It’s will be matchup of two desperate teams Sunday in Houston between the 1-2 Dallas Cowboys and the winless Houston Texans in the battle for lone star state supremacy.
It’s a must win for the Texans as very few 0-3 teams make the playoffs and it’s implausible that an 0-4 team can do it.
For the Cowboys, it’s about making most of their opportunities and not squandering a seemingly advantageous situation as they did a week ago.
Still in a fog about a confounding 34-31 loss to Ravens after having 1st and goal at the 2 with 28 seconds left, the Cowboys feel good about their chances of feasting on a wounded pray to offset the historic collapse in Brazil.
Not only that but they see this opportunity to build momentum confidence for a playoff push of their own.
That was at the crux of Wednesday late night trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
And Porter, who missed the first three games of the season with a sore back, is suddenly feeling good and will take the field against the Texans after just two days of practice.
Owner Jerry Jones said the trade for Porter Jr. is a win-now move.
“It’s a belief in where we are, what we can do right now,” Jones said. “It’s important to think big. This is about what he can do to help our defense.”
The Cowboys defense is currently raked 30th in the NFL.
There is no time to wait.
A loss to the Texans and a 1-4 start would send all the Cowboys hopes and dreams into a tailspin.
With the 0-3 Tampa bay buccaneers up next on Thursday, a win against Texans gives them an opportunity to get on a roll any gain some momentum.
It’s an opportunity they can’t squander.
Five Things to watch against the Houston Texans:
1. The Cowboys must stop the run. The Texans don’t run it well but they will try to run on Sunday against a Cowboys defense that has been gashed on the ground all season. Looking for the Texans to also use quarterback C. J. Stroud in the running game.
2. The Cowboys must also commit to the run themselves, especially in the red zone. One of the huge regrets from the loss to the Ravens last week was not forcing the run near the goal line. The Cowboys had to settle for field goals at the beginning and the end the game largely because they didn’t run the ball after getting a first down inside the 5.
3. The Cowboys must protect Dak Prescott against a ferocious Texans pass rush. Most importantly, right tackle Terence Steele must contain and control Pro Bowl edge rusher Will Anderson. Steele is the weak link up front for the Cowboys and Anderson is a game wrecker who considered of the best defensive players in the NFL.
4. The must-see matchups are on the outside with Texans’ elite cornerback duo of Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter going against the Cowboys’ wide receiver tandem of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Lamb is excited because the Texans plan man-to-man and he said he is uncoverable “They play press. They got a good DB corps. Very young, very athletic. We have to really be detailed at the top of the route, hand fight at the press and be able to beat the man in front of us,” Lamb said.
5. The game will likely be decided in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys have to move past chaos of the final moments that plagued them in Brazil. Coach Brian Schottenheimer admitted several coaching mistakes in the final 28 seconds against the Ravens. That can’t happen again. “It’s game three and there’s a lot of season left and the last thing we’re going to do is let this derail us or allow us to lose confidence,” quarterback Dak Prescott said.
