2026 NFL season, Week 4: What We Learned from Sunday’s games

Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. CeeDee explodes in Cowboys win. The Dallas offense sputtered in the first half, unable to punch it into the end zone. Then, CeeDee Lamb took over. The star wideout generated a whopping 17 catches for 189 yards and the game-deciding touchdown — 11/140/1 coming in the final two quarters. Dallas found pay dirt on four of its five drives in the second half, turning the Texans’ secondary into mincemeat. No one could cover Lamb, who particularly tortured Kamari Lassiter. Dak Prescott targeted Lamb on 21 of 45 routes, the most targets by any receiver to run 45 or fewer routes in a game during the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). The Cowboys moved him around the formation. Lamb totaled at least seven receptions and 60 yards when aligned out wide (10 receptions, 128 yards) and in the slot (seven receptions, 61 yards, TD), per NGS. Prescott struggled in the pocket through two quarters, including going 0 for 4 under pressure. However, he was much more comfortable in the second half, dicing up the Texans by seeking out Lamb on every big chance.
2. Texans’ defense can’t get the stop it needed. Nico Collins’ return opened up the offense, with the star wideout going for seven catches for 117 yards and two scores. Collins brought big plays to an offense that lacked them and helped open things up for other receivers. Putting up 30 points should be enough to win games for Houston. Unfortunately, the Texans defense didn’t hold up its end late. DeMeco Ryans’ D got tortured by CeeDee Lamb and allowed Javonte Williams to punch in three short-yardage TDs. The front pestered Prescott early, but as the game wore on, the secondary couldn’t hold up, leading to big plays for Dallas. A defense that entered the season looking like the best in the league has been average through four weeks. The Texans dug themselves out of a 0-3 hole last year. This year’s 0-4 record feels miles deeper.
3. Cowboys D still has strides to make after trade. Joey Porter Jr. played 24 of 52 defensive snaps, per Next Gen Stats, including 19 coverage snaps without allowing a reception on one target. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud ate up DaRon Bland (104 yards, TD allowed) and Reddy Steward (98 yards). The defensive line couldn’t get pressure for long stretches, an issue that has plagued the D all season. Quinnen Williams did make several big plays in the second half, including a sack and a tackle for loss. Dallas allowed a Houston offense that has struggled this season to gain 397 yards and 7.6 yards per play, including eight pass plays of 20-plus yards. We’ll see whether Christian Parker uses Porter more as a traveler as he gets immersed in the new defense.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Cowboys-Texans (via NFL Pro): Dak Prescott completed 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ Week 4 win over the Texans, including five of seven for 116 yards against the blitz. He averaged 16.6 yards per attempt against the blitz, his most in a game since Week 4 of 2024 against the Giants (18.5 yards per attempt). Prescott was pressured just once when blitzed, tied for the Texans’ lowest pressure total when blitzing in a game under head coach DeMeco Ryans. Prescott was pressured 13 times overall, taking three sacks and completing just three of nine passes for 14 yards.

NFL Research: With 17 receptions, 189 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in Week 4, CeeDee Lamb became only the fourth player in NFL history to have 17+ receptions, 180+ receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a game. Lamb joins Hall of Famers Tom Fears (1950) and Terrell Owens (2000) along with Brandon Marshall (2009) as the only players to do so.