Dallas Cowboys vs Houston Texans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/04/2026

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, October 4, 2026

Venue:  Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cowboys +2.5, Texans -2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cowboys +2.5, Texans -2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cowboys +2.5, Texans -2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Dallas Cowboys:  1-2 (3rd place, NFC East)

Houston Texans:  0-3 (3rd place, AFC South)

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Dallas Cowboys:  lost their last game at a neutral site against the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.

Houston Texans:  lost their last game on the road against the Indianapolis Colts 19-17.

The Cowboys are entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 1-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-1 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against the Baltimore Ravens 34-31. Dak Prescott was the starting QB and he completed 25/40 passes for 276 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Javonte Williams led the team in rushing yards with 98 and 1 TD. CeeDee Lamb led the receivers with 112 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Markquese Bell led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

The Texans are entering this game with a 0-3 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-2 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Indianapolis Colts 19-17. C. J. Stroud was the starting QB and he completed 16/27 passes for 167 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. David Montgomery led the team in rushing yards with 33. Xavier Hutchinson led the receivers with 51 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Azeez Al-Shaair led the defense in that game with 11 solo tackles while Will Anderson Jr. led the defense in sacks with 2.5. Reed Blankenship came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have the Texans listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Texans have looked terrible in their games this season with their 0-3 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the AFC South. They haven't looked great on their home field either with their 0-2 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys haven't looked great in their games this season with their 1-2 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the NFC East. They haven't been a great road team either with their 0-1 road record this year. The Cowboys are coming off a 34-31 loss to the Ravens in their last one and now they are coming back from that game being in Brazil. The offense looked great and has looked great all season, but the defense was one of the worst in the NFL last season and hasn't looked any better this year. They even had a chance to beat the Ravens in Brazil after trailing for a lot of the game, but poor clock management led to the Ravens getting in a last second field goal. The Cowboys have been really up and down to start the season and now they are getting one of the best defenses in the NFL on a team that is going to be desperate to win their 1st game. The Texans are coming off a 19-17 loss to the Colts in their last one and nothing has gone right for them this year. They did look great in week 1, losing 36-31 to the Bills, but the defense wasn't ready to start the season. Now the defense has looked a lot better in their last 2 games, but the offense has reverted back to having trouble like they did for a lot of the season last year. This defense has gotten better every week though and they are going to be the ones to put their thumb on the scale in this game. The Cowboys have a great offense, but they have been stunted by good defenses and the Texans offense should have a bounce back game themselves with how bad this Cowboys defense has still looked this season. Look for the Texans to take advantage of a Cowboys team that played out of country last week and win their 1st game of the season at home in a desperate situation. The best way to place a bet here is on the Texans to cover the spread in this game. 

Cowboys Texans Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, October 4, 2026 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Texans 23 Cowboys 20.

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Dallas Cowboys: 5-9 ATS after allowing 30 points or more last game. 4-7 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 2-6 ATS off 3 or more consecutive overs. 33-18 UNDER on the road after a loss by 6 or less points.

Houston Texans: 8-2 ATS after playing a division game. 8-2 ATS versus poor rushing defenses - allowing 4.5 rushing yards/carry or more. 10-3 ATS versus poor defensive teams - allowing 5.65 yards/play or more. 9-1 UNDER in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points.

Dallas Cowboys:  None.

Houston Texans:  None.

“I am hurting, they are hurting. It is a long trip (to Rio), but no one cares. We also have a long flight back.” - Brian Schottenheimer after his team’s loss against the Ravens in their last game. 

“These are the types of games we're supposed to win. We fought, but, at the end of the day, there's a lot of things that need to be fixed.” - C.J. Stroud after their loss against the Colts in their last game. 

WR Pickens, George

WR Lamb, CeeDee

WR Flournoy, Ryan

TE Ferguson, Jake

QB Prescott, Dak

RB Williams, Javonte

FB Luepke, Hunter

WR Wayne, Jared

WR Boutte, Kayshon

WR Hutchinson, Xavier

TE Schultz, Dalton

QB Stroud, C.J.

RB Montgomery, David

FB Brooks, British

Passing: Dak Prescott (730)

Rushing: Javonte Williams (169)

Receiving: CeeDee Lamb (309)

Touchdowns: CeeDee Lamb (3)

Passing: C.J. Stroud (794)

Rushing: David Montgomery (103)

Receiving: Dalton Schultz (205)

Touchdowns: David Montgomery (3)

Coaches:

Dallas Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer (2nd season)

Houston Texans: DeMeco Ryans (4th season)