Excuse the Houston Texans if they aren’t panicking over an 0-3 start, since they started the same way last season and ended up participating in two playoff games.
Then again, there’s plenty of urgency to get that first victory under their belts when the Texans host the in-state Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.
Houston star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. said the squad is trying not to be down in the dumps about the glacier-slow start.
“We can hold our heads down and everybody can be around here moping around and sad and, ‘Man, what’s going on?'” Anderson said Wednesday. “Or we can pick each other up, look ourselves in the mirror, be grown men. We get paid to do a job. Go do your job. I think that’s the approach that we’re taking and bring guys along with you.
“Nobody’s going to walk around sad because then it’s just energy vampires. Then everybody’s down. Then we’re really not going to win the game because everybody’s slouching around.”
The Texans have scored a combined 23 points in their past two losses — 20-6 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 20 and 19-17 last Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts.
Houston hopes to have standout receiver Nico Collins (hamstring) back after a two-game absence. Collins was a limited practice performer on Wednesday, and coach DeMeco Ryans is optimistic the Texans will have the three-time, 1,000-yard receiver against the Cowboys.
“Everyone understands and knows the type of player Nico is,” Ryans said. “He’s an explosive playmaker anytime he’s touching the ball, anytime he’s on the field, he’s a threat. Defenses have to prepare for him, and they have to do different things to adjust for him.”
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud could use Collins after passing for a season-low 167 yards against the Colts.
Dallas (1-2) is beat up in the back end as it has lost safeties Malik Hooker (forearm), P.J. Locke (foot) and Jalen Thompson (hamstring) over the first three games. Locke and Thompson are on injured reserve.
Hooker was a limited practice participant Wednesday and how close he is to a return will be firmed up later in the week. But cornerbacks Cobie Durant (hamstring) and Shavon Revel (knee/ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday as well as linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring).
So far, 29 different players have taken at least one defensive snap for the Cowboys. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said that number will increase Sunday.
“You could be playing with some guys that don’t have a ton of understanding of what we’re doing,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “And so, it’s not going to be about us fooling anybody. It’s going to be about us executing and playing well.”
Dallas lost 34-31 in excruciating fashion to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday.
Schottenheimer admitted he bungled the time management in the contest and it led to the Ravens getting the ball back with seven seconds to play and then cashing in with a game-winning 56-yard field goal by Tyler Loop as time expired.
“I didn’t do very good in the last 28 seconds,” Schottenheimer said. “I think when you talk about finishing the game, which I really think you look at our two games that we’ve lost, we haven’t finished. And that was a big part of this one.
“… I’ll take responsibility for this. I’m a grown man. I can handle it. Do I deserve the criticism? Absolutely. I deserve the criticism.”
Dak Prescott passed for 276 yards and one touchdown for Dallas. He has seven scoring passes against one interception in three games.
Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (groin) is week-to-week, according to Ryans. Right tackle Trent Brown (illness/knee/wrist) and running back British Brooks (hamstring) also missed practice Wednesday.
The Texans won two of the past three meetings and trounced the Cowboys 34-10 in Dallas in 2024. Prescott missed that mid-November game due to a season-ending hamstring injury.
