This Sunday afternoon will feature the Texas showdown as Dallas Cowboys visit the Houston Texans on with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The game will air on FOX. Both teams need a response; Dallas enters Week 4 at 1-2 after a 34-31 loss to Baltimore, while Houston are 0-3 after another frustrating defeat.
The Texans have scored only 23 points across their last two games, while their running game has struggled badly. An 0-4 start would put Houston in a difficult position, making this close to a must-win.
Dak Prescott has been one of Dallas’ bright spots, throwing for 730 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception through three games. C.J. Stroud has 794 passing yards, three touchdowns without an interception, but Houston needs more production from its offense. Here are the expert picks for the Texans and Cowboys duel in Week 4.
National Predictions
NFL.com: Cowboys 25, Texans 23
ESPN: Cowboys 23, Texans 19
USA Today: Cowboys 24, Texans 23
CBS Sports: Texans 24, Cowboys 18
What Experts are saying?
“The Battle for Texas is back with both teams aiming to avoid their worst starts since 2020. In two career games against the Texans, Dak Prescott has struggled, with a 61.8 completion percentage, 2:4 TD-to-INT ratio and a 69.0 passer rating. And he’s yet face a DeMeco Ryans-led unit (with Houston or San Francisco), so things could continue to go south. I’m a big believer in the Texans’ defense but think the Cowboys are too talented an offense to lay down this early in the season. That said, Brian Schottenheimer must coach smarter this week, and there are major concerns with that defense, which continues to get hit with the injury bug. It’ll be without DT Jonathan Bullard, S Jalen Thompson and potentially CB Shavon Revel Jr. this week after losing CB Cobie Durant, S P.J. Locke, LB DeMarvion Overshown and S Malik Hooker in weeks prior. The Cowboys made a trade Wednesday night for disgruntled Pittsburgh corner Joey Porter Jr., which should aid the waning secondary once he’s on the field. The saving grace for that unit right now, though, is that the Texans’ offense has been abysmal, scoring a total of 23 points in the last two games. Notably, No. 1 receiver Nico Collins returned to practice Wednesday, but can his presence alone make all the difference for C.J. Stroud and Houston’s floundering offense? It’s definitely possible, and I won’t be all that shocked if Collins spurs the Texans to victory, but on the whole, I’ve seen a bit more from Dallas at this juncture,” NFL.com’s Brooke Cersosimo
“Houston has given up the second-most fantasy points per game to WRs, and its defensive front ranks 30th in pass rush win rate. That should give Prescott time to get the ball to WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Jake Ferguson is also in a good spot against a Texans defense giving up the fourth-most receiving yards per game to TEs,” Eric Moody, ESPN
“The Texans can’t fall to 0-4, can they? Yes, they can. The long flight back from Rio de Janeiro for the Cowboys will give Dak Prescott and Dallas plenty of time to turn the page after their loss to the Ravens,” Jeremy Cluff, USA Today
“The schedule-maker didn’t do the Cowboys any favors by putting them out on the road after the loss to the Ravens in Brazil. The 0-3 Texans are home for the third time in three weeks. The defense was better last week and I think that will be the difference here. The Texans’ offense will be better than it has been in recent games, too,” Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
