FRISCO, TEXAS — It’s a battle in the Lone Star State: the Dallas Cowboys (3-6) welcoming the Houston Texans up north for a primetime matchup on Monday. The Cowboys have never lost to the Texans in AT&T Stadium, but have also yet to win inside of it this season.
The teams, at a glance:
The Texans are at the top of the AFC South—eight of their 10 games so far this season have been decided by one score, and they have averaged about 22 points per game. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said that Houston has “so many similarities with San Francisco,” and that it was a good thing the Cowboys played the 49ers a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Dallas, on average, has given up almost 29 (28.8) points per game, second worst in the NFL this season. The Cowboys score, on average, just under 20 points per game, currently ranked last in the league in the Red Zone.
Last week’s matchups:
The Cowboys lost 34-6 to division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. They are 0-4 at home now, and are coming into this one on a four-game losing streak. Dallas’ offense only passed for 66 yards, and did not score a single touchdown; the only points for the Cowboys came from kicker Brandon Aubrey’s two field goals. Dallas did have five sacks last game, while Houston’s quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked four times in a 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Texans squandered a 16-point lead, and lost by a field goal—they have now lost two-straight, and three of their last four games; the Texans are also the first team to lose in over 50 years after picking off an opposing QB, in their case Jared Goff, five times. Stroud finished last week with 232 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Joe Mixon found the end zone for a fifth-straight game, and wide receiver John Metchie III had six targets, five receptions for 74 yards and a TD of his own, stepping in for WR Nico Collins. While he hasn’t played since Week 6, Collins leads the league in yards per game with 113.4—he’s had three 100-yard performances this year, and his return will be an awaited one, whether he comes back against the Cowboys or after. He has not yet played since the Texans lost WR Stefon Diggs for the season to a torn ACL—Dallas’ cornerback Trevon Diggs will once again not get the chance to play his older brother; Trevon was out for the year last season when the Cowboys went to the Buffalo Bills (a 31-10 loss).
Dallas’ QB room:
QB Dak Prescott will undergo surgery to repair his partially torn hamstring, and be put on the season-ending IR list. He ended his season against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 with 1,978 passing yards, 11 TDs, eight interceptions, and his lowest QB rating of his career of 86.0. QB Cooper Rush replaced him as the starter last week, completing 13 of 23 passes for only 45 yards before QB Trey Lance would get some minutes. Rush is 5-2 when starting, both losses at the hands of the Eagles. Dallas added QB Will Grier to the practice squad on Tuesday, given Prescott’s status.
Sacking it:
Dallas got a pass rusher back last week—linebacker Micah Parsons with two of last game’s five sacks, and LB DeMarvion Overshown getting two of his own, too. Overshown leads the Cowboys with 4.0 sacks this season, one-of-four Dallas players with as many sacks or more in their first nine career games, in over 40 years; Parsons is another on that list, with 6.0. Stroud has been sacked for the second-most amount of times in the league this season: 34 to be exact. He has lost the most yards on sacks by anyone: 269. While he is seventh in the NFL in passing yards with 2,371, he’ll have to deal with Parsons and Overshown come Monday.
The run game:
Dallas is second-to-last in the league in rushing this year, averaging only 83.7 yards per game, but have averaged 5.2 yards per carry these past two weeks, against the Falcons and Eagles, which is good for third in the NFL in Weeks 9 and 10. A bright spot for the Cowboys, and no, not talking about the sun glare last week: in the same game, RB Rico Dowdle rushed for 53 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, making it back-to-back games for him with 50 or more yards on the ground. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said that Dowdle is “running with a lot of confidence,” and that “there’s a lot of hidden yards when you watch Rico run right now.” Dowdle says it’s his instincts that give him the edge, along with his vision, when it comes to making an impact.–
