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Cowboys-Texans: What we learned

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Dan Bailey made up for a rare miss at the end of regulation, nailing a 49-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Dallas Cowboys past the Houston Texans 20-17 Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys (4-1) were able to withstand three turnovers, a split crowd in their home stadium and Houston’s fourth-quarter rally to win their fourth game in a row since a season-opening loss to San Francisco.

“Today what was really positive was that it wasn’t perfect by any means,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “There were some things that we didn’t do as well as we needed to do as a football team, but the guys kept fighting, guys kept battling.

“We got the right kind of guys on our team who compete. When things don’t go well, they have the right demeanor.”

Quarterback Tony Romo, who said Dallas used a silent count in the second half because of Houston’s noisy fans, passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns, and his long pass to receiver Dez Bryant in overtime set up Bailey’s game winner. Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray added his NFL rushing lead with 136 yards on the ground.

“I was a little bit surprised by the number of Houston fans,” said Romo.

Dallas’ winning streak will be on the line next Sunday at defending Super Bowl champion Seattle. The Cowboys are 2-0 on the road this season. The Texans (3-2) return to Houston to face Indianapolis on Thursday night.

What the Cowboys said:

“It was make or break. I knew it as well. We had to have each other’s back. I just love the way we keep fighting through anything. We overcame a lot of adversity. We didn’t play our best game, but at the end of the day we stuck it out together and got the ‘W.'” — Wide receiver Dez Bryant.

What the Texans said:

“We just know we have to get better. There were some good things that came out of this game in terms of some of the stuff in the second half, the way Arian (Foster) ran the ball and some of the runs we opened in the second half. But we just have to look at it and get better.” — QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on offensive struggles.

What we learned about the Cowboys:

1. They’re not panicking. Even after surrendering a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were in position to win the game at the end of regulation. That missed field goal was a downer going into overtime, but Dallas pulled it out. “More than anything, we have a calming sense,” QB Tony Romo said. “It was great to go down there and win the game basically twice.”

2. They’re not abandoning what they do. The Cowboys are building an identity running the ball, and even after a first-quarter fumble by RB DeMarco Murray, they kept feeding the NFL’s leading rusher. Murray finished with another 100-yard day, and Dallas was able to control the clock for much of the second half.

–RB DeMarco Murray became the first Dallas player to open a season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He finished with a 136 yards on a career-high 31 carries. Murray didn’t score for the first time this season, and he did lose a fumble for the fourth time in five games.

–TE Jason Witten became the third tight end in NFL history to surpass 10,000 career receiving yards, joining Tony Gonzalez (15,127) and Shannon Sharpe (10,060). He’s also the second Cowboy with more than 10,000, joining WR Michael Irvin. “It was special,” Witten said. “I have so much respect for this position and all the players in this organization.”

What we learned about the Texans:

1. The offense needs fixing. Coach Bill O’Brien said after the game he has “no idea” what’s wrong with the offensive side of the ball. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick pinned the responsibility on himself. “I’m not playing well enough to win,” he said.

2. There is plenty of fight in the Texans. Houston seemed left for dead down 17-7 with less than 10 minutes left, but they mustered two impressive drives, plus a defensive stop, to send the game into overtime. “The one thing I do like about this team, though, is that they never give up,” O’Brien said. “They fight until the bitter end.”

–RB Arian Foster has three 100-yard games this season, including a season-high 157 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas. He has rushed for at least 100 yards and two scores seven times in his career.

–QB Ryan Fitzpatrick finished with a passer rating of 64.4 with one interception and no touchdowns. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 154 yards.

–LB Ricky Sapp left the game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return.

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