Texans-Cowboys on 'Monday Night Football': What we learned from Houston's 34-10 win

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Houston Texans beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 at AT&T Stadium for the first time in franchise history on Monday and ended a two-game losing streak.The Texans were fueled by Joe Mixon's three rushing touchdowns and 109 rushing yards.They jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and their defense carried them the rest of the game. Houston tackled Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush five times, intercepted him once and scored a touchdown on a stretch sack.This win puts the Texans two games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, who have already beaten them twice, in the AFC South, and their next two games are against the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have two victoriesHere are the most important things to know Monday night for both teams:

Key play: The defense took an unusual turn early in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Derek Barnett fumbled and Cowboys tight end Tyler Guyton recovered the loose ball while trying to run for a first down. Guyton didn't get far as safety Jalen Pitre fumbled the ball and Barnett recovered the loose ball and ran into the end zone. The score gave the Texans a 27-10 lead to help secure the win.Surprising performance: Coach DeMeco Ryans doesn't usually leave cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to the mercy of opposing star receivers. But against the Cowboys, he sometimes let Stingley go after All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and he responded. Stingley covered Lamb for 17 routes and allowed just two receptions for 19 yards with one interception and two pass breakups while causing offensive interference. Rush had a 3.5 passer rating when he threw to Stingley, according to Next Gen Stats.Disturbing trend: Texans have had nine penalties for 69 yards, which kept the Cowboys in the game. The first play of the game was a 77-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nico Collins in his first game after missing the previous five games with a hamstring injury, but left tackle Laremy Tunsil was called for an illegal fielder that voided the game. The drive also scored thanks to a 45-yard touchdown run by Mixon. But on the first drive of the third quarter, the Texans marched to the Cowboys' 5-yard line and left guard Juice Scruggs was penalized for holding, pushing the Texans to a second and 18. instead of six points. Houston needs to clean up its slack as the playoffs approach. -- D.J Bien-AimeNext match: vs. Tennessee Titans (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)Dallas Cowboys (3-7)There are seven miserable weeks in the Cowboys' season, but their losing streak continues.

Despite the Cowboys' fifth straight loss, the season is not mathematically over. But what gives them hope that things can change? Quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season after undergoing hamstring surgery, and in a three-game stretch in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys lost right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith.The losing streak is the Cowboys' longest since 2015 — when they lost seven straight games to finish 4-12 — and is tied for the longest of a Cowboys coach's career. He lost five straight games to finish 6-10 in 2008 with the Green Bay Packers.Remember: He's not out of contract this season.And perhaps the most humiliating stat of all: For the first time since 1989, the Cowboys lost their first five home games of the season. That team finished 1-15 in Jerry Jones' first year as owner and general manager.QB Lineup: In the second quarter, Rush had more passing yards than in all of last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (45 yards). In the second quarter, he completed a 64-yard pass to KaVontae Turpin, the second-longest of his career. Turpin had more receiving yards (56) than Rush had passing yards against the Eagles. But it took until the fourth quarter for the Rush to complete another pass of 20 yards or more, despite having 354 passing yards. The fourth-quarter sack that was returned for a touchdown that extended Houston's lead to 17 points served as just another reminder that the Cowboys have no margin for error.

Disturbing trend: The Cowboys nearly gave up a 77-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, but it was overturned because of a Texans misconduct penalty. Six plays later, Mixon scored the game's first touchdown on a 45-yard run. Although the Cowboys' run defense was mediocre (31st in the league before the game), it was the longest run the Cowboys have allowed this season. It went 39 yards to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on a jet sweep. Big plays have been a Cowboys nemesis all year. On Monday, the Cowboys gave up 28 passes of 20 yards or more and 38 runs of 10 yards or more.Disturbing trend (part 2): The Cowboys have given up points in 22 straight quarters dating back to their Week 5 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to ESPN Research, that's the longest streak in team history. The longest streak was 19 consecutive quarters in 1960, the Cowboys' inaugural season. The Texans opened the second-half with a field goal, marking the eighth time in 10 games that a Cowboys opponent has scored on the first possession of the third quarter. -- Todd ArcherNext game: vs. Washington Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)