Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

This week's edition of Monday Night Football will feature an in-state rivalry between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.

Houston has opened as 7.5-point favorites on the road since the Cowboys will be missing their starting quarterback Dak Prescott. But after last week, can they be trusted to close out a game?

Let's preview this primetime matchup with our expert's best bets.

Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys betting picks and predictions

Texans -7.5 (-105)

Houston's Week 10 loss was disappointing. CJ Stroud and the Texans were winning 23-7 at halftime and appeared to have figured out how to stop Jared Goff.

In the end, the Houston defense picked off Goff a ridiculous five times. But while the defense kept making plenty of stops, the offense went scoreless in the second half which prompted a comeback by the Lions.

Jake Bates' game-winning field goal as time expired completed Detroit's 16-point comeback and gave Houston their second straight loss. However, there is good news ahead and he goes by the name Nico Collins.

Houston's WR1 has been out for the last several weeks with a hamstring injury and was questionable to return last Sunday, but he was downgraded to inactive shortly before kickoff. Collins should be more than ready to return on Monday night after the extra rest he's gotten in the last week.

Prescott's absence was quite clear in Week 10. Cooper Rush was the starting quarterback and he finished 13/23 for just 45 yards. Jake Ferguson led the team in receiving yards with just 24 which says all you need to know about the Cowboys offense right now.

It's only going to get harder for Rush considering the Texans are allowing the fourth fewest passing yards per game. It didn't help in the end, but the Houston defense still picked off Goff five times last week. However, that doesn't provide any confidence that Rush is going to have success against the Houston secondary.

And to make it all worse, the Cowboys don't have a running game to lean on. They average just over 80 rushing yards per game, which ranks as the second-fewest in the NFL.

With no running game and a backup quarterback facing an elite secondary, this game should finish as another lopsided loss for the Cowboys.

Under 41.5 (-105)

It's a low total for these two teams, but it still might not be low enough. That's because last week the Cowboys allowed 34 points to the Eagles and the game still didn't go over the total.

Thanks to Rush's inability to throw downfield and Dallas' non-existent running game, the Cowboys weren't able to get another sort of offense going and they finished with just six points. If Dallas allowed over 30 points last week and it didn't go over the total, it is worth taking the under again this week against an elite Texans offense.

It wouldn't be surprising if Stroud connects with Collins and Dell several times downfield or if Joe Mixon runs wild and racks up over 100 rushing yards for the sixth time this season and the Texans finish with at least 30 points.

Even if that happens, it is still likely that the total will stay below 41.5 since the Cowboys offense is obsolete now.

With Rush at quarterback, it takes away Dallas' biggest threats which are also known as CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson.

Those two combined for just 45 receiving yards last week against a Philadelphia secondary that ranks third in the league in passing yards allowed per game. Unfortunately for Lamb and Ferguson, the Texans secondary ranks fourth in that same category.

These two targets are likely to be held in check throughout the game which will force the Cowboys to use Rico Dowdle on the ground more, so back the under in this primetime matchup.

Joe Mixon 100+ rushing yards (+160)

The two-headed monster of Collins and Tank Dell should terrorize Dallas' weak secondary throughout the game, but the majority of Houston's offense could come from Mixon.

Mixon has logged 100+ rushing yards in five of his seven games this season and will face a Cowboys defensive line that is allowing the 2nd most rushing yards per game.

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Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys odds

Houston Texans	-360 ML
Dallas Cowboys	+290 ML
Spread	Texans -7.5 (-105)
Total Points	O/U 41.5

Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys player props

Anytime Touchdown

Joe Mixon	-220
Nico Collins	+115
Rico Dowdle	+145
Tank Dell	+145
Dalton Schultz	+215
CeeDee Lamb	+195

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.