Local rivals are meeting in The Lone Star State this Saturday for a highly anticipated preseason meeting. The Dallas Cowboys (+2200 to win Super Bowl 54) have yet to get Ezekiel Elliott back, but they look fine of late – at least that’s what their form last week suggests in a preseason win over the Los Angeles Rams. Can the Cowboys keep it going against the Houston Texans (+4500) this week? Or will the Texans expose Dallas?
Well, it looks like Deshaun Watson is now in midseason form. In last week’s 30-23 home win over the visiting Detroit Lions, the former Clemson Tigers quarterback made a brief appearance and tossed 60 yards and a touchdown on 5-for-7 completions. Joe Webb III carried the bulk of the passing responsibility by going 14 of 25 for 186 passing yards and a touchdown with an interception. Running back Buddy Howell made a case that could convince the Texans in giving him a permanent role in the backfield after rushing for 84 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against the Lions.Howell will get another chance to show what he can do this week against the Cowboys, whose stout run defense will be a good challenge for him and Houston’s rushing attack that averages 153.0 yards per game — second best in the preseason.
The over is 3-1 in the Texans’ last four preseason games.
Betting on the Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Ezekiel Elliott is irreplaceable, but in case he does indeed his ongoing holdout spills into the regular season, the Cowboys at least have rookie Tony Pollard to mitigate the impact of Zeke’s absence. Pollard is already making things happen in the preseason. In last week’s 14-19 win in Hawaii over the defending NFC champions Los Angeles Rams, Pollard lead the backfield with 42 rushing yards and a touchdown on just five carries. Dak Prescott also looked sharp, completing all of his five passes for 64 yards. He and the Cowboys may not be seeing each other eye to eye on the negotiating table, but at least he’s delivering on the field like a true pro. Meanwhile, it seems that Cooper Rush has the backup QB job in the bag after passing for 83 yards and a touchdown on 10-for-16 completions against the Rams. Mike White didn’t help himself by going just 7 of 13 with an interception.
The under is 5-0 in the Cowboys’ last five preseason games.
