The Cowboys’ Week 4 trip to Houston will come with a familiar broadcast setup and a referee who has already left a mark on Dallas fans.
Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST on FOX, with Kenny Albert on play-by-play, Greg Olsen handling analysis, and Pam Oliver working the sideline. It’s a strong national crew, and Olsen in particular has become a quick favorite for the way he breaks the game down from the booth.
The officiating assignment is Brad Allen, a veteran referee who has been on the job since 2014. His name still rings loud with Cowboys fans because of the infamous two-point play confusion in 2023 against the Detroit Lions.
In that game, the Lions tried to create confusion by sending multiple linemen to Allen. Taylor Decker said he reported eligible, but Allen announced Dan Skipper as the eligible receiver.
Decker then caught a two-point conversion that would have put Detroit ahead, but it was ruled a penalty because he was not eligible. The Lions got another shot at the conversion and missed it, leaving the game and the officiating crew at the center of plenty of frustration.
Dallas enters Week 4 at 1-2, while Houston is 0-3 despite coming off three straight seasons with at least 10 wins. The Cowboys are also bringing more changes on defense after an offseason full of them, including a trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Porter will make his debut against the Texans, though it remains unclear how much he’ll play. He has not appeared in a game in 2026 and has been with Dallas for less than a week. The Cowboys also elevated multiple defensive backs as they try to cover for injuries in the secondary.
In Other News...
Texans Fans Wont Like What This Tank Dell Recovery Update Suggests
Tank Dells season remains in limbo as the Texans wide receiver stays on injured reserve with no timeline for his return after a serious knee injury. He has not been cleared to come back, and recent reports point to a recovery that is still ongoing as Houston continues to monitor his progress.
Dells situation is especially frustrating because this is not a quick reset after a routine setback. He suffered multiple knee ligament injuries more than 20 months ago, and he is still trying to get back to the speed and explosiveness that made him such a dangerous part of the Texans offense. For now, the best that can be said is that a return does not appear imminent, with the possibility of him getting back later in the season still hanging out there. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Have A Lead Problem At The Worst Possible Time
The Texans did the part that usually settles a home game early, getting on the board with a Nico Collins touchdown and adding enough from Kaimi Fairbairn to build a cushion against Dallas. For most of the first half, Houston looked like the team controlling the pace, answering the Cowboys field goals and keeping its foot in front even as the visitors chipped away with Brandon Aubrey kicks and a Javonte Williams scoring run.
But the part that matters now is what happens after a fast start, because Houston has spent enough of this game in control to make the next stretch feel decisive. The Texans carried their lead into the second half, yet the Cowboys kept hanging around, and in a week four matchup like this the difference between a steady advantage and a costly slip can be small enough to change the entire feel of the afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Texans May Be Facing A Backfield Change They Cant Ignore
The Texans sluggish start has put their running game under a microscope, and Woody Marks is starting to look like a player who could force the issue. Through three games, the rookie has been a bit more efficient than veteran David Montgomery, and the difference has been enough to at least put a larger role on the table as Houston searches for anything that can spark a ground attack that has not done much to help the offense.
Houstons 0-3 record only sharpens the urgency, because the backfield has not produced the kind of consistent push the team needs. Montgomery still brings experience, but Marks has shown a little more explosiveness, and if the Texans are serious about changing the tone of their run game, they may not be able to keep treating the workload as settled. [Read more 🡒]