This battle of Texas features a pair of teams that are in desperate need of a win following dispiriting losses in the final seconds a week ago. On one side, Dallas mismanaged the final minute of its contest against the Ravens, while the Texans offense struggled mightily against a poor Colts defense — ultimately losing on an Indianapolis field goal with 15 seconds left. Houston is now 0-3 for the second consecutive season, but instead of giving up on the Texans, I'm going back to the well with CJ Stroud and company as short home favorites on Sunday.
From a situational perspective, I like the spot with Houston in this one. After all, the Texans are at home and playing a Cowboys team that is coming off an exhausting game in Brazil — one that they lost in devastating fashion. Yes, Houston is 0-3 this season, but two of those losses came by a combined seven points. Furthermore, the Texans should be getting Nico Collins back this week following a two-game absence due to injury. This is a completely different offense with Collins lining up on the outside, and he should make an immediate impact against a Cowboys defense that is among the worst in football; ranked dead last in EPA per play and success rate. On the other side of the ball, the Dallas offensive line is dealing with some injuries and that's not what you want when going up against a ferocious Texans defensive front. Look for Houston to apply pressure on Dak Prescott throughout the night and get the veteran quarterback off his game in what is a must-win spot at home for DeMeco Ryans' team.
Cowboys vs Texans predictions: Texans -2.5 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to Texans -3 (-110).
