The Dallas Cowboys (2-2) face the Houston Texans (1-3) this Sunday at NRG Stadium. This rivalry is a huge game for Texas football fans -commanding top dollar amounts for good seats to this game, despite their less than impressive current NFL rankings. This is largely due to the bragging rights the winner of this game will get for the next year in the Lone Star State.
Kickoff is set for Sunday, 10/7/2018 at 7:20 pm CST on FOX
Here are three standout expectations for Sunday night:
- Ezekiel Elliott can dominate the run game- Despite dealing with an ankle injury and pain in his knee, Zeke dominated with 25 carries and four receptions this past Sunday against the Lions. He currently leads the NFL in rushing, and Zeke’s run game has the Cowboys currently ranked #4 in rushing. Although the Texans run defense may be stacked, he was successful in finding openings against the Lions last week- and he should never be underestimated.
- Houston Texans will stack up on their run defense- Since Ezekiel Elliott is a strong force on the Cowboys, expect the Texans to stack up on their run defense and force Dak to make more plays. With power players like JJ Watt, who is currently ranked #2 in sacks (5.0), and Jadeveon Clowney, who was named the AFC Defensive player of the week and played a huge role in the Texans first win of the season last week against the Colts, the defense will be utilizing them to stop the Cowboys most dominant player on the field. If they are successful, they can potentially limit the Cowboys run game.
- Both quarterbacks needs to make huge plays- Dak Prescott played a decent game against against the Lions in a much-needed win last week. His focus should be on finding open receivers since he will be forced to make more plays during this game against a stacked Texans defense. If the offensive line can give him enough time inside of the pocket, force the defense to stay on one side of the field, and continue to throw with the same accuracy as he did against the Lions, he should have no problem connecting with wide receivers. The Cowboys currently rank #30 in passing, and this game will be a true testament on what Dak can do when he is under pressure. For the Texans, Deshaun Watson needs to avoid getting sacked. Although he’s currently ranked #9 in the NFL in passing, he’s been sacked a whopping 17 times this season coming off his injury. With top defensive players like DeMarcus Lawrence looking to feast off Watson, protecting their quarterback should be the offensive line’s top priority, giving him time to stay open and avoid being sacked. If he can successfully release the ball on time, he should have no problem connecting with their top receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.
Prediction: Cowboys 21, Texans 20. This pick was a tough one for me. Although the Cowboys are the underdog in this game and the Texans are favored at home, the Cowboys will surprise us. Dak is showing improvement on passing, Elliott is dominant in the run game, and the Houston Texans allowed Andrew Luck 400+ yards despite having a poor offense. Also, the Cowboys defense will apply a lot of pressure on Deshaun Watson, so I see them pulling off a surprise at NRG Stadium this Sunday. I don’t see the teams going over the Vegas odds of 45.5 due to the trend of points during the previous games, so I predict the final score being under.
