DALLAS — Not much has gone as planned for the Dallas Cowboys this season and it doesn’t get any easier for America’s Team in Week 11 when they host the Houston Texans. The in-state rivals might be struggling as losers in three of their last four games, but the Texans remain in first place in the AFC South with a record of 6-4.
This year, if a team wants to turn things around, all they have to do is play the Cowboys in AT&T Stadium to reverse their fortunes. Dallas is 0-4 at home and they have been humiliated in each loss in blowout fashion. It doesn’t help that quarterback Dak Prescott will be out for the remainder of the season and elevated backup Cooper Rush will continue to be the starter after an abysmal initial outing, but this is the bed the Cowboys have made and are now lying in.
If Dallas is to win their first game at home this season, they’ll need to play much better from virtually every unit and take advantage of a team that hasn’t been playing their best ball.
Here are the strengths and weaknesses for the Texans ahead of the Week 11 clash:
Strength: Joe Mixon
The Texans don’t have a great running game, but they do have a great running back in Joe Mixon, who was traded to the team in the offseason. The veteran RB is 13th in the league in rushing, and that’s despite missing three games with injury.
In his seven outings, Mixon has five 100-yard games and seven rushing touchdowns. No other Texans RB has 100 yards for the season or has managed more than two rushing scores.
With Mixon in the lineup, it’s a completely different rushing attack and the Cowboys’ difficulty stopping the run makes this a tough matchup for Mike Zimmer’s defense.
Weakness: Offensive line
The offensive line play hasn’t been strong for the Texans, who have been allowing too much pressure on young QB C.J. Stroud in his sophomore season. The unit has given up 35 sacks, which is good for third worst in the league. Stroud has been sacked at least four times in half of his games this season, and the offensive line’s protection has been especially bad in the last four weeks, where they’ve allowed 18 sacks.
In his rookie year of 2023, Stroud was taken down 38 times in 19 total games, so the combination of a porous offensive line and a QB who wants to sit in the pocket trying to make plays is something that can be exploited.
The Cowboys’ defense might have found something last week when they had five sacks against Philadelphia, owners of one of the better offensive lines in the league. The five-sack outburst was their second-best output of the year, which coincided with the return of edge rusher Micah Parsons. If Dallas can get pressure on Stroud, there’s a good chance of picking up sacks and keeping the Texans’ offense behind the chains.
Strength: Nico Collins
For the past five weeks, the passing game for the Texans hasn’t been as efficient as it was earlier in the year, and the main reason is because they’ve been missing wide receiver Nico Collins. The big play wideout has missed the last five games due to a hamstring injury, but it looks as though he’ll be back for the Monday night tilt with the Cowboys.
Before he got hurt, Collins was at the top of the league in every receiving category. Despite missing five games, the fourth-year WR is still in the top 20 for receiving yards, with 567, and has 32 receptions. Collins is also one of the best big play WRs in the NFL, averaging 17.7 yards per catch, which is second among receivers with at least 25 receptions.
There aren’t many better young WRs in the league right now than Collins, who’s improved every year and clearly has a rapport with Stroud after jumping from 37 catches in 2022 to 80 catches last season in Stroud’s rookie campaign. It’ll be a challenge to slow down the Texans’ best threat in the passing game as he returns from injury.
Weakness: Second half scoring
One of the reasons that the Texans have slumped of late is because of struggles to put up points in the second half. They are averaging just over nine points per the final thirty minutes of play this year, most of which came from a 27-point explosion against the New England Patriots in a Week 6 blowout win.
Since that game, the Texans haven’t scored a second half touchdown and have put up just 15 points in the last four games. In their last outing, the Texans were shut out in the second half.
They’ve also struggled like the Cowboys in the third quarter. Houston’s offense has totaled just 32 points and scored just two measly touchdowns in the third quarters this season.
This game might be won by which team makes adjustments and plays their best after halftime, something both clubs have struggled to do.
Strength: Secondary
Houston’s secondary has given up 21 touchdowns through the air this season, but they’re also fourth in the league against the pass in terms of yards per game and are second in the NFL with 13 interceptions. It’s a defense that boasts some of the best young talent in the secondary.
Safeties Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock are a dynamic tandem that play well off each other. Pitre is solid in coverage, but he’s also a top box safety who can make plays near the line of scrimmage. Bullock, meanwhile, is a rookie who is tied for second in the league with four interceptions on the year.
At cornerback, the duo of Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter is another top combo that accounts for four more interceptions. Lassiter is a rookie who has three picks, while Stingley has an interception of his own and has yet to give up a passing touchdown as a former No. 3 overall pick.
The Texans have given up some passing scores, but it’s a dangerous secondary to throw on and with Rush looking shaky last week at QB, things get even more perilous for the Cowboys’ offense.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to stop the bleeding and beat Houston? Share your predictions with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
