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ARLINGTON, Texas — The two NFL teams from Texas are experiencing quite a different reality despite sharing just one victory between them over the last month.
Heading into their seventh matchup, a series that began with Houston’s inaugural game over Dallas 22 years ago, the dynamics are anything but similar.
The Texans, led by C.J. Stroud, are in a much stronger position compared to the Cowboys, even though Stroud is dealing with perhaps the toughest four-game stretch of his young career as the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Currently, Houston stands at 6-4 and maintains its lead in the AFC South, despite facing a recent 1-3 downturn. On the other hand, Dallas holds a 3-6 record, grappling with a four-game losing streak that casts a shadow over their chances of extending a three-year playoff streak. This season, they have already surpassed the total losses they accumulated in each of the previous three 12-5 seasons.
Add to this the fact that Dallas is coming off a disappointing offensive display in their first game without their franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, who is sidelined for the season following hamstring surgery.
Being at home on Monday night may offer little solace, as the Cowboys have struggled at AT&T Stadium, remaining winless (0-4) there this season. Last January, they suffered a lopsided defeat to Green Bay after a streak of 16 straight home victories.
In their four losses at home this season, three have been by significant margins, including a 34-6 thrashing by division rival Philadelphia just last week. The other loss was not as close as it appeared, ending in a mere three-point difference.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our football team to face this valley of adversity,” remarked Mike McCarthy, whose position as Dallas’s head coach is uncertain as he enters the final year of his contract. “If we can emerge from this, it would make for a great story. There’s a mountain of work ahead, and our primary focus remains on defeating the Houston Texans.”
The Texans find themselves in a challenging position as well, having lost two consecutive games for only the second time since Stroud’s debut season. The only previous occurrence was at the onset of his rookie campaign, where they lost their first two games. Last week, Houston narrowly fell to Detroit 26-23 despite achieving five interceptions on quarterback Jared Goff.
Dallas’s backup quarterback Cooper Rush faced significant struggles after stepping in for Prescott. In a game against Philadelphia, where he entered with a 5-1 record filling in for Prescott, Rush was unable to find his rhythm, resulting in only 45 passing yards—the lowest total for a Dallas starter since 2015 during another difficult season for the franchise.
This current four-game skid marks the longest for Dallas since 2020 when Prescott was lost to injury.
“When Micah is on the field, he tends to get more one-on-one matchups for others, which was definitely the case last week,” McCarthy noted.
On a positive note for the Texans, they are likely to see the return of key wide receiver Nico Collins, who has not played for the past five games due to a hamstring injury. Collins has been activated from injured reserve and is expected to participate in practice this week, according to Ryans.
Despite his absence, he still leads the team with 567 receiving yards, and his return should offer a much-needed boost to a passing game that has faced challenges without him and fellow receiver Stefon Diggs, who is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
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