This Sunday’s meeting between the Cowboys and Texans will be the eighth time these teams have lined up against each other, and the series has settled into something close to a toss-up over the years. Dallas owns the edge overall, but Houston has made plenty of noise in the matchup, including in the most recent game between the clubs.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series 4-3, though the Texans have held their own enough to keep this from feeling like a one-sided state affair. The teams have met only about once every four years, but when they do, the games usually carry a little extra edge.
Two of the tighter ones came in 2014 and 2018, both of which went to overtime. Dallas won the first of those and Houston took the second.
That back-and-forth has played out even in the preseason, where the Texans lead 4-3. The August games have often come after the Cowboys return from Oxnard, CA, and the in-state matchup has tended to bring a bit more heat than a typical exhibition.
Dallas is also trying to improve its record in Houston. The Cowboys are 1-2 all-time in games played there, with their lone win coming in 2010. That was Wade Phillips’ only victory that season before he was fired that November.
The series began with a bang in 2002, when Houston opened Reliant Stadium and played its first regular-season game against Dallas. The Texans made history that day, becoming only the second expansion team in NFL history to win its first regular-season game.
Houston stunned the Cowboys 19-10 behind rookie quarterback David Carr, who threw two touchdowns. Dallas, with Quincy Carter at quarterback, did not find the end zone through the air.
That result landed hard on a Cowboys team already in rough shape. Dallas had gone 5-11 in each of the previous two seasons under Dave Campo and was still digging out from the end of its 1990s run.
Emmitt Smith, Larry Allen, and Darren Woodson were still on the roster, but the franchise was in the middle of a badly handled rebuild by Jerry Jones. Campo was fired after the season, and Jones brought in Bill Parcells in 2003.
Houston also took the latest meeting, which came in 2024 and served as another rough snapshot of a difficult Cowboys season. The Texans rolled 34-10 behind Joe Mixon, who ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns.
Dallas entered that game at 3-6 and was without Dak Prescott, who was out with a leg injury. Cooper Rush threw for 354 yards, but the Cowboys couldn’t turn the yardage into enough points.
That loss became part of a year that ended with major change in Dallas. It was Mike McCarthy’s final season as head coach, and the defeat also pointed toward the need for a reset on defense, with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer among those who needed to go.
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Dak Prescott Suddenly Gives Cowboys Fans A Short-Week Concern
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