Cowboys vs Texans Week 14: history, key players, projection
By Riley Donald
Cowboys vs Texans: Gut projection
Projection: Dallas Cowboys 35, Houston Texans 13
The Texans just don’t have the firepower to stick with this Cowboys team, especially considering how they are playing right now. Over their last six games, the Cowboys are averaging 37.17 points per game on offense while giving up just 18 points per game.
The Texans are in the bottom third of the NFL, allowing nearly 24 points per game, and they score just 15.7 points per game. Any offensive success is going to be extremely hard for them to come by on Sunday.
The advantage Dallas will look to exploit, and will gladly pursue to churn clock quickly in this one, is on the ground. The Texans are the 32nd-ranked run defense in the NFL while the Cowboys’ two-headed monster is seventh in the NFL, averaging 145.9 yards per game. Dallas will gladly hand the ball off and look to wear down the Texans.
Offensively, the Texans are 28th in rushing yards and 27th in passing yards. They face an opportunistic Cowboys defense that is second in the league in passing yards allowed. This matchup will force the Texans to throw, and that plays right into the Cowboys’ hands with Kyle Allen having to drop back and sling it.
The game plan on both sides of the ball for Dallas this week had better be as vanilla as possible. As long as penalties are kept to a minimum, turnovers don’t get out of hand, and they execute, this game should tilt towards the Cowboys with relative ease. There is no need to show any unique plays, schemes, formations, or other quirks on film this week as the playoffs rapidly approach.
Overall, the Cowboys are a much more talented team with bigger goals and should handle their business in this one relatively worry-free as they get to double-digit wins on the season.
