We officially call into question the state of football in Texas…
…while some familiar faces in the NBA are in vintage form.
Battle Of Texas, NFL Edition
What Happened: Tonight’s edition of Monday Night Football features the NFL’s Texas representatives, two teams that are forgetting to remember what it feels like to win a game.
The Houston Texans have lost two straight and have a negative point differential on the season. But by virtue of playing in an atrocious division (no other team in the AFC South has even a .500 record), DeMeco Ryans’ team is all but assured of a playoff appearance.
Not so for the Dallas Cowboys, who are on a 4-game losing streak and must forge ahead without their franchise quarterback.
So what can we expect from this bleak vs. less bleak Lone Star battle?
Why It Matters: Points could be at a premium here. A game featuring the Texans hasn’t hit the over since Week 6; Cowboys games have gone under in two straight, and an offense that was pretty dysfunctional with Dak Prescott under center shouldn’t expect to improve much with Cooper Rush as QB1.
One bright spot for Houston returns in the form of Nico Collins, who hasn’t played in over a month because of a hamstring injury. Collins was averaging more than 110 receiving yards a game before his injury, and should provide a jolt to C.J. Stroud and this offense.
Collins’ return isn’t gonna help Dallas improve its performance at Jerry World, regardless of the sun’s position. The Cowboys are 0-4 at home this season and have let their owner and bettors down, as they haven’t covered in a home game all season either.
A multi-game losing streak will end tonight, but only one of these teams has much left to play for in 2024.
What We’re Watching Today
Texans at Cowboys (8:15 PM ET) – The Cowboys are +7.5 tonight, and if they fail to cover, they’ll quickly overtake the Giants in Embarrassing Headlines, NFC East Category for the day.
Warriors at Clippers (10:30 PM ET) – The Clippers bested Steph Curry and Golden State back on October 27, but already this feels like a different Warriors team. They’ve won three straight and scored 120 in each victory, and look like they are ready to re-emerge as contenders in the Western Conference.
The Look Ahead
Nico Collins ANYTIME TOUCHDOWN – Collins scored in the last two games he featured in, and in three of his most recent four. Count on C.J. Stroud being eager to re-connect with Collins early and often, and also count on a Dallas defense to continue to be bad. Only Jacksonville allows more passing yards per attempt than Mike McCarthy’s team, so don’t be surprised when Collins breaks a big play that ends in six points in his return.
