4 bold predictions for the Dallas Cowboys vs Houston Texans

The Dallas Cowboys were able to turn a few of my predictions from last week into reality in their game against the Indianapolis Colts. I few short on one, with Jonathan Taylor rushing for 82 yards on the day, a little higher than my prediction of 78 yards on the ground. Either way, the Cowboys picked up another win and now move on to the Colts’ division rival the Houston Texans, a team struggling on both sides of the football.

Dallas is going into this game with a better roster and coaching staff, and should be able to win this game easily in theory. But with state bragging rights on the line, this could turn into a trap game for the Cowboys. I have a feeling, though, this will be a game much like the Cowboys had against the Vikings a few weeks back.

With that being said, it’s time to take a look at my four bold predictions for this week’s game.

4 bold predictions for the Cowboys vs Texans Week 14 matchup

4. Ezekiel Elliott Breaks Free

After being held on the sidelines for the opening drive against the Colts for disciplinary reasons, Elliott went on to have another strong game running to the football for the Cowboys. This week, he’s facing off against a defense giving up 4.9 yards per carry and 169 yards per game on the ground. They are also giving up 1.3 rushing touchdowns per game, all of which bodes well for Elliott and Tony Pollard, who have been running for 4.2 (Elliott) and 5.8 (Pollard) yards per carry this season.

While Pollard has had much of the limelight this season, Elliott — who was battling a knee injury — looks to have returned to form, and has the chance to have his first real breakout game of the season.

Especially against the worst run defense in the NFL.

Game Prediction: Ezekiel Elliott rushes for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns

3. Kelvin Joseph’s Speed Becomes a Factor

After losing Anthony Brown to a season-ending injury against the Colts last week, the time has come for Joseph to show why the Cowboys chose him in the second round and have stuck with him through his offseason legal issues. The one area where we could see an immediate impact from Joseph will be his ability to stick with the speedier receivers that Brown was seemingly covering every week. Brown has, at times, had problems staying with receivers on deep routes this season, and if Joseph is able to use his speed to defend those receivers, it will make this defense even tougher to beat.

I believe some of Joseph’s struggles this season go back to reps and confidence, but we’ve seen how the next-man-up situation in the NFL has kickstarted a player’s career. Just see Dak Prescott and Tony Romo. Both had to step in and hit the ground running.

So far this season, Joseph has been targeted by opposing quarterbacks 10 times, and those QBs have completed six passes for 81 yards. That’s a 60% completion percentage that I believe will drop with more playing time, and it starts against the Texans.

Game Prediction: Joseph has three passes defended, five tackles, and zero touchdowns surrendered

2. Tyron Smith Makes Significant Progress

The plan that came out last week for Tyron Smith was that he would return to practice with the team this week in order to gauge how far away he is from getting on the field. His teammates and coaches have been saying how good he’s looked working on the side with the Dallas Cowboys’ Director of Rehabilitation Britt Brown.

After the injury he suffered right before the start of the season, many thought he wouldn’t be back until possibly the playoffs, but depending on how he looks in practice, he could suit up sooner than we thought.

I have a feeling that he will suit up for the Texans game, and while he may not start immediately, as owner Jerry Jones has alluded to the past few weeks, I believe he will take some in-game reps.

Live action is really the only way to test his recovery, and I’d rather do it against a weaker defense than one with top-tier pass rushers on the edge.

Game Prediction: Tyron Smith plays about 10 offensive snaps against the Texans in preparation for him starting in Week 15

1. The Cowboys Train Keeps Chugging Along

We’ve seen how this Cowboys offense can come out of the gate slow this season, which has allowed opponents to stay in games. This week, against one of the worst defenses in the league, I don’t believe Dallas will have that same problem. Dak Prescott and company will have the ability to throw the football against the 13th-ranked pass defense, thanks to their focus on trying to stop the Cowboys’ dynamic running back duo.

Once Prescott starts hitting his receivers, then Kellen Moore can switch up and start running the ball against the 32nd-ranked run defense.

There is no reason this offense shouldn’t be able to drop at least 40 points on the Texans this Sunday.

Game Prediction: 523 Total yards, 308 yards passing, 215 rushing yards

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