If the Houston Texans could have scored a touchdown with 3:25 to go in the game, they would have gone ahead 30-20 and given the Dallas Cowboys a harder time to tie the game, even with their three timeouts remaining.
Ifs and buts were candy and nuts, Space City would have a Merry Christmas.
Instead the Texans turned the ball over on downs as quarterback Jeff Driskel was held to one yard on a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 3:21 to go and Houston leading 23-20.
Caoch Lovie Smith didn’t blame the play-call from offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton or the read from Driskel on the run-pass option.
“We just didn’t execute,” Smith said. “We just didn’t execute the way we needed to.”
According to Driskel, who went 4-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown along with rushing seven times for 36 yards, the design was to get to the edge, but he noticed there were more defenders near the edge.
“It was a play to get out on the edge and they had more bodies out there than maybe we wanted,” said Driskel. “It was fourth down and I tried to put my foot in the ground and get vertical and they beat us on that step.”
The Cowboys drove 98 yards for the go-ahead touchdown to take a 27-23 lead and win the game.
“Games like that, sometimes you feel like, did we deserve to win? Yeah, I thought we played throughout, all three phases,” Smith said. “Where we are in our season, the guys just keep showing up to play that way against a team.”
The Texans fall to 1-11-1 on the season and go home to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 at NRG Stadium.
