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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) prepares for a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.<\/p>\n
Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
The Cowboys<\/a> offense couldn\u2019t manage to reach the red zone in the first half on Sunday against the Texans. Then the third quarter started and the Cowboys punched the Texans in the mouth. It was a tale of two halves.\u00a0<\/p>\n KaVontae Turpin\u2019s 48-yard kickoff return gave the offense great field position at Houston\u2019s 49-yard line and you could feel the jolt of energy and intensity on the visiting sideline. Dallas scored TDs on four of five possessions in the second half for a dramatic 34-30 come-from-behind victory<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Following the opening series in the third quarter, which culminated in Javonte Williams<\/a>\u2019 first of three rushing TDs, a fired-up Dak Prescott<\/a> walked the length of the bench, exhorting teammates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dak is not overly demonstrative between series; he usually heads to his spot on the bench and reviews plays on the Microsoft Surface tablet with QB coach Steve Shimko. But Dak also has an uncanny knack for knowing when it\u2019s time to say something, and he was fervent after that first series, talking up his teammates. \u00a0<\/p>\n Dak\u2019s message, and I\u2019ll summarize because many of the more colorful words can\u2019t be written on a respected site like SportsDay, was \u201ctempo.\u201d He repeated it to the offensive\u00a0line and the receiving corps.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tempo doesn\u2019t always mean \u201churry up\u201d as in two-minute drill. It means getting the calls quickly, getting up to the line of scrimmage, and not allowing the defense to make substitutions, which means the defenders get worn down and mismatches can be exploited.\u00a0<\/p>\n Obviously, the message of \u201ctempo\u201d was taken to heart. Don\u2019t take my word for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe put the pressure on them, we went tempo a lot more,\u201d right guard Tyler Booker said postgame. \u201cThat helped us keep them from making a lot of subs. We had success dictating the style of play to them. \u2026 We went tempo a lot more on the ball and that forced their hand to leave some guys on the field and take advantage of personnel mismatches.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing that certain guys are going to have the stay on the field, the D-line is going to rush really hard for the first two plays, but plays four, five and six, they\u2019re not going to be rushing the same. And you can only cover\u00a0CeeDee and George for so long.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb (88) smiles as he exits the field after defeating the Houston Texans in an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Lamb\u2019s fire: Exactly 25 miles from Reliant Stadium, CeeDee Lamb<\/a> starred in high school for the Foster Falcons in Richmond. But for all his exploits in and around Houston, he had never played a game in Reliant Stadium. \u00a0<\/p>\n Being close to home meant more friends and family had an opportunity to see him set a career-high in receptions (17) as well as score the game-winning TD with 40 seconds to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy grandma came out and it was really good to see,\u201d noted Lamb. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t really come to many of my games and do the hoorah and screaming, so it was good to see my family here.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “I\u2019m grateful for it. \u2026 It was fire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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