Houston Texans vs Dallas Cowboys Prediction & Preview - August 21, 2021 | NFL preseason 2021
Both the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys are in a similar situation at quarterback going into their Week-Two pre-season clash on Saturday.
Their starting quarterback situation is unstable, while their backup situation is not much better as well. Does this set up for a thrilling bout or a 60-minute slog? Here's a look at each team going into the game, as well as a prediction about how the game could pan out.
Houston Texans vs Dallas Cowboys: Team News
Houston Texans Injuries
According to CBS Sports, the Texans are expected to be without Bradley Roby, Johnathan Greenard, Ryan Izzo, Lane Taylor, Marcus Cannon, Anthony Miller, Laremy Tunsil and Dontrell Hilliard.
The biggest misses will be Bradley Roby, Anthony Miller and Laremy Tunsil. Roby is the starting cornerback, while Anthony Miller is one of the team's top receivers. Laremy Tunsil, the starting left tackle, could be sorely missed in the starting lineup, though.
Houston Texans' quarterback situation
No one knows what is going to happen to Deshaun Watson, but he has not played a snap in the preseason and is listed as fourth on ESPN's depth chart. At this point, it seems that he won't play in Week Two of the preseason. Tyrod Taylor is expected to get some work as well as rookie Davis Mills. Jeff Driskel is expected to see a little bit of time as well.
Houston Texans: Players to watch out for
Keep an eye on Tyrod Taylor. He will likely be the starter for most of the season. How he plays will show how he could perform in the regular season. Keep an eye on Davis Mills as well. He was drafted as a project who the Texans hope could be the future of the franchise. Lastly, running back Phillip Lindsay is worth watching, as he is expected to be the new starting running back for the Texans.
Dallas Cowboys Injuries
The biggest loss is undoubtedly Dak Prescott. He tweaked his throwing shoulder early in camp, and has been slowly nursing it back to health since then. Hard Knocks' revealed that he can do 'light throwing, but is otherwise limited until the start of the regular season. Otherwise, the team is mostly healthy.
Dallas Cowboys' quarterback situation
Without Dak Prescott, the Cowboys could trot out a combination of Ben DiNucci, Cooper Rush and Garrett Gilbert. Each quarterback may share a similar amount of time, as none has emerged as the favorite for the backup role.
Ben DiNucci seems to have the most promise as a scrambling option, but his arm is nothing to write home about. Essentially, the Cowboys have three third-string quarterbacks to choose from.
Dallas Cowboys: Players to watch out for
Of course, the backup quarterback competition's importance has been magnified after the injury to Prescott. However, it is also worth watching CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper if they see the field. Lamb is poised to become the top receiver, and it could happen at any moment.
'Hard Knocks' will also be present at the game as they film their next episode. It could be a fun 'Where's Waldo' game to try to spot the cameramen on the sidelines.
Cowboys vs Texans: Prediction
Both the Cowboys and Texans will be without their best options at quarterback. So it will be a battle of the backups.
The score may be close in this game, but the quality of play may not be crisp. Both sides could turn the ball over and have penalties at bad times. The Texans put a beatdown on the Packers last week, so expect them to pull out a win for the second time in a row.
However, both teams could fight it out hard, and this pre-season game could likely go down to the fourth quarter.
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