ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The NFL's two Texas teams have just one victory between them over the past month.
That's not to say they're in similar situations heading into the seventh meeting of a series that started with Houston celebrating its inaugural game with a victory over Dallas 22 years ago. Not even close.
C.J. Stroud and the Texans are in much better shape than the Cowboys despite perhaps the roughest four-game stretch the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year has seen as a pro.
Houston (6-4) still leads the AFC South despite its current 1-3 skid, while the Cowboys (3-6) are on a four-game losing streak and in serious danger of a three-year playoff run ending. They already have one more loss than in each of the past three 12-5 seasons.
Plus, Dallas is coming off a woeful offensive showing in the first game without Dak Prescott, the franchise QB who just had season-ending surgery on a torn hamstring.
It's not much consolation that the Cowboys are at home Monday night. The defending NFC East champions are 0-4 at AT&T Stadium. They had won 16 consecutive games there before a blowout loss to Green Bay in a wild-card playoff last January.
Three of the home losses this season have been blowouts, including division rival Philadelphia's 34-6 victory last week. The other defeat wasn't nearly as close as the three-point margin.
“I think this is an incredible opportunity for this football team, what’s in front of us, to be into this valley of adversity,” said Mike McCarthy, whose future as Dallas coach is in doubt in the final year of his contract. “And I think to come out of this would be a great story. There’s a ton of work. And the only work we’re really focused on is beating the Houston Texans.”
The Texans are coming off consecutive losses for just the second time in Stroud's two seasons. The other was the 0-2 start to his rookie year. Houston lost to Detroit 26-23 last week despite intercepting Jared Goff five times.
“We’re going through a tough patch right now,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “But, as I told our team, we need that. We need to toughen up. We need to be mentally tougher. We need to figure out ways to finish games and the only way to learn sometimes is through failure.”
Stroud has gone four consecutive games with a passer rating below 100, with just two touchdowns with two interceptions in that stretch. The longest sub-100 passer rating streak of his rookie season was three.
“I am not only a game-manager, but I can also be a game-changer,” Stroud said. “Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. For me, I am going to keep the swag and kind of like what I told you all last year, Steph Curry can go 0 for whatever, but he is going to keep shooting. That’s me. I am going to keep shooting.”
Rush reprise
Cooper Rush played poorly from the start after entering the game against the Eagles with a 5-1 record filling in for Prescott. He dropped a snap to give Philadelphia the ball inside the Dallas 20-yard line, leading to a 7-0 deficit.
Rush had 45 yards passing, the fewest for a Dallas starter since 37 late in 2015, another lost season for the Cowboys. The four-game losing streak is the longest since 2020, when Prescott was out after Week 5 with a broken ankle.
“You’re going to get your (rear end) smacked sometimes,” Rush said. “The beauty is that it’s right back to it the next week. It’s right here right in front of you and it doesn’t really allow you to really dwell on the last game as much.”
Second-half struggles
Houston has led at halftime each of the past four games, only to lose three. The problems start with an offense that has scored just 15 points with no touchdowns in that stretch. The Texans were shut out in the second half against Detroit after leading by 16 at halftime.
“With the inefficiencies, not only offensively, but defensively, it’s just a matter of us focusing in and being on the details of our job,” Ryans said.
Pressuring Stroud
The Cowboys had trouble pressuring quarterbacks when star pass rusher Micah Parsons was out four games with a high ankle sprain. He sacked Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts twice in his return, as did DeMarvion Overshown. The second-year linebacker leads Dallas with four sacks.
“When Micah is on the field, he’s going to create more one-on-ones for others,” McCarthy said. “That was definitely the case.”
Collins’ comeback
Houston should get a boost with the expected return of star receiver Nico Collins, who has missed the past five games with a hamstring injury. Collins was activated from injured reserve last week and should play if he practices all week, as Ryans indicated he would.
Despite the lengthy absence, Collins leads the team with 567 yards receiving. His return will help improve a passing game that has struggled without him and Stefon Diggs, out for the season with a knee injury.
“Any time you get him back, it’s going to help everybody,” Ryans said.
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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed from Houston.
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Schuyler Dixon, The Associated Press
