3. Both Jason Garrett and Bill O’Brien need to win
The 1-3 Houston Texans and 2-2 Dallas Cowboys have no love lost between their fan bases despite playing just a few hours apart, and both sides will be facing a critical juncture in their seasons this Sunday.
Dallas, forever stuck in mediocrity, haven’t been able to manufacture a healthy passing ecosystem as they lack competent weapons for Dak Prescott. Not to mention that he’s had his own issues within Jason Garrett’s outdated offense and they’re relying on Ezekiel Elliott as if running the ball was in style like the early 2000s again.
Their defense is solid, though, boasting young stars all over the field. They’re going to be tested by Houston’s explosive passing game.
Deshaun Watson continues to thrive in the second half of games as he goes all-out behind a travesty of an offensive line. He’s on pace to be sacked 68 times despite the team having a decent running game to take pressure off him, but the defense has hemorrhaged points, forcing them to abandon the run early.
Dallas is more balanced but this isn’t an ideal matchup for them. They don’t have the outside playmakers to exploit a weak Texans’ secondary properly, and Texans will key in on the run game.
Prediction: Houston 30-21