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Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (92) dances after sacking Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.<\/p>\n
Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
HOUSTON \u2014 Rashan Gary came roaring into the Cowboys’ locker room on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
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The pass rusher wore the emotion of what this Cowboys<\/a> defense had been feeling for most of the game against the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n At times, this defense just looked lost. Other times it looked dominant. And, finally, it did just enough.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sometimes that\u2019s what you need, which is exactly what the Cowboys received from their defense in a 34-30 victory over the Texans<\/a> at Reliant Stadium.<\/p>\n Maybe that\u2019s why Gary was screaming as he came into the locker room.<\/p>\n \u201cMan, I\u2019m excited because first off, like\u00a0Von [Miller] said, we needed this win,\u201d Gary said. \u201cComing into this game, we looked at it as us being in the same boat as Houston and just being able to put together a game where the defense could finally find a way to finish, get us to win and get off the field the right way. And I feel like throughout the first three weeks we\u2019ve been improving and getting better, but those areas of improvement, getting us off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n The positives against the Texans were the two sacks, one each from Quinnen Williams and Gary. The Texans went 3-of-10 on third downs and, of course, there were two three- and-outs. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr<\/a>., made his season debut after he was acquired in a trade with the Steelers.<\/p>\n Porter didn\u2019t record a pass breakup or a tackle but was not targeted when covering the Texans’ best receiver Nico Collins.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Collins caught seven passes for 118 yards with two touchdowns.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a little tough, very bigger guy, but try to do our best with him today,\u201d cornerback DaRon\u00a0Bland said. \u201cSo we let him get loose a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n Stroud threw for 347 yards. The pressure was better but he still had too much time to throw.<\/p>\n One of the biggest improvements is how the Cowboys handled their end-of-game situations<\/a>.<\/p>\n