SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 5, 2014
Cowboys 20, Texans 17 (OT): Dan Bailey kicked a 49-yard field goal after Dez Bryant made a circus catch in overtime as host Dallas outlasted Houston in the Battle of Texas.
Tony Romo was 28-of-41 for 324 yards and DeMarco Murray carried 31 times for 136 yards for Dallas (4-1), which has posted its first four-game winning streak since 2011 despite committing two red-zone turnovers and failing to run out the clock in regulation. Bryant made nine catches for 85 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys, who outgained the Texans 456-330.
Arian Foster ran for 157 yards and two TDs for Houston (3-2), which was held to 86 total yards in a scoreless first half and trailed 17-7 with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 16-of-25 for 154 yards for the Texans.
On a third-and-nine play in overtime, Romo threw a ball down the left sideline for which Bryant made a leaping, juggling catch over the defender for 37 yards to the Houston 31. Bailey avenged an earlier miss with a 49-yarder to win it as Houston got the ball to start overtime and - after a 24-yard run by Foster - crossed midfield but couldn't move any further.
After Romo threw TD passes to Terrance Williams and Bryant for a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, Houston got a 29-yard field goal from Randy Bullock and a 1-yard scoring run from Foster just under two minutes apart to forge a tie with 41 seconds left. Romo guided the Cowboys to the Texans 35, but Bailey missed a 53-yard attempt as time expired.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Texans have not allowed a point in the first quarter this season and the Cowboys have not yielded a point in the first half in their last two games. … Dallas' Jason Witten finished with 59 yards to join Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe as the only TEs in NFL history to surpass 10,000 for his career. … By forcing three turnovers, the Texans have 12 for the season - one more than 2013.