Texans' misery deepens: CeeDee Lamb’s late TD seals Cowboys’ win, drops Houston to 0-4

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans entered the season with Super Bowl hopes.

Four games in, they’re still hoping to get their first win.

CeeDee Lamb had a career-high 17 catches for 189 yards and his 12-yard TD reception with 40 seconds left lifted the Dallas Cowboys to a 34-30 win over Houston on Sunday that dropped the Texans to 0-4.

The Texans went 12-2 last season after losing their first three games to become the first team in NFL history to make the postseason twice after opening the season 0-3.

Now they face an even bigger uphill climb if they hope to make the playoffs for a fourth straight season after their first 0-4 start since 2020. Only the 1992 Chargers have rebounded from a 0-4 start to make the postseason.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s the NFL,” defensive end Will Anderson said. “We’ve got to bow up, man. Nobody's coming to save us ... we’ve got to go out there and play grown man football and we’ve got to take accountability and really do our jobs.”

It was a second straight week where the Texans took a late lead only to have their defense give up a late score in a loss.

On Sunday, Dallas (2-2) trailed by 4 after a 6-yard touchdown run by Woody Marks with about 2 ½ minutes to play. The Texans were facing third-and-14 when a hook-and-ladder play with a 2-yard catch by Dalton Schultz and a 19-yard run by David Montgomery set up that score.

Dak Prescott then orchestrated an 11-play, 74-yard drive that included a fourth down conversion and capped it with the throw to Lamb to give the Cowboys the victory.

“Today was not a great finish by our team,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Defensively it was not good enough. The offense goes out and plays like they played to give us 30 points and defensively we have to find a way to close that game out.”

Houston’s defense has taken a huge step back this season after leading the NFL in yards allowed (277.2) and ranking second in points given up (17.3) last season.

This season the Texans are allowing 343.75 yards and 27.25 points a game.

Houston did a good job defensively in the first half and led 16-6 at halftime. But the secondary fell apart after that as Prescott threw for 248 of his 335 yards in the second half and receivers were often left wide open.

“We’ve got to play our technique better,” Ryans said. “In the second half it just wasn’t good enough. In the first half I thought everybody played the coverages the way they were supposed to play, limited the explosive plays and the second half we did not do our coverages the proper way.”

Ryans got annoyed at a question postgame about why the Texans haven’t been able to replicate last season's defensive performance this season.

“I understand a lot of people want to compare 2025 to 2026, but for me it’s not the same,” he said. “We’ve got a different team. We’ve got different people. It’s different. So as much as we would love 2025 to carry over into 2026 that’s never the case or how it works in the NFL. Just because you have prior success that doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to have future success.”

Quarterback C.J. Stroud spoke to the team postgame and implored his teammates to stay positive during his difficult stretch.

“I just wanted to get in front of them and let them know how much I believe in them and trust in them,” he said. “We’re not in a good spot and it’s not where anybody wants to be… but I have the utmost trust and hope in them. So I was trying to just keep everybody together.”

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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud looks to the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks to pass the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, center, celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Houston, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

CHICAGO (AP) — Minkah Fitzpatrick's interception counted, and that one halted an NFL record drought for the New York Jets.

Fitzpatrick picked off Tyson Bagent in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-12 loss at the Chicago Bears. It was New York's first interception since Ashtyn Davis had two against Miami in the 2024 season finale, stopping a dry spell of 20 consecutive games.

But the Jets had three interceptions wiped out by penalties in their third consecutive loss. They surrendered 34 first downs and 492 yards overall to a Bears offense run by the team's backup quarterback.

“I don't think we did anything well that we wanted to do well,” Fitzpatrick said.

The 29-year-old Fitzpatrick picked up his 22nd career interception when he stepped in front of a pass intended for tight end Colston Loveland about three minutes into the second. It was Fitzpatrick's first game since he left New York's opener with a groin injury.

“Receiver kind of stuttered at the top of his route, so I knew it was most likely running an in-breaking route,” Fitzpatrick said. “Quarterback was looking my way, so I just, I drove it.”

It looked as if the drought was over earlier when defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat intercepted Bagent with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the opening quarter. But Jets cornerback Azareye’h Thomas was flagged for illegal use of hands.

Brandon Stephens picked off Bagent with about eight minutes left in the fourth, but it was on a deep ball on a free play after linebacker Demario Davis jumped offsides. Rookie D’Angelo Ponds was called for holding with about six minutes remaining, wiping out what would have been his first career interception.

New York (1-3) was penalized 12 times for 76 yards, compared to four penalties for 29 yards on Chicago (3-1).

“When it’s that big of a discrepancy, it’s always hard,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “When you think about it, most of those penalties that we had on third down, we’re getting off the field to give our offense a chance to get the ball back. And those are the ones that hurt, 'cause now you’re extending drives.”

Fitzpatrick's play was the first interception for New York in 643 pass attempts. The Jets went 83 regulation quarters — not including their overtime loss to Green Bay in Week 2 — between interceptions.

The Jets were the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without getting an interception since the league began charting the statistic in 1933. They had three in the preseason — one each by Andre Cisco, Samuel Womack and Marcelino McCrary-Ball — but those don’t count in official records.

“I’m not really worried about that,” Glenn said. “We got an interception, great. God, we lost the game. That’s what’s so backwards about the thinking of everybody is we lost the game and we got the interception. I mean we lost a game and that’s what I’m thinking about.”

AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York contributed to this report.

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New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick holds the ball as he celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) celebrates with teammate Qwan'tez Stiggers (37) after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick holds the ball as he celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)