Texans vs. Cowboys: Time, Channel & Line

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Brandon Weeden #3 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up before a NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on December 28, 2014 in Landover. Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden is expected to get the start under center in the final preseason game of the year. (Getty)

Don’t expect to see many Dallas Cowboys starters on Thursday night. In fact, don’t expect to see any of them. The team has already announced that it will not play its projected regular season starters in its final preseason game against the Houston Texans.

Brandon Weeden is expected to get the start under center for the Cowboys, cleared to play after sustaining a concussion on August 23 against the San Francisco 49ers. Weeden started the preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers, going 4-for-5 for 42 yards. He didn’t play against the Minnesota Vikings last week.

Meanwhile, the Texans will look to continue fine-tuning their offensive gameplan. Starting quarterback Brian Hoyer looked good last week but Ryan Mallett should also see plenty of playing time on Thursday night. Same goes for the Houston rushing attack, trying to find a rhythm before the regular season opener, taking over for the loss of injured Arian Foster.


The Basics

Who:
Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys

When:
Thursday, September 3, 8 p.m. ET

Channel:
The game will be broadcast locally in the Houston area on ABC 13 and in Dallas on CBS 11. Click here to check out a full TV schedule.

Where:
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Line:
Texans -4 via Oddsshark

Last Meeting:
Cowboys 20, Texans 17 on October 5, 2014 in Dallas


Scouting the Texans

Bryan Hoyer looked good last week.

Just days after being named the Houston Texans’ starting quarterback, Hoyer led scoring drives on two of his three series in last week’s preseason tilt against the New Orleans Saints en route to a 27-13 victory. Hoyer spoke to the media after the game, saying:

It’s good to come out and start the game and move the ball like we did. That means what we are doing is moving the team in the right direction.

While Hoyer was settling into his role as a starter, the Texans front office was making moves to protect that their quarterback is protected under center. Houston traded a seventh round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft for offensive tackle Chris Clark earlier this week, padding the front line. Clark, 29, previously played for the Denver Broncos, joining the team in December 2010.


Scouting the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys had one of the best rushing attacks in the entire NFL last year. Sure, a lot of that had to do with DeMarco Murray, but a good chunk of the credit also goes to the squad’s offensive line, which was consistently one of the strongest forces in the league last season. After all, it’s easy to run when there are guys blocking massive holes in front of you.

Going into the preseason, the Cowboys were confident in their offensive line to, once again, be the building block of a dominant game out of the backfield. Only, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. There are more questions than answers when it comes to the Dallas running back tandem and the projected starting offensive line has not taken a snap together during the preseason.

It’s been a mishmash of players in the trenches this preseason and none of the Cowboys starters will even see the field in Thursday night’s matchup against the Houston Texans. Still, Dallas expects its starting five o-lineman to be ready for the season opener on September 13 and, at the end of the day, that’s all they’re really worried about.

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