Texans-Cowboys preview
6 critical elements that could tip the scales in Texans' clash with Cowboys on MNF
Nov 18, 2024, 10:28 am
Nico Collins is expected to play versus the Cowboys. Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images.
Houston (6-4) at Dallas (3-6)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
BetMGM NFL Odds: Texans by 7 1/2.
Against the spread: Texans 4-5-1; Cowboys 2-7.
Series record: Cowboys lead 4-2.
Last meeting: Cowboys beat Texans 27-23 on Dec. 11, 2022, in Arlington, Texas.
Last week: Texans lost to Lions 26-23; Cowboys lost to Eagles 34-6.
Texans offense: overall (15), rush (18), pass (15), scoring (17)
Texans defense: overall (3), rush (11), pass (4), scoring (19)
Cowboys offense: overall (21), rush (31), pass (10), scoring (23)
Cowboys defense: overall (26), rush (31), pass (11), scoring (31)
Turnover differential: Texans plus-7; Cowboys minus-10.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon is coming off a season-worst average of 1.8 yards per carry against the Lions in just his second game with fewer than 100 yards rushing this season. His 46 yards on 25 carries came against the NFL's No. 7 run defense. Now Mixon is back to facing the league's second-worst run defense, which he did in a 102-yard showing at Indianapolis last month. Mixon did score against Detroit, giving him at least one touchdown in all five games since returning from a high ankle sprain.
Cowboys player to watch
All-Pro WR CeeDee Lamb won't have Dak Prescott for the the rest of the season after the franchise QB had season-ending surgery on his torn hamstring. The first game without Prescott was dismal for the Dallas passing game. The Cowboys netted 49 yards through the air, their lowest total since 2001. Lamb had six catches, but for just 21 yards as Dallas averaged a paltry 1.5 yards per attempt. Dallas' fading hopes will be gone if those numbers don't improve.
Key matchup
Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons vs. Texans QB C.J. Stroud. Parsons was fantastic in his return from a high ankle sprain, which led to a four-game absence that was his first for injury in the NFL. Parsons sacked Jalen Hurts twice in the loss to the Eagles, the second forcing a fumble that gave Dallas a chance to take a second-quarter lead. It's been a rough four-game stretch for Stroud, but the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year did showcase his mobility with 59 yards rushing two games ago in a loss to the New York Jets. He completed just 11 of 30 passes against New York and has two TD passes and two interceptions over the past four games.
Key injuries
WR Nico Collins has missed the past five games with a hamstring injury for the Texans, who already have lost WR Stefon Diggs to a season-ending knee injury. Collins was closer to a return last week and is expected to start against Dallas. ... DE Will Anderson Jr., who is tied for fifth in the NFL with 7 1/2 sacks, didn't practice Thursday because of an ankle issue. ... CB Kamari Lassiter, who became the fourth Texans rookie with two interceptions in a game as Houston had five against Detroit, was listed with a concussion on the injury report and didn't practice Thursday. ... Cowboys LG Tyler Smith had his left leg wrapped and worked with a trainer during the portion of practice open to reporters Wednesday. Smith was listed as limited in practice Thursday. ... FB Hunter Luepke (calf) and CB Jourdan Lewis (neck) weren't practicing to start the week. ... LB DeMarvion Overshown is expected to play after injuring a knee against the Eagles. He missed all of his rookie season in 2023 with a torn knee ligament.
Series notes
Dallas has won four of five since losing to the expansion Texans in Houston in their inaugural game in 2002. The Cowboys are 3-0 at home in the series.
Stats and stuff
The NFL's two Texas teams have just one victory between them over the past month. Houston is 1-3 since a 5-1 start, while still leading the AFC South. The defending NFC East champion Cowboys are sinking from playoff contention quickly with their first four-game losing streak since 2020, the most recent time they didn't qualify for the postseason. Dallas hasn't lost more than four in a row since 2015, when a seven-game skid matched the number of games quarterback Tony Romo missed with a broken collarbone. This will be the second game without Prescott. ... The Cowboys are 0-4 at home. They haven't started 0-5 or worse at home since losing all eight games at old Texas Stadium while finishing 1-15 in 1989, the year owner Jerry Jones bought the team. Dallas won 16 consecutive games at AT&T Stadium before the current skid, which is five losses when including a wild-card defeat to Green Bay in January. ... The Cowboys are making their 86th appearance on “Monday Night Football,” second to Miami's 89. Their 50 victories are third behind Pittsburgh (54) and San Francisco (52). The Texans are on MNF for the first time since 2019. It's the last of three consecutive prime-time games for Houston. ... Stroud has gone four consecutive games with a passer rating below 100. The longest such streak of his rookie season was three. ... Third-year Texans WR John Metchie III, who missed his rookie year undergoing treatment for leukemia, had career highs with five catches for 74 yards and his first-ever TD against the Lions. ... TE Dalton Schultz faces the Cowboys for the first time since signing with Houston in free agency last year. Schultz had 2,122 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns in five seasons with Dallas. He needs 55 yards to reach 1,000 with the Texans and is coming off a season-high 66 yards last week. ... Cowboys QB Cooper Rush is expected to start again after he and Trey Lance were ineffective in the first game without Prescott. Rush won his first five starts filling in for Prescott in 2021-22, but has lost the past two, both to the Eagles. ... Overshown leads the Cowboys with four sacks. He matched Parsons with two against Philadelphia. ... CB Trevon Diggs had his 20th career interception. The 26-year-old is the second youngest in franchise history to reach 20.
Fantasy tip
Opposing quarterbacks are averaging more than two touchdown passes in the past five Dallas home games. Stroud is a good play despite the recent struggles, and he has kept the interceptions under control.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The Houston Texans have a chance to win a third straight AFC South title this season with quarterback C.J. Stroud and coach DeMeco Ryans.
The challenge?
Nobody has won three straight titles since Peyton Manning was in his prime with the Indianapolis Colts in this division’s early years. The Tennessee Titans most recently came the closest only to come up short in 2022.
“I’m not really sure like what the next step is,” Houston general manager Nick Caserio said. “I mean we have a good football team, so we’ve been one of the best eight teams in the league the last two years. So what’s going to happen beyond that nobody has any idea.”
The Texans have advanced to two straight divisional rounds each of the past two postseasons, losing both with the most recent to Kansas City 23-14 in January. Caserio made a variety of moves to help Stroud, and coach DeMeco Ryans switched offensive coordinators as well.
Houston tight end Dalton Schultz said they just have to do one thing to get past the divisional round.
“It’s never the same as the year before, and there’s always some little wrinkle that is going to hit the league or hit your team,” Schultz said.
Houston went 10-7 in 2024 with the Colts at 8-9 with everyone working furiously to catch up — or else.
Indianapolis switched starting quarterbacks. Jacksonville hired a new coach and general manager before trading up to draft Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Tennessee has No. 1 draft pick overall in Cam Ward starting at quarterback after firing and hiring a new general manager.
“This league is a year-to-year league and what do I feel is best for the Colts in 2025,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said.
Texans’ challenge
Houston has to protect Stroud better. Only Chicago’s Caleb Williams was sacked more than the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. With the pounding, Stroud’s production dipped as he was sacked 52 times with his interceptions more than doubling to 12 from his rookie season.
Stroud still threw for 3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns. Ryans fired Bobby Slowik and hired Nick Caley as offensive coordinator.
“He comes from a different style than I’m used to, at least in the NFL,” Stroud said of Caley. “So, it’s cool just to learn something new and put another tool in my toolbox.”
Caserio traded five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Washington during the offseason to clear space to sign younger players. The Texans are expected to start a rookie at left tackle in second-round pick Aireontae Ersery with Tytus Howard at right tackle where he started 16 games last season.
Houston also acquired Christian Kirk, signed Justin Watson and drafted a pair of receivers out of Iowa State to provide depth behind Nico Collins after letting Stefon Diggs leave in free agency. Caserio also sent wide receiver John Metchie to Philadelphia for tight end Harrison Bryant on Aug. 17.
Hey Danny Dimes
Indianapolis has missed the playoffs the past four seasons, and a fifth straight could cost Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard their jobs with the late Jim Irsay’s daughters now running the franchise.
Going with Daniel Jones means the franchise who went two decades with Manning and Andrew Luck at quarterback will have yet another starter on opening day. Since 2017, only Anthony Richardson has started back-to-back season openers.
Yet the fourth overall pick in 2023 couldn’t stay healthy or help Jonathan Taylor nearly enough. Taylor ran for 1,431 yards and 11 TDs as Richardson completed just 47.7% of his throws, the lowest rate of any regular starter in the NFL.
Steichen said Richardson, 23, was thrown into the fire. The Colts coach isn’t ready to talk about Jones’ future.
“Let’s see how the season goes,” Steichen said.
Jacksonville’s youth movement
The biggest makeover came in Jacksonville, firing a Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and GM Trent Baalke. The Jaguars hired Liam Coen as coach and James Gladstone, 34, as their new GM.
The Jaguars are trying to fix a team that went 3-10 in one-score games in 2024 with the franchise losers of 18 of its past 23.
In his first head coaching job, Coen, 39, has a pair of first-timers in offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. As coordinator in Tampa Bay, Coen became the first NFL coordinator in at least 25 years to help a team average more than 28 points a game.
He has Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, who was limited by injuries to 10 games in 2024. Wide receiver Brian Thomas now can get help from Hunter, even if the rookie will also play some defense.
Tennessee time
Brian Callahan also was a first-time head coach a year ago with the Titans. He brought in a former NFL head coach in Mike McCoy this offseason among a handful of other changes to apply his lessons learned.
Mike Borgonzi was hired as GM when Ran Carthon’s big offseason spending spree didn’t pan out. The Titans have embraced their rebuild even if they added veteran receivers Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson along with left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and right guard Kevin Zeitler.
Predicted order of finish
Houston, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville.