The Dallas Cowboys got a massive bounce-back win against the intrastate rival Texans, defeating Houston by a final score of 34-30.
While Dak Prescott and the offense struggled in the first half against a good Texans defense, the second half was an offensive explosion, culminating in arguably CeeDee Lamb's best game as a Cowboy.
Lamb's stock is definitely soaring after Sunday's win, but his big day might not have mattered had the defense not shown signs of life after a rough start to the season. In addition to Lamb, two other Cowboys are seeing their stock rise after this win.
3 Cowboys whose stock is rising up after win over Texans
1. CeeDee Lamb, WR
Lamb had a career day against Houston. He hauled in a career-high 17 catches, falling just one shy of Jason Witten’s Cowboys record of 18. He also caught the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to cap off the monster performance.
With the Cowboys trailing 16-6 at halftime, it felt like the offense needed something drastic to flip the script against Houston. Lamb certainly did his part. He moved the chains with clutch catches throughout the game, and the Texans’ secondary simply had no answer for him.
It felt like Prescott was going to find Lamb no matter what Houston threw at them. Cowboys fans might have even seen shades of the chemistry Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin once shared, with Prescott trusting his No. 1 receiver to deliver whenever Dallas needed a play.
After another 100-yard performance, Lamb continues to remind everyone why he belongs in the conversation among the NFL’s best receivers. His stock is soaring after Sunday’s win.
2. Quinnen Williams, DT
The Cowboys did two things against Houston that had eluded them all season: pressure the quarterback and slow down the running game. While the defense finished with only two sacks, Quinnen Williams was at the heart of the disruption up front and consistently made C.J. Stroud uncomfortable in the pocket.
Williams recorded one of Dallas’ two sacks, and it came at a crucial time to stall a Texans drive in the fourth quarter. It felt like a continuation of last week when Williams repeatedly came close to bringing down Lamar Jackson but couldn’t quite finish. This time, he got home.
More importantly, Williams is starting to look more and more like the $105 million player Dallas paid him to be before the season.
The Texans also finished with just 62 yards on the ground, and Williams had a tackle for loss as part of the effort that neutralized David Montgomery. The five-time Pro Bowler led all defensive linemen with four tackles. As one of the new main pillars on this defense, Williams is getting better every week.
His stock is exploding after this game.
3. Joey Porter Jr., CB
Joey Porter Jr. arrived in Dallas just a few days ago, but he made an impact in his debut. It was not a standout performance in terms of big plays, but more so in the plays the Houston receivers did not make when they lined up against him.
Porter had limited snaps, but did not allow a catch. In fact, when he was on the field Stroud threw it in the opposite direction on seemingly every dropback. When he was lined up against Nico Collins, the attention went to whichever receiver was being covered by DaRon Bland or Reddy Steward. That was easy pickings for Stroud every time.
It is too early to put the term "shutdown corner" on Porter as a Cowboy after just one game in which he played very little. However, this game showed he is the unrivaled best cornerback on his team, especially if Bland is never going to turn his career around. Bland gave up multiple big plays that put Houston in good position to win.
As Porter gets more acclimated to his new surroundings, his impact should only become more noticeable. He had just a couple of practices to learn Christian Parker’s defense before being thrown into the fire against Houston, yet he already looked comfortable in his limited role.
As the Cowboys expand his responsibilities and Porter develops chemistry with the rest of the secondary, there’s plenty of reason to believe his best football in Dallas is still ahead of him. It’s only one game, but the early returns on the trade are extremely encouraging. Porter’s stock is already starting to rise.
Add us as a preferred source on Google