Only one NFL team since the 1992 Chargers has climbed out of an 0-4 hole to reach the playoffs, and the Houston Texans are one loss away from finding out how lonely that history really is. Standing in their way is a Dallas Cowboys team that has its own problems on defense but holds the one thing Houston has not found yet this season: a win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Cowboys vs Texans prediction<\/strong> digs into the line movement, the matchups that will decide this game, a red-hot over trend, and the best bets on the board. For more expert plays across the league, check out our NFL predictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Houston opened as a 2.5-point favorite at -118 on September 28, and the number has spent most of the week bouncing between 2.5 and 3. The line flipped back and forth four times on September 29 alone before settling at Texans -3 on September 30, where it remains at an even -110 on both sides. Dallas has drawn the majority of the action throughout, with 58 percent of the money and 73 percent of the tickets on the Cowboys at the latest update. Despite that support for the underdog, the market has moved toward Houston, not away from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The total has traveled further. It opened at 47.5 on September 22, dipped briefly to 46.5 on September 27, returned to 47.5 the same day, and then jumped a full point to 48.5 on September 29. Over bettors account for 62 percent of the money and 69 percent of the tickets. Keep an eye on the latest numbers before kickoff with our odds<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This matchup pits a Dallas offense with weapons all over the field against a Houston offense that cannot seem to find its footing. Neither defense gets a pass, but only one of these teams has shown it can consistently put points on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever Jerry Jones believes, this is not a modern-day version of Tom Landry’s “Doomsday Defense” from the 1960s and 1970s. The latest proof came last Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, where the Cowboys allowed Lamar Jackson to drive the Ravens into last-second field goal range, the newest entry in a long list of recurring defensive breakdowns. A recent run of injuries has not helped, but the story feels familiar for Jones and Brian Schottenheimer. They hoped new faces from the draft and free agency, along with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who most recently worked on the Broncos and Eagles staffs, would finally steady the stop unit. So far, that has not happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news for Dallas is that it has a win and Houston does not. CJ Stroud and the Texans’ attack are dealing with a full-blown crisis of confidence, and the absence of home run wide receiver Nico Collins may have hurt more than expected over the past two weeks. Houston lost to the Bengals and Colts in that stretch and scored only 23 combined points. The running game has offered little relief, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, which puts even more pressure on Stroud and forces a still-robust Houston defense to shoulder more than its share of the load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dak Prescott is only one game removed from throwing four touchdown passes against the Commanders, and the matchup sets up nicely for him again. The intermediate routes that anchor the Dallas passing game are well suited to attack Houston’s zone-heavy schemes. On the outside, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens remain constant threats to stretch the field, giving Prescott options at every level and making it difficult for the Texans to sit back and take away the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Motivation should not be an issue for Dallas. Plenty of Cowboys, and Jones himself, remember Houston handing them a 34-10 beating in Arlington two years ago. Prescott was out for that game, and Cooper Rush looked helpless against the Texans’ pressure defense. With a healthy Prescott under center this time, Dallas gets a chance to settle that score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeMeco Ryans surely knows that no NFL team since the 1992 Chargers has recovered from an 0-4 start to make the playoffs. If the Texans drop this one, Ryans might soon be calling Bobby Ross or dialing up Stan Humphries for advice. That kind of pressure can sharpen a team, but it can also tighten up an offense that already looks uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Collins status is the biggest swing factor in this game. If he plays, Houston gets back the downfield threat its offense has badly missed, which would only add to the scoring potential in a game already trending toward a shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ATS Pick: Cowboys +3 (-110).<\/strong> Getting a full field goal with the team that has the more functional offense is the right side here. Prescott has the matchup advantage against Houston’s zone coverage, Lamb and Pickens give him explosive options, and the Texans have not shown they can keep pace with an offense that scores consistently. A winless team pressing to avoid 0-4 is not one to lay points with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Total Pick: Over 48.5 (-105).<\/strong> Every Cowboys game this season has gone over, and the 14-2-1 over run since early last season is too strong to ignore. The Dallas defense keeps giving up late drives, and a potential Collins return would hand Stroud the deep threat he has been missing. The market agrees, pushing this total up a full point from its opener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Over is the strongest play on the board, backed by a long-running trend and a Dallas defense that has yet to prove it can close out drives. The Cowboys on the moneyline and plus the points offers a natural pairing, since Prescott and the passing game give Dallas the edge in a game where both offenses should find room to operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dallas will give up yards and points, as it has all season, but the Cowboys have the quarterback and receivers to answer every Houston score. The Texans’ struggles on the ground and Stroud’s shaken confidence make it hard to trust them to pull away, and a Collins return would only push this game further over the number rather than flip the result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only one NFL team since the 1992 Chargers has climbed out of an 0-4 hole to reach the playoffs, and the Houston Texans are one loss away from finding out how lonely that history really is. Standing in their way is a Dallas Cowboys team that has its own problems on defense but holds the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16870,16871,16872,74,16868,257],"class_list":["post-40379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-cowboys-vs-texans-picks","tag-cowboys-vs-texans-prediction","tag-cowboys-vs-texans-preview","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallas-cowboys-vs-houston-texans","tag-houston-texans"],"basic_html":"\n Only one NFL team since the 1992 Chargers has climbed out of an 0-4 hole to reach the playoffs, and the Houston Texans are one loss away from finding out how lonely that history really is. Standing in their way is a Dallas Cowboys team that has its own problems on defense but holds the one thing Houston has not found yet this season: a win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Our Cowboys vs Texans prediction<\/strong> digs into the line movement, the matchups that will decide this game, a red-hot over trend, and the best bets on the board. For more expert plays across the league, check out our NFL predictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Houston opened as a 2.5-point favorite at -118 on September 28, and the number has spent most of the week bouncing between 2.5 and 3. The line flipped back and forth four times on September 29 alone before settling at Texans -3 on September 30, where it remains at an even -110 on both sides. Dallas has drawn the majority of the action throughout, with 58 percent of the money and 73 percent of the tickets on the Cowboys at the latest update. Despite that support for the underdog, the market has moved toward Houston, not away from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\nCowboys vs Texans Quick Picks and Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Odds and Line Movement for Cowboys vs Texans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Opening Odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Team<\/th> Spread<\/th> Total<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Dallas Cowboys<\/td> +2.5 (-102)<\/td> Over 47.5 (-110)<\/td><\/tr> Houston Texans<\/td> -2.5 (-118)<\/td> Under 47.5 (-110)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Current Odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Team<\/th> Spread<\/th> Total<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Dallas Cowboys<\/td> +3 (-110)<\/td> Over 48.5 (-105)<\/td><\/tr> Houston Texans<\/td> -3 (-110)<\/td> Under 48.5 (-115)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Line Movement – Spread<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th> Dallas<\/th> Houston<\/th> Public ($, #)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 10\/02<\/td> +3 (-110)<\/td> -3 (-110)<\/td> DAL 58%, DAL 73%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/30<\/td> +3 (-108)<\/td> -3 (-112)<\/td> DAL 54%, DAL 72%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/29<\/td> +2.5 (-105)<\/td> -2.5 (-115)<\/td> DAL 56%, DAL 74%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/29<\/td> +3 (-118)<\/td> -3 (-102)<\/td> DAL 56%, DAL 74%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/29<\/td> +2.5 (-105)<\/td> -2.5 (-115)<\/td> DAL 56%, DAL 74%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/29<\/td> +3 (-118)<\/td> -3 (-102)<\/td> DAL 56%, DAL 74%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/28<\/td> +2.5 (-102)<\/td> -2.5 (-118)<\/td> DAL 64%, DAL 83%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Line Movement – Total<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th> Over<\/th> Under<\/th> Public ($, #)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 09\/29<\/td> 48.5 (-105)<\/td> 48.5 (-115)<\/td> OV 62%, OV 69%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/28<\/td> 47.5 (-115)<\/td> 47.5 (-105)<\/td> OV 51%, OV 67%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/27<\/td> 47.5 (-110)<\/td> 47.5 (-110)<\/td> OV 64%, OV 75%<\/td><\/tr> 09\/27<\/td> 46.5 (-115)<\/td> 46.5 (-105)<\/td> N\/A<\/td><\/tr> 09\/22<\/td> 47.5 (-110)<\/td> 47.5 (-110)<\/td> N\/A<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Dallas vs Houston Key Matchups and Handicap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cowboys Defense Still Searching for an Identity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Texans Offense in a Crisis of Confidence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
DAL Passing Attack vs Zone Coverage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cowboys Remember the 34-10 Beating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Houston Chasing History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
DAL vs HOU Betting Trends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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DAL vs HOU Key Injuries and Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dallas vs Houston ATS and Total Picks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cowboys vs Texans Best Bets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Final Score Prediction for Cowboys vs Texans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Cowboys vs Texans Quick Picks and Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Odds and Line Movement for Cowboys vs Texans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n