The NFL returns to Texas this week for week 11 of the calendar as two teams with differing fortunes so far this season go head-to-head, when the Houston Texans travel across town to face off with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys so far in this campaign have really struggled to get any sort of momentum going and come into this game with a record of 3-6, while the Texans have found more success and have a 6-4 record up to this point.
We’ll take a look at the game between these two sides and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the field.
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The Texans have had a decent campaign so far at this point, and it started brilliantly with back-to-back wins. In week 1 they claimed a 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts, before a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears in week 2.
Their first defeat of the season came in week 3 as the Minnesota Vikings blew them away in a 34-7 thrashing, but the team bounced back brilliantly with wins in each of their next three games.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the first team to be brushed aside in a 24-20 win, before the Buffalo Bills were beaten 23-20 in week 5. Week 6 saw Houston turn in their best performance of the season as they thrashed the New England Patriots 41-21.
Since then though things have gone downhill, with three defeats in their last four. The Green Bay Packers snapped their win streak with a 24-22 win, but the team earned a second win over the Colts this season in their next game. They come into this one on the back of two straight defeats though, losing 21-13 to the New York Jets, before falling to the Detroit Lions last time out.
Dallas started their season well with a 33-17 win on the road to the Cleveland Browns, as Dak Prescott turned in an impressive performance despite being sacked three times to solidify their pre-season expectations as being a side that could compete for the title.
However, in week 2 they fell to a horror 44-19 defeat against the New Orleans Saints, and things then got worse in week 3 as the Baltimore Ravens pipped them 28-25 to condemn the team to a second consecutive home defeat.
The team bounced back in week 4 with a 20-15 win over the New York Giants thanks to a strong first-half showing, before a come-from-behind victory in week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers saw them score 14 points in the final quarter to win 20-17.
Things have been awful since then however, as they’re without a win in any of the four games that have taken place. The Detroit Lions absolutely thrashed them 47-9 before a bye week followed, but they returned from that and have lost three-in-a-row since.
The San Francisco 49ers claimed a 30-24 win before the Atlanta Falcons brushed Dallas aside with a 27-21 win. Last time out it was the Philadelphia Eagles who came to town, and they battered the Cowboys to win 34-6 to make this a game between two sides who are desperately in need of victory.
The Cowboys have been really bad this season, and without Dak Prescott they’re only going to get worse on offense.
The Texans aren’t the team they were with Stefon Diggs, but they still have one of the game’s elite, young quarterbacks in C.J. Stroud, and Joe Mixon has made a fantastic impact too. With his strengths in the running game and Dallas’ weakness in that area, he’s set to have a big game.
Cooper Rush is the man tasked with replacing Prescott and he should improve as he settles in, but right now he’s struggling and the Texans have all the tools to make it a really bad night for the hosts.
Dallas is likely to be overwhelmed in just about every regard and a big, lopsided win for the visitors for a second week running simply can’t be ruled out.
Five of Houston’s six victories have been decided by six points or less, with the lone exception being a 20-point blowout of the Patriots. So the spread is hardly a lock, but there is great value in it and if Stroud and Mixon step up as we know they can then this should come in.
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Whether this ends up being a blowout or a close game, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more than 42 total points on the board.
The Cowboys defense has allowed 27 or more points in six out of nine games this season and we’ve even seen the Texans score 41 points in a game on their own in their biggest win, so it can’t be ruled out entirely.
Houston are pretty consistent on offense and will generally put up 20-24 points regardless of the opponent but with the way the teams shape up in this particular game, they should be hitting that 27-plus number too like most others have done.
The Cowboys offense is the biggest problem in this situation because of how much they’re struggling, but they should hit double figures and that should be enough to see the Over land.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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