The Houston Texans need a win, and the ramifications could go beyond the standings for quarterback C.J. Stroud.
They face a tough challenge in the Dallas Cowboys, who come in averaging 29.3 points per game, the seventh-best mark of the 2026 campaign through three weeks and “Thursday Night Football” in Week 4.
The Texans rank 26th in PPG offensively and are 25th on defense, allowing 25.0 PPG.
“For Houston, it’s your one shot to save your season. Houston wins this, you have a chance to maybe go on a run and get to kind of what we all expected you to be: a playoff team, Super Bowl aspirations. You lose this, your season’s done. What’s going to determine the game?” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said on “Get Up” on October 2.
Houston insider @LopezOnSports from @957thefan joins @1053SS & @BobbyBeltTX to break down the Texans’ offense through three weeks
Orlovsky noted that Nico Collins’ return is “advantage Houston,” but also hedged.
Dan Orlovsky Gets Honest About Texans’ C.J. Stroud
“Houston, this is a weakness of theirs versus the weakness of the Dallas Cowboys,” Orlovsky said. “Houston cannot run the football. They cannot beat man coverage. Dallas cannot stop the run, and they can’t cover anybody.”
That is when Orlovsky delivered a strong message for Stroud amid the lingering matter of his long-term future with the Texans.
“C.J. Stroud. C.J.’s played better than the results kind of warrant. Yeah, yeah,” Orlovsky said. “You can’t go 0-4 asking for $50-plus million. You just can’t. Whether we like it or not, fair or not fair. He bet on himself this season. Fair or not fair. You can’t go 0-4 and then have the contract loom over the top.”
The arguments against Stroud being the issue for the Texans are plentiful.
That does not absolve Stroud of his shortcomings. However, it is a reminder that, good or bad, quarterbacks often receive an inordinate amount of credit. Stroud’s strong start has been undercut by the Texans’ failings around him.
C.J. Stroud & Dak Prescott: A Matchup of ‘Desperate’ QBs
Fox Sports 1’s Chris Broussard compared Stroud to Cowboys counterpart Dak Prescott, saying that both QBs enter this matchup as the “poster boys for desperate in the NFL right now,” adding that they “absolutely need a win.”
To that end, Orlovsky urged Prescott to do what the Indianapolis Colts did in Week 3.
“Dak’s got to be great in the pocket, throwing the ball in the middle of the field; 20 yards,” Orlovsky said. “That’s what Daniel Jones did so well last week for Indy.”
Jones averaged 6.5 air yards per pass attempt against the Texans in Week 3, but he was able to attack down the field in the seams when Houston’s aggressive secondary and banged-up linebacker corps allowed it.
That kind of varied attack can also render a pass rush useless.
The ball comes out too quickly on some pass plays, and the run is a constant threat from the opposing offense.
The Texans only gave up 82 yards on 27 carries, but the Colts were never forced to go away from their ground attack, ineffective as it was. Applying more pressure on opponents offensively will also help take pressure off their own defense.
Dan Orlovsky Delivers Reality Check for Texans’ C.J. Stroud