalties created multiple self-inflicted wounds, but none will haunt them more than the one that got away.
Dak to Lamb for the win
Of course the game-winner has to close the list. Time and again, Dallas found Lamb in favorable matchups against the Texans secondary. With the game on the line, they went back to the well one more time.
Isolated in the slot against Pitre, Lamb got separation. Prescott, with solid protection, scanned the field and delivered a strike into the end zone. The 12-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left gave Lamb his 17th catch of the day, a career high and the second-most receptions in a single game in franchise history.
Dallas held on through Stroud’s final Hail Mary attempt to improve to 2-2. Lamb’s performance felt like something out of a movie, and the final catch delivered the Hollywood ending the Cowboys desperately needed.
