Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans Preseason NFL Picks & Predictions 8/30/2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

NRG Stadium

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Dallas Cowboys head to NRG Stadium to play the Houston Texans on Thursday, August 30, 2018. The opening line for this matchup has Houston as 4 point favorites. The total has been set at 36. The Cowboys were 8-7-1 against the spread last season and their over/under record was 6-10-0. The Texans were 7-9-0 against the spread and their over/under mark was 7-9-0.

Valuable Dallas Cowboys Betting Trends

The Dallas Cowboys were 6-10-0 against the over/under last season

The Dallas Cowboys were 8-7-1 against the spread last year

Important Houston Texans Betting Trends

The Houston Texans were 7-9-0 against the over/under last season

The Houston Texans were 7-9-0 against the spread last year

Key Dallas Cowboys Injuries

08/23/18 C Travis Frederick Illness is out indefinitely
08/20/18 S Xavier Woods Hamstring is questionable Sunday vs Carolina
08/19/18 G Zack Martin Knee is questionable Sunday vs Carolina
08/03/18 DT Maliek Collins Foot is questionable Sunday vs Carolina
06/15/18 DL David Irving Suspension 4- game suspension (elgible to return 10/7 vs Houston)

Key Houston Texans Injuries

08/26/18 WR Will Fuller Hamstring is probable Sunday vs New England
08/19/18 CB Kevin Johnson Concussion is questionable Sunday vs New England
08/08/18 QB Deshaun Watson Knee is upgraded to probable Week #1 of regular season Sunday vs New England
08/03/18 S Andre Hal Illness is out indefinitely
08/03/18 RB D'Onta Foreman Achilles is out indefinitely

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Dallas Cowboys were 14th in the National Football League in points scored with 354 last year. They ran 1,005 plays for 5,311 yards, which ranked them 14th in the NFL in total offense. The Cowboys averaged 5.3 yards per play, which was 14th in the league. As a team they accumulated a total of 314 1st downs last season, ranking them 13th overall as an offensive unit. On the ground Dallas ran for 2,170 yards as a unit, which ranked 2nd in the league. They ran 480 times, averaging 4.5 yards per rush as a unit. The Cowboys were penalized on offense 97 times for 939 yards last year, which had them 24th in the NFL in penalties. Dak Prescott passed for 3,324 yards last year. He completed 308 throws while attempting 490 passes for a completion percentage of 62.9%. His quarterback rating last season was 86.6. He averaged 10.8 yards per completion and 6.8 yards per pass attempt.

Defensive Statistics

Dallas was 13th in the NFL in points surrendered on defense last year with 332. They gave up a total of 5,089 yards on D, which was 8th in the league. The Cowboys were 11th in yards per play allowed with 5.1. Their pass defense allowed 5.7 net yards per pass attempt, ranking them 7th in the National Football League. Opponent offenses completed 371 throws on 559 attempts against the Dallas Cowboys defense last season, ranking them 31st and 22nd in the league. The Dallas pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,425 yards in the air, which was 11th overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense gave up 403 attempts for 1,664 yards last season, putting them in 8th place in the NFL against the run. The Cowboys had 107 penalties for 880 yards on defense last year. That placed them 12th in the league. They allowed a score on 31.6% of possessions on defense, which was 10th in the NFL.

Special Teams Stats

Dallas was 21st in the NFL in punt returns with 31 last year. They totaled 275 punt return yards and averaged 8.9 yards per return, which was 11th in the league. Their longest punt return last season was 83 yards. They returned 25 kicks for 620 yards on special teams, placing them 20th in kick return yardage. The Cowboys averaged 24.8 yards per kick return and had a long of 61 yards last season. They were 18th in the National Football League in all-purpose yards with 6,391. The Dallas Cowboys tried 29 field goals last season and made 22, which was 22nd in the league. Their kickers had a FG percentage of 75.9%. Dallas Cowboys kickers made 92% of their extra points, going 36 for 39 last season. Their punters accumulated 2,908 yards on 66 punts, averaging 44.1 yards per punt. That ranked them 24th in the NFL in punting average.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Houston Texans ran for 1,842 yards as a team last year, which ranked 14th in the NFL. They ran 448 times, averaging 4.1 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Texans were penalized on offense 124 times for 1,050 yards last season, which had them 3rd in the league in penalties. They were 17th in the NFL in points scored with 338. They ran 1,027 plays last season for 5,120 yards, which ranked them 20th in the league in total offense. The Texans averaged 5 yards per play, which was 20th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 313 1st downs last year, placing them 14th overall as an offensive unit. Deshaun Watson averaged 8.3 yards per pass attempt and 13.5 yards per completion last season. He completed 126 passes on 204 attempts for a completion percentage of 61.8%. His quarterback rating last year was 103. He threw for 1,699 yards.

Defensive Statistics

The Texans rush defense allowed 440 attempts for 1,747 yards last year, putting them in 13th place in the league against the run. Houston committed 122 penalties for 1,128 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 31st in the NFL. They gave up a score on 39.7% of possessions on defense, which was 29th in the league. They were 32nd in the league in points allowed on defense with 436. They surrendered a total of 5,546 yards on D, which was 20th in the NFL. The Texans were ranked 29th in yards per play allowed with 5.7. Their pass defense gave up 7.1 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 30th in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 321 passes on 501 attempts against the Houston defense last season, placing them 6th and 3rd in the National Football League. The Houston Texans pass defense also gave up a total of 3,799 yards through the air, which was 24th overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The Houston Texans attempted 25 field goals last season and made 20, which was 25th in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 80.0%. Houston kickers made 91% of their extra points, going 32 for 35 last year. Their punters totaled 4,507 yards on 92 punts, averaging 49 yards per punt. That placed them 2nd in the NFL in punting average. Houston was ranked 11th in the league in punt returns last season with 36. They accumulated 296 punt return yards and averaged 8.2 yards per return, which was 18th in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 49 yards. They returned 27 kicks for 558 yards on special teams, ranking 28th in kick return yardage. The Texans averaged 20.7 yards per kick return and had a long of 42 yards last year. They were 20th in the league in all-purpose yards with 6,340.

Who will win tonight's Cowboys/Texans NFL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Texans -4

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