The Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans both aim to return to the playoffs in January after having a successful 2023 season. Last year, the Cowboys went 12-5, going on to win the National Football Conference (NFC) East division, followed by a first-round exit against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round. The Texans, on the other hand, went 10-7 last year, also winning their respective division — the American Football Conference (AFC) South — followed by a Wild Card rout against the Cleveland Browns. Despite a strong first-round performance, they were ultimately eliminated by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round.
After a promising 33-17 week one win on the road against the Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys went on to have a two-game losing streak, starting their season at a 1-2 record. Week two saw the Cowboys suffer a brutal first loss of the season in their home opener, falling to the New Orleans Saints 19-44. Veteran Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw two interceptions in the game, resulting in the Cowboys’ biggest regular season loss since last season’s week five loss to the San Francisco 49ers, 10-42.
Week three saw the Cowboy’s first attempt of the season at a comeback win at home as they went into the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens down 6-28. Regardless of the late-game rally with 19 unanswered points, they fell short with a 25-28 loss despite Prescott’s highest passing game of the season so far with 379 yards. The Cowboys avoided a three-game losing streak after a week four primetime win on the road on Sept. 26, defeating their divisional rival New York Giants 20-15.
After four weeks, the Cowboys currently sit second in the NFC East at a 2-2 record, having earned their two wins so far coming on the road. Prescott has currently thrown for six passing touchdowns with two interceptions. He is ranked third in the league in passing yards with 1,072 yards. Prescott’s leadership of the Cowboys offense shows strong signs to help guide the team to another potential playoff berth if Prescott continues to perform at the level he currently is. Additionally, if the Cowboys’ defense can strengthen and give the offense the support they need, then they could see themselves in great shape by the halfway point of the season in four weeks.
Down in Houston, the start to the season has been much stronger — although they haven’t been immune from early hiccups. In week one, the Texans survived a close contest in their season opener on the road, defeating their AFC South division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, 29-27. In week two, the Texans beat the Chicago Bears in their home opener 19-13. In their week three road matchup against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, the Texans fell 7-34. The only Texans loss of the season so far is their largest regular season loss since their week 14 road matchup last year against the New York Jets, which they lost 6-30. The Texans bounced back with a week four win at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, taking a game-winning drive to a 27-24 victory.
With the Texans currently leading the AFC South division at 3-1, all three of their wins have come within a single-digit margin. In his sophomore season in the NFL, the 2023 second overall pick — quarterback C.J. Stroud — has thrown for 1,054 yards (leading the AFC overall and ranked fourth in the league behind Prescott) with six touchdown passes and two interceptions so far in the young season.
The Texans currently sit number two overall in the AFC behind the undefeated 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs. It is too early to determine whether the Texans are true playoff contenders yet. The performance of the offense and defense have both been shaky to start the season with penalties having mired their momentum. The first true test for the Texans will be their week five matchup against the 3-1 Buffalo Bills, who currently lead the AFC in scoring having outscored their opponents 112-40 in their three wins. A Texans win against the Bills could make a statement as potential contenders. However, their offense and defense will need to show up and keep the penalties to a minimum.
A key matchup that many NFL fans in the state of Texas will anticipate takes place later in the season during Week 11. The in-state rivals will have a Monday night matchup with the Cowboys hosting the Texans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 18. It is set to be the first regular season matchup where Stroud will go up against Prescott, who last played the Texans in 2022 — a 27-23 Cowboys win where Dallas came back with 10 points in the fourth quarter.
