Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs Houston Texans

Starting Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse suffers pregame injury

The hobbled Cowboys secondary took another hit with their starting safety suffering an injury pregame, right after inactives were decided.

Coming into Week 14, the Cowboys secondary was running thin, but mainly at cornerback. With Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown out for the season, Kelvin Joseph is thrust into the role of boundary corner. Things got worse before the matchup with Houston when safety Jayron Kearse was helped to the locker room due to an injury suffered in warmups.

The inactives were already decided and there isn’t enough time to get Markquese Bell ready to be backup due to Kearse’s potential absence, so Dallas may only have three safeties against the Texans. Following a trip to the locker room, Kearse returned to the field and was working with trainers in the end zone.

Kearse’s status for the game is still an uncertainty and if he’s unable to go, the committe of Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker and Israel Mukuamu will control the safety snaps in his place.

Week 14 Inactives: Washington debuts for Cowboys, Texans without top 2 wideouts, star rook

James Washington makes his Dallas debut versus a hobbled Texans team while the defense gets a big man back. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys are looking to turn the corner on a sickness that’s taken its rounds around the locker room while simultaneously getting to full health as a team. Wide receiver James Washington makes his Dallas debut after a week full of circus acts in the sweepstakes for Odell Beckham Jr.

After spending over a month out due to a knee injury, defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna returns to the lineup following full participation in practice Friday. Linebacker Leighton Vander-Esch missed practice as the latest Dallas player to deal with illness but he’s a go against the Texans.

On the other side, Houston is ridden with injuries, missing their top two receivers and the third overall pick in cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Here’s a look at the full list of inactives for the in-state bout of Cowboys-Texans.

Enemy Intel: Texans aren’t Cowboys rivals, but a Sunday upset would be catastrophic

What is there to the Texans beyond their abysmal record? We travel down I-45 to get the scoop on the in-state lil’ bros from @TheRealMarkLane. | From @KDDrummondNFL

There’s a serious case of Little Brother Syndrome in play on Sunday. The Houston Texans aren’t good, but just like their first ever game, it would mean everything to their franchise and fanbase were they to pull off an upset over the 9-3 Dallas Cowboys. Entering the contest with just one win and an implosion-like seven-game losing streak, the Texans are in a sunken place.

The Cowboys cannot afford to give them an ounce of joy on the season. At 1-10-1, Houston shouldn’t be competitive, but they are one of only two NFL teams not to allow over 10 passing TDs on the season. That’s likely because they’re easy to run on, but still something to consider. What else should be considered? We checked in with Texans Wire managing editor Mark Lane to chop it up for a game preview. Here’s our back-and-forth Q&A.

Cowboys nearly pull off first clean sweep in Week 14 stat comps vs Texans

Every week we compare Dallas and their opponent across 25 advanced stats. The Cowboys almost swept the competition, falling short just once. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

The “Battle of Texas” and the “Governor’s Cup” are two names for the Cowboys vs Texans state rivalry. While it’s true fans of each team share a level of indifference towards the other, the series itself has been fairly close with the Cowboys leading 3-2 since the Texans joined the NFL in 2002.

As well as things have gone recently for the Cowboys, things have went the polar opposite for the Texans this season. The Cowboys are 9-3 and riding a three-game winning streak with two of those coming against teams in playoff conversation.  The Texans are 1-10-1 and on a seven-game losing streak. Records aside, the Cowboys have one of the most potent offenses in the league and an elite defense while the Texans have one of the worst offenses in the league with a struggling defense that has allowed over 2,000 rushing yards already.

While this may appear to be a lopsided matchup, head coach Mike McCarthy has cautioned his team to not “take the cheese”.

Each week we open up the Advanced Stat Notebook to analyze how each team ranks in EPA, DVOA, ANY/A and Toxic Differential. These four key metrics have a high correlation to win probability

Cowboys-Texans TV coverage maps, how to stream, listen, wager in Week 14

It will be difficult for all of Cowboys Nation to catch the game, so here’s some help in that regard, wagering info and prediction how the game will unfold. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have reached an interesting part of their schedule. In Week 14, the finish line is right there in front of them. Dallas has a chance to secure win No. 10 on the season as they face their second straight AFC South foe. This is the easiest stretch of their 2022 schedule, by far. A week after taking on the 4-7-1 Colts they now get the team with the NFL’s worst record, the Houston Texans (1-10-1). Next week, it’s off to Jacksonville to take on the currently 4-8 Jaguars.

This is the second time this season Dallas will face an entire division three games in a row (third, technically since the NFC North was four straight interrupted by the bye). The South is the AFC’s worst division, so this stretch gives Dallas a chance to fatten up before a tough stretch against three straight playoff contenders. The early kickoff makes it tough for the majority of Cowboys Nation to watch, so here are the details on who gets it, who has to work for it and what to expect when it comes to wagering.

53-man Roster: Cowboys strengthen WR corps vs Texans, await Tyron Smith

Dallas made a couple of moves ahead of Week 14’s game, setting the stage for James Washington’s debut. Here’s a look at the full roster. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are ready to rock in their Week 14 contest against the Houston Texans. Carrying a three-game winning streak, Dallas will get some long-awaited help in their quest to reach 10 wins. Entering the season, wide receiver was the biggest question mark on the roster after a (perceived) rough offseason. The Cowboys jettisoned Amari Cooper to Cleveland, lost Cedrick Wilson to Miami and Malik Turner to San Francisco. The club did minimal work to augment the position, signing low-cost vet James Washington and spending a third-round pick on small-school product Jalen Tolbert.

Tolbert hasn’t looked NFL ready yet and Washington suffered three injuries within the first week of training camp, culminating in a broken foot that was supposed to be a 6-8 week injury. It’s now 17 weeks since and he’s finally ready; activated for the first time on Saturday and ready to play on Sunday. Washington takes the roster spot of CB Anthony Brown, who was placed on IR after tearing his Achilles in Week 13’s win. That leaves Dallas with a 52-man roster; one shy of league maximum.

Washington is a speedster, and has been pseudo practicing since before Dak Prescott came back from his thumb injury. The two have had two months to build chemistry, so hopefully he’ll be able to add an element to Dallas’ offense that has been missing. The Cowboys has been reluctant to give Kavontae Turpin much of a workload aside from special teams duties.

The club is elevating just one player from the practice squad this week, offensive tackle Aviante Collins. This is Collins’ third and final activation window, but the expectation is that eight-time Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith will be ready to be activated next week, rounding out the roster. For now, Dalls rolls into the in-state matchup with just 53 of 55 potential players eligible for the game, meaning that they will need to name just five players inactive. Here’s a look at the current roster.

Avoiding self-caused distractions one of 3 keys to Cowboys beating Texans

Self-sabotage is only possible for teams expected to win. This week, among other things, that’s tops on the list of things to avoid. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a record-breaking fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts. The underdog Colts were only down 21-19 in the final quarter before Dallas went on a 33-0 run to end the game with a 54-19 win. The defense was opportunistic, causing four turnovers and scoring a touchdown of their own, while the offense did a great job of cashing in on their gifts from the defense.

The week’s game against the Houston Texans is a 16-point spread where nobody believes it will be a competitive contest and the Cowboys just need to roll out their helmets and the whistle will blow for a Dallas victory. Rivalry games like this can be tricky though, just look at the first ever game for the Texans franchise. They became the first team in 41 years to win their debut as an expansion team with a 19-10 win over these Dallas Cowboys. Here are the keys to avoiding the upset at home in the Battle for Texas and winning the fourth straight victory for the Cowboys.

 

Week 14 Injury Report: Cowboys almost clean bill, Texans rule out top WRs, rookie

The Cowboys can’t quite shake the illness bug, but overall they are in a good spot entering Week 14 health wise. Meanwhile their opponent… not so much. | From @KDDrummondNFL

This is the time of year when injury reports can be a bit deceiving. Clubs that have suffered catastrophic injury tolls can have light injury reports on a weekly basis because the players they are missing have all been moved to injured reserve. There are a myriad of teams who have lost major contributors for the season. The Cowboys aren’t one of them. Certainly, their secondary is depleted. Starting slot corner Jourdan Lewis was lost for the year in October.

Despite not yet putting him on IR, starting boundary corner Anthony Brown joined him this week after being hur in Week 13 against the Colts. But outside of that, Dallas has fared well. Everyone else who has been lost for the year has been a reserve. Meanwhile the biggest short-term concern has been sickness, and on Friday it hit LB Leighton Vander Esch.

The two long-term injuries to key players, Tyron Smith’s hamstring and James Washington’s foot, have healed to the point both are expected to make their season debuts in the next 10 days.

Washington should play this week against the Houston Texans while Smith is expected to return to left tackle next week in Jacksonville against the Jaguars. This scenario has the Week 14 injury report looking like a relativey clean bill of health for Dallas, but the same can’t be said for the Texans.

Houston will play without their top two receivers this week, ruling out both Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins. They will also miss their top rookie, a wide receiver stopper in Derek Stingley, Jr.

There are more players on the list, though. Here’s the full injury report and designations.

Explosive runs for, against among 6 things Cowboys should know about Texans

A closer look gives credence to why the Cowboys are such heavy favorites in a multitude of factors. | From @BenGrimaldi

The battle for the state of Texas resumes in Week 14 as the Dallas Cowboys host the Houston Texans. On paper this seems like a mismatch; the Cowboys are one of the league’s best teams with a record of 9-3, winners of three straight and coming off an explosive 54-point game.

Meanwhile, the Texans are the worst team in the league. With a 1-10-1 record, Lovie Smith’s team has lost seven straight, including a blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns and former quarterback Deshaun Watson last week. It’s been a rough year for the Texans, who now travel to Dallas with Texas’ Governor’s Cup on the line.

This is the second in a three-game span against AFC South opponents for the Cowboys, and it shouldn’t get any easier than this one. The Cowboys are the much better team and are favored by 16.5 points, the largest point spread in the NFL this season. That doesn’t mean much when pride is on the line, but the Cowboys look to be in line to win their 10th game of the year.

Here are six things to know about the Week 14 opponent for the Cowboys, the Houston Texans.

McCarthy imploring Cowboys to ignore massive point spread vs Texans: ‘Don’t take the cheese’

The Cowboys will take it easy by design ahead of Sunday’s game vs a 1-10-1 opponent, but McCarthy doesn’t want his team to overlook Houston. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The 9-3 Cowboys just scored the most points in any NFL game this season and are near the top of pretty much every legitimate set of power rankings out there. The 1-10-1 Texans are currently in possession of the top draft slot next spring and haven’t won a game in two months.

It’s no big surprise, then, that Dallas is favored heavily to win when the two teams square off Sunday; some sports books currently have the Cowboys pegged as 17-point favorites. That’s the biggest point spread in the league so far this year.

And Mike McCarthy hopes his players don’t know any of the aforementioned facts.

“Talked a lot of trash about the media today in the team meeting,” the Cowboys coach joked Wednesday at The Star. “‘Don’t listen to them,’ and all those good things. ‘Don’t take the cheese.’ This is a good place. It shows things are very productive with your football team when you have to address this type of deal.”

McCarthy and the Dallas coaching staff are walking a fine line this week, trying to maintain the edge that has the team outscoring opponents 122-42 over their past three outings, while also giving players a bit of a break with a “winter schedule” that includes less time on the practice field and, at least for this week, no padded practice.

“We actually talked about it in the team meeting. We need to practice the right way,” McCarthy explained, careful to make it clear that the team is not overlooking their in-state rivals.

“Like I told the team today, I don’t know if there’s a coach in the NFL- coordinator or head coach- that I’ve gone against more than [Texans head coach] Lovie Smith. I have a lot of respect for how his teams play, how his defenses have played over the last couple decades. I think we’ve just got to really stay in tune on the things that we need to do to win the game.”

That has included preparing for two different Houston quarterbacks.

The Texans benched 2022 starter Davis Mills after going 1-8-1 in the team’s first ten contests. Kyle Allen stepped in for two games and struggled in back-to-back losses. It was announced earlier in the week that Mills would be re-installed under center for Sunday’s game in Arlington.

McCarthy has chosen to focus on the positives that Mills brings to the Texans offense rather than his 11 interceptions and 29.7 QBR score.

“He’s someone that we really liked coming out of Stanford. He’s got good tape. There’s a lot of good things. They’re a traditional West Coast offense with [veteran offensive coordinator] Pep Hamilton, you see the multiple personnel groups every play,” McCarthy said. “In my view, it’s the most quarterback-friendly offense in this league. We’ll definitely be challenged there.”

With three defensive players not participating in Wednesday’s practice session and another three limited, the Cowboys- despite their recent successes and rise in the standings- don’t need any more challenges, no matter who they’re facing.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got a full seven-day preparation for the Texans, and I’m very confident we will max it out. Then we’ve got to get up Sunday and go get it,” McCarthy said.

There are few things more dangerous than an opponent who’s down on their luck and playing like they have nothing to lose.

The coach knows it. He’s hoping his players remember it.

“It’s the National Football League, and we all recognize that. It’s so damn hard to win a game in this league, regardless of the point spread. You can never lose sight of that.”

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