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Dallas Cowboys scouting report Week Four: Houston Texans

By Matt Holleran

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a touchdown with head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of a football game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a touchdown with head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of a football game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

After an impressive win over the Detroit Lions at home, the Dallas Cowboys (2-2) face off against their in-state rival Houston Texans (1-3) on Sunday.

Coming over their by far best performance of the season last weekend, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 2-2, and just a half game out of first place in the NFC East. Dallas ones again will travel on the road, but this time it will be a very short trip. The Cowboys will face off against the Houston Texans for the first time since 2014, in a matchup that will be huge for both teams.

So far the Texans who were favored by many to be a strong playoff contender have not had the start to the season they were looking for. The team was able to salvage an overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, keeping them relatively still in the playoff hunt at 1-3.

Before the two Texas teams matchup on Sunday, here is a scouting report on what to expect from the in-state rival Houston Texans.

OFFENSE

So far early this season the biggest strength for the Houston Texans has been their offense. The team ranks 14th in the NFL averaging 24 points per game, ranks 5th in yards per game with 413.8, and 11th in passing yards and 9th in rushing yards.  All these numbers show that the Texans have a potent offensive attack, and even in their three losses, the team’s offense performed fairly well.

The leader of the offense is the former Clemson Tiger, quarterback Deshaun Watson. The second-year pro has had an up and down start to his 2018 season, throwing for seven touchdowns to four interceptions, 1246 yards, and a 62.2% completion percentage. While these numbers will not blow you away, Watson adds another element to his game with his impact in the run game. He has 24 carries for 161 yards, by far best among quarterbacks in the NFL.

The Texans add running backs Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue to complement Watson in the run game, and both have been fairly average to start the season. Through Week Four the Texans running backs have only accounted for one offensive touchdown.

What they lack at running back, the Texans make up for with their wide receiver talent. Deandre Hopkins, one of the leagues best wideouts, leads the team with 30 catches for 443 yards and two touchdowns, and Notre Dame speedster

Will Fuller has had a very impressive start to the season next to Hopkins with 17 catches for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Bruce Ellington and Keke Coutee round out the guys who make a real impact in the Texans receiving corps.

The area where the Texans have struggled the most is on their offensive line. The team is second in the NFL with 17 allowed sacks, only better than the lowly Buffalo Bills.

This matchup favors very well for the Cowboys whos biggest strength on defense is their defensive line. Look for defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to have a field day with this Texans offensive Line.

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