Texans vs Cowboys Picks & Odds: Dallas Looks to Keep Pace with Eagles in NFC East

Two teams vying for different No. 1s will meet this week in the battle of the Lone Star State as the Houston Texans (1-10-1 SU, 4-7-1 ATS) hit the road to visit the Dallas Cowboys (9-3, 8-4). The league-worst Texans have their eyes on the top pick in next year’s NFL draft while the Cowboys are trying to catch Philadelphia in the NFC East.

Bet On Week 14 NFL Action Here

Texans vs Cowboys Sportsbook Odds 

America’s Team opened as a 14-point home favorite and had been bet up to 17-point chalk after throttling the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. With the Cowboys commanding just 51 percent of the action thus far, bettors may be scared off and looking elsewhere due to the large spread.

Get the best Texans vs Cowboys odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Can Texans Pull Off the Improbable and Upset Heavily Favored Cowboys?

No one expected Houston to be competitive this season and the Texans have lived up to those expectations, dropping to 1-10-1 on the season after losing 27-14 at home to the Cleveland Browns, as head coach Lovie Smith continues to search for answers.

Kyle Allen has been a slight improvement over Davis Mills under center, completing 20 of 39 passes against the Browns for 201 yards and a touchdown, but he was also picked off twice. The lone bright spot in the Houston attack has been rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who bounced back from a pair of forgettable weeks to gain 73 yards on 18 carries.

Ranking at or near the bottom in many major statistical categories on both sides of the ball, there may be little chance for the Texans to win this game. However, they have managed to keep games reasonably close for the most part this season and have a 4-7-1 ATS record and a decent pass defense that ranks 17th in the NFL.

Cowboys Look to Extend Winning Streak After High-Scoring Effort on Sunday Night Football

The Cowboys led only 21-19 at the end of the third quarter last week against Indianapolis but exploded for 33 unanswered points in the fourth to rout the Colts 54-19. Dallas had four fourth-quarter takeaways that all led to touchdowns, starting with Malik Hooker’s fumble recovery that he ran back 38 yards to the end zone.

Meanwhile, quarterback Dak Prescott connected on 20 of 30 passes for 170 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while directing a ground attack that piled up 220 rushing yards. Tony Pollard led the way with 91 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and Ezekiel Elliott had 77 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

The win was the third in a row for the Cowboys, who trail Philadelphia (11-1) by two games in the NFC East standings and have a Christmas Eve date with the Eagles circled on the calendar.

Texans: Keys to Win

Houston will need to give Dameon Pierce consistent touches and limit the damage Prescott and company can do in order to possibly cover the 17-point spread. If they’re able to pull this game into the trenches and effectively slow the pace, the Texans can hang within a couple of scores.

Cowboys: Keys to Win

Get out in front early and rely on Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott. Mike McCarthy will be sure to impress upon his team the importance of every game as the Cowboys try to hunt down the Eagles. Expect a strong effort out of the gates and the reliance on the run game to propel the Cowboys to victory both straight up and against the spread.

NFL Computer Pick: Cowboys -17

Check out more of our signature NFL computer picks, plus our favorite sportsbooks that serve football customers. 

Join A Top-Tier NFL Betting Site Now