The Houston Texans (6-4) hit the road on Monday night for a Lone Star showdown against the Dallas Cowboys (3-6) in Week 11 on primetime at AT&T Stadium.
Houston has opened as 7.5-point road favorites against the Cowboys in primetime on ESPN, according to BetMGM. The over/under is currently set at 42.
The Texans need a win. So does Dallas, but Houston’s woeful second-half outing on ‘Sunday Night Football’ against the Detroit Lions now has fans wondering if the AFC South favorites are a legit contender in the conference.
Houston jumped out to an early 23-7 lead in the first half after C.J. Stroud connected with John Metchie III for the 15-yard touchdown. Lions quarterback Jared Goff tossed five interceptions, but the Texans never could pressure him into fumbling the ball.
For Detroit (8-1), its defense stepped up in the second half. The front seven recorded four sacks while Stroud tossed a pair of interceptions to Carlton Davis III, including one in the end zone on a pass intended for Tank Dell.
Jake Bates drilled two second-half 50-plus-yard field goals, including a game-winning 52-yard kick as time expired.
With the loss, the Texans joined the 1970 Chicago Bears as the only franchise in league history to lose a game where the opposing quarterback throws five interceptions.
“Definitely should have won this game,” Stroud said. “My job is to lead the offense to score points, and I didn’t do that today. … We really should have put them away after the first half. It’s really on the offense.”
The Cowboys aren’t waving the white flag for 2024, but their season has gone off the rails. Quarterback Dak Prescott will miss the remainder of the regular season after it was announced Tuesday that he would undergo hamstring surgery.
In Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, backup quarterback Cooper Rush completed 13-of-26 passes for 45 yards and lost two fumbles. He also was sacked once. Former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance filled in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 passing yards and an interception.
For the second time in six games, the Cowboys did not score a touchdown.
“Everybody has confidence in Coop,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “Again, it wasn’t our best performance yesterday as an offense, for sure. Wasn’t all him. We’re all involved in that.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
