Cowboys at Texans NFL Week 5 Odds for Sunday Night

Cowboys at Texans NFL Week 5 Odds for Sunday Night

Written by on October 3, 2018

The Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans meet each preseason for the Governor’s Cup, but they don’t often play in the regular season. This Sunday night, though, the Lone Star State’s eyes will be on this meeting between the Cowboys, whose glitz has been on the decline for over two decades, and the Texans, who are optimistic about their future with Deshaun Watson at quarterback and J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on defense. Dallas has a 2-2 record after a last-minute field goal delivered them a win over Detroit last week. The Texans are 1-3 after getting their season’s first victory over Indianapolis in a 37-34 barnburner last week. Check out our NFL odds and thoughts about this prime time affair.

Cowboys at Texans NFL Week 5 Odds for Sunday Night

When: Sunday, October 7, 2018, 8:20pm ET Where: NRG Stadium, Houston TV: NBC Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: Amazon Prime / NFL Live NFL Week 5 Odds: Houston -3.5, O/U 45.5

Why should you bet on the Cowboys?

Dallas showed more offensive prowess in Week 4 than they have at any other time this season. Dak Prescott threw for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Ezekiel Elliott ran for 152 yards on 25 attempts. Elliott also led all receivers with four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. The fact that Detroit does not defend well against the run led to a Dallas game plan that focused on pounding the ball between the tackles and then looking down the field when Detroit tried to load the box. The Dallas defense played well against Detroit as well, with DeMarcus Lawrence picking up a career-high three sacks on the day. Rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was a force in the middle of the Dallas D, which did not have leader Sean Lee on the field (hamstring) and won’t for at least three more weeks. The combination of a solid pass rush and stingy secondary play from the likes of cornerback Byron Jones will make Deshaun Watson work hard. However, Watson has a lot more mobility than Detroit’s Matthew Stafford.

Why should you put your money on the Texans?

Houston’s offense is built to turn up the speed, while Dallas’ attack is designed to plod up and down the field. The plodding approach can work, as we saw with Elliott’s breakout day last week, but it’s hard to dig yourself out of a hole when you focus on the running game first. In the win over the Colts, Watson threw for 375 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. The Texans went pass-first, as Lamar Miller only had 14 carries for 49 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, the combination of Watt and Clowney should clog up the offensive line and limit Elliott and Prescott. However, that wasn’t the case against the Colts, as Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis offense were able to move the ball and score at will. Dallas has a hard time throwing the ball down the field, thanks to a lack of quality wide receivers and of a pro-level tight end, and thanks to accuracy issues that plague Prescott. However, he did complete some key passes against Detroit to keep drives moving. In the running game, Dallas does have a grinding offensive line that the Texans will need to combat if they want to bottle up Elliott.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I’m a big fan of what Watson brings to the Texans, and last week showed that he is back from his injury. I also think that the Houston defensive staff will outcoach Jason Garrett and the Cowboys’ staff and find ways to slow down the Dallas offense. I predict a final score of Houston 27, Dallas 17.