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Andrew Rogers
Texans vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 3 Odds, Prediction
The owner of the Dallas Cowboys doesn’t sound overly concerned about the absence of his mega-star running back – but he might be singing a different tune after this weekend as the Cowboys host the rival Houston Texans in a Saturday night pre-season encounter. Tony Pollard has looked impressive with Ezekiel Elliott still entrenched in a holdout, but Pollard could be in tough if he’s tasked with facing the starters from a daunting Texans defence.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Cowboys opened as slight 1 ½-point favourites, but bettors have pulled the line down to a pick ‘em. Dallas has been a truly terrible cover option in recent pre-season history, having gone 2-8-2 ATS in its previous 12 exhibition contests. The Cowboys are an almost-as-bad 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 pre-season home games. Houston, on the other hand, is an impressive 8-4-1 ATS in its last 13 pre-season games but is just 1-4 ATS in the last five road contests.
The total for this one has remained steady at 40.5, a slight increase from the totals bettors were treated two over the first two weeks of the pre-season. The Texans have gone above the total in four of their past six exhibition road games following a six-game under streak, and are 3-1 O/U in their last four overall. The Cowboys come in riding a five-game consecutive under run, and have seen more than 30 total points scored in just one game over that span.
Houston Texans
The Texans are one of the few teams in the NFL with little left to decide on the offensive side of the football – but that doesn’t mean less time for the starters on offence. Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins needed just one drive to connect on a TD last week, and will look to continue their chemistry building Saturday. Lamar Miller and Duke Johnson head into the season as the top-two running backs on the depth chart; they should both see at least one series.
Dallas Cowboys
Pollard has looked great so far, turning nine carries into 58 yards and a touchdown. But the Texans boasted one of the top run defences in the NFL last season, limiting teams to 82.7 rushing yards per game (third-best in the league) on 3.4 yard per carry (best in the league). Look for quarterback Dak Prescott to try and work out the kinks in Week 3, which could prove challenging with star receiver Amari Cooper expected to sit out with plantar fasciitis.
HOU
DAL