The Cowboys left Brazil with a loss that stung right to the final second, but the setup in Houston gives them a real shot to steady things. Dallas fell to Baltimore, 34-31, when Tyler Loop drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired, dropping the Cowboys to 1-2. Still, this matchup lines up in a way that should have Dallas feeling good about getting back in the win column.
Start with Dak Prescott, who is driving the offense at a high level. Through three games, he has gone 73-of-105 for 730 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception, with a 107.2 passer rating. Dallas is putting up more than 29 points per game, good for seventh in the NFL, and that matters because Houston has been stuck at 18 points per game, which ranks 24th.
That scoring gap shows up even more when you look at the records and the numbers side by side. The Texans are 0-3 and have scored only 54 points.
Dallas has already put up 88. The Cowboys have shown they can score enough to survive a tight game; Houston hasn’t come close to proving the same thing.
The Texans’ latest outing only added to the concern. Against an Indianapolis defense that had been struggling badly in the first two weeks, Houston managed just 223 total yards.
C.J. Stroud threw for 167 yards, and the entire offense produced only 70 rushing yards.
For Dallas, that says the formula does not need to be fancy: play clean, score, and make Houston try to keep up.
CeeDee Lamb gives the Cowboys another major edge. He has 20 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns through three games, an average of 103 receiving yards per game.
His last two weeks have been especially loud - 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, then 112 more against Baltimore. That’s back-to-back 100-yard games, and he’s doing damage beyond easy completions.
Lamb is averaging 15.5 yards per catch, with five receptions already going for at least 20 yards.
That creates problems for Houston in more than one spot. If the Texans tilt too hard toward Lamb, George Pickens can make them pay. He finished the Baltimore game with 82 receiving yards.
Dallas also got a much-needed boost from Javonte Williams. The running game had been slow to arrive in the first two weeks, but Williams changed that against Baltimore, carrying 19 times for 98 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. It was his best rushing day of the season, and it showed up early, with Dallas consistently moving Baltimore off the line of scrimmage.
There’s also a path for the Cowboys’ defense to take control. Stroud has already been sacked 10 times in three games, and Houston has had issues up front. Starting guard Ed Ingram missed the last two games with a groin injury, and while Houston hopes he can return against Dallas, his status will be one to monitor once the official injury reports start later in the week.
Even if Ingram comes back, the Texans’ line has spent three weeks letting pressure get home. That gives Dallas a chance to finally cash in with a breakout game from its pass rush. The Cowboys have not turned pressure into enough sacks yet, but this is the kind of matchup that can change that.
Houston’s run game does not look like a threat to force Dallas into a long afternoon, either. The Texans’ leading rusher is David Montgomery, who has just 103 rushing yards through three games and is averaging 2.8 yards per carry.
Houston ran for only 60 yards against Cincinnati and then managed 70 rushing yards at 3.3 yards per attempt against Indianapolis. Over those last two games, that’s only 130 rushing yards combined.
That matters for a Dallas defense that has had trouble stopping the run. Houston has not shown enough consistency on the ground to really lean on that weakness.
It also hasn’t been sharp finishing drives. Against Cincinnati in Week 2, the Texans got into the red zone four times and failed to score a touchdown on any of them.
Nico Collins is another name to watch. He caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s opener against Buffalo, but a hamstring injury has kept him out the last two games. The Texans hope he can return against Dallas.
The Cowboys are on the road, but the trip is short, and the opponent is sitting at 0-2 at home and 0-3 overall. For Dallas, this is a chance to reset quickly and walk out of Houston with win No. 2.
In Other News...
Joey Porter Jr. Trade Just Dragged Cowboys Into A Steelers Controversy
The Joey Porter Jr. trade has stirred more than just roster talk around Dallas. After the Cowboys landed the cornerback from Pittsburgh, former Steelers running back LeVeon Bell jumped on social media to take aim at his old team, using the move to reopen broader questions about how the franchise has handled some of the Black players it drafted.
Bells comments pointed to Porter and former wide receiver George Pickens while leaving linebacker T.J. Watt out of the criticism, and his own history with the Steelers added another layer to the conversation. For the Cowboys, the deal itself is the football piece, but the surrounding noise has ensured Porter arrives in Dallas with a spotlight that reaches well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Tight End Need Puts An Awkward Cowboys Trade Idea In Play
The Cowboys 2023 draft class has already thinned out, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker is still trying to carve out a clearer role in Dallas. He remains behind Jake Ferguson on the depth chart, which has left him as one of the few members of that class still on the roster without a firm path to starting snaps.
That uncertainty has even opened the door to a curious trade thought, with analyst Kristopher Knox pointing to teams like the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles as possible landing spots for Schoonmaker. For Dallas, the awkward part is obvious: the idea of moving a young tight end within the division is never easy to ignore, especially when the roster still has so little left from that draft class. [Read more 🡒]
Tony Pollard Could Be Headed Back Into A Contender's Plans
The Titans rough 0-3 start has already put a spotlight on their offense, and it has also reopened questions about what comes next for Tony Pollard. ESPNs Dan Graziano floated the idea that the veteran running back could become a trade candidate if he stays healthy and Tennessee decides it does not plan to extend his contract, a development that would put him on the radar of teams looking for backfield help.
For Cowboys fans, it is the sort of early-season storyline worth watching because Pollard remains a familiar name with real market value if Tennessee keeps sliding. The Saints, Vikings and Packers were all mentioned as possible suitors if the Titans drift out of playoff contention, which could turn Pollard into one of the more interesting available pieces before the trade deadline picture starts to clear. [Read more 🡒]