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By Tyler Everett
Sports Betting Editor
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Prior to the season, the Week 11 edition of Monday Night Football looked line one of the best MNF matchups of the 2024 campaign.
Instead, tonight's game features the 3-6 Cowboys, who are struggling as much relative to preseason expectations as any team in the league, and a 6-4 Texans team that has lost three of its last four.
Despite entering this game in a funk, Houston is favored to win big on the road, as oddsmakers are down on the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys.
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Tonight's Texans vs. Cowboys matchup kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
Texans vs. Cowboys Betting Odds
Below are the odds for Texans vs. Cowboys in three markets: the spread, moneyline and total.
BET , GET 0 BONUS BETS
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
0 BONUS OR ,500 FIRST BET RESET (MUST USE CODE NEWSWEEK)
ESPN BET
,500 FIRST-BET OFFER
BETMGM
0 BONUS OR ,000 FIRST-BET SAFETY NET
BET365
,000 FIRST BET
CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
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FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
Texans vs. Cowboys Betting Analysis
Houston Texans Betting Preview
The Texans started the year at 5-1, but offensive line issues have plagued this offense the last few weeks, as struggles in pass protection have played a huge part in recent losses to the Packers, Jets and Lions.
Houston did, however, look much more like a playoff team against Detroit on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. The Texans jumped out to a 23-7 lead at halftime, and the defense played well for most of the game, picking off Jared Goff five times.
But Houston was outscored 19-0 after halftime and ended up letting what would have been a massive win slip away.
With top WR Nico Collins back to spark the offense tonight, the Texans should be much more effective in the passing game than they've been in recent weeks, but they'll need to be much better up front to give Stroud time to find Collins downfield.
Defensively, the Texans should have their way with backup QB Cooper Rush and the struggling Dallas offense despite star DE Will Anderson Jr. being out with an ankle injury. Even before Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury against Atlanta two weeks ago, this offense was not getting it done.
The Cowboys are coming off one of the worst offensive peformances any team has had all season last Sunday in Rush's first start since 2022.
Dallas Cowboys Betting Preview
The positives for Dallas right now start and end with WR CeeDee Lamb, and as injuries have mounted across this unit, even Lamb has struggled in recent weeks. After a 146-yard day vs. San Francisco in Week 8, Lamb has been limited to a total of 58 yards receiving on 22 targets the last two weeks.
Star Cowboys DE Micah Parsons returned from a lengthy absence last Sunday against the Eagles and got to Jalen Hurts for two sacks. Even with Parsons wreaking havoc, though, the 'Boys gave up 34 points to Philly, as they were outscored 20-0 in the third and fourth quarters.
The Eagles became the fifth team this year to run for at least 180 yards on the Dallas defense. That does not bode well tonight against Joe Mixon, who has carried the ball at least 24 times each of the last four weeks.
The Dallas secondary, which will be without DaRon Bland (foot), has also struggled this year, and it has a tough matchup tonight against WRs Collins and Tank Dell. Stroud and the Texans have been dangerous the last two years when both players are healthy.
Texans vs. Cowboys Prediction
We have a small sample size of less than two games this year, but with Rush under center, this looks like one of the worst offenses in the league. Against a good Houston team that badly needs a win to get back on track, we wouldn't be surprised if this one gets ugly.
While their performances in recent weeks might make it hard to trust the Texans, who have only won one game this year by more than six points, to win big, this feels like a get-right game, and it wouldn't suprise us to see Houston win by two touchdowns or more.
Dallas could keep this close if Parsons singlehandedly ruins the Texans' offensive game plan, but that's about the only way we see Dallas keeping this contest respectable for four quarters.
Texans vs. Cowboys Best Bets
Taking a heavy road favorite to cover is never a sure thing, but in this particular case, we like the Texans to not just win, but comfortably cover.
We just don't see Rush and the Cowboys being able to move the ball against a Texans defense allowing the third-fewest total yards in the league despite having faced three of the NFL's top offenses (the Bills, Packers and Lions).
There's some value to be had in taking Houston to win big on the alt spread, and we also recommend a small wager on Dallas going well under its team total.
- Texans -7 (-115 at bet365) 1 unit
- Texans alt spread -13.5 (+200 at FanDuel) 0.50 units
- Cowboys alt team total under 14.5 (+132 at FD) 0.50 units
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