Week 11 showdown with Houston for Texas bragging rights ✭

The Houston Texans arrive at AT&T Stadium in Week 11. This will be the seventh meeting between the two franchises since Houston joined the NFL in 2002.

The Cowboys hold a 4-2 advantage in the series win column.

But the Texans are a promising team.

After three straight losing seasons, Houston rebuilt its roster with trades and solid draft picks. A change of coach also contributed to the rebuild.

The Texans won the AFC South last year. They destroyed the Cleveland Browns 45-14 in the wild card round.

But then they were crushed by the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.

Houston will be a tough nut to crack in the battle for pro football bragging rights in Texas.

And since 2016, the Texans have won one more playoff game than the Cowboys during the same period.

Against the Texans

The first meeting between the two teams took place on September 8, 2002 at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

It was the very first game in the Texans expansion.

This was also the first regular season NFL game in Houston since the Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1996. The Houston Oilers’ final home game was played at the Astrodome on December 15, 1996.

The Oilers lost 21-13 to the Bengals.

But they won their final game against the Houston Oilers the following week with a 24-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

The Cowboys were the favorites to win the game against the Texans in 2002. Only, no one told the home team that.

Houston took a 10-0 lead before the Cowboys rallied to tie it at 10 in the third quarter.

David Carr’s second touchdown pass – a 65-yard pass to Corey Bradford – put the Texans on top for good with 12:18 to play.

Houston’s defense added a safety for the final score of 19-10.

The Cowboys took the Texans a little more seriously in the very first meeting at Texas Stadium four years later.

Drew Bledsoe threw two touchdowns to Terrell Owens and Owens got a third on a pass from Tony Romo in a 34-6 rout of Dallas.

The teams met again in Houston in 2010 and the Cowboys went to an easy 27-13 score. The next three games would be much closer.

In 2014, at AT&T Stadium this time, the Texans rallied from being down 10 points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.

Dan Bailey’s 49-yard field goal was the game-winner in overtime.

Four years later, Houston improved its home record against the Cowboys to 2-1 with a 19-16 overtime victory.

Brett Maher’s 48-yard field goal tied the game with less than six minutes to play. Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 36-yard field goal won it in overtime.

The Cowboys improved to 3-0 at home against the Texans in 2022. Fairbairn scored back-to-back 50-plus yard field goals to give Houston a 23-17 lead after three quarters.

Maher responded with a 53-yard field goal just 10 seconds into the fourth to cut the lead to three.

Ezekiel Elliott had a two-yard run with 41 seconds left to give Dallas a 27-23 victory.

Week 11 Story

This will be the first meeting of Week 11 between the two teams.

The Cowboys are 34-26-2 in Week 11 games in their history. Dallas is 17-10-1 at home and 17-16-1 on the road.

They have had two bye weeks – 2013 and 2014 – which fall in Week 11.

By hosting the Texans this year, they will end a streak of six consecutive Week 11 seasons on the road.

The Cowboys are 5-1 in those games and have won their last two games in Week 11. The only loss came in 2021 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Kansas City.

The last time Dallas played a home game in Week 11 was in 2017, a 37-9 loss to the Eagles fueled by two Carson Wentz touchdown passes in the second half.

Dak Prescott threw three interceptions in the game. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 0-4 against Philadelphia in Week 11 games all-time.

The last Week 11 home win came in 2016 against the Ravens.

Prescott threw three touchdowns – two to Dez Bryant – in a 27-17 victory.

Dallas faced the Cardinals (6-1) and Commanders (5-2) seven times each in Week 11. The 49ers are next in five meetings with Dallas struggling with a 1-3-1 record.

The tie against San Francisco was at home on Thanksgiving Day in 1969, a 24-24 final at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys trailed 14-0 after the first quarter.

Their other Week 11 tie came in Dallas’ first season, a 31-31 tie with the Giants in New York in the penultimate game of the 0-11-1 season.

My prediction

(based on listings to date)

The Texans will earn their first victory in Dallas and be crowned kings of professional football in Texas.

Projected season record: 3-7.