Texans vs Cowboys Predictions, Picks, Odds, Best Bets — NFL Monday Night Football

Texans vs Cowboys Predictions, Picks, Odds, Best Bets — NFL Monday Night Football article feature image
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Action Network/Getty Images. Pictured: C.J. Stroud (left) and Cooper Rush.

This article contains predictions for an old game.

The Houston Texans (6-4) and Dallas Cowboys (3-6) will close NFL Week 11 on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. EST from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will be live on ESPN and can be streamed on ESPN+, YouTube TV and other streaming services.

Texans vs. Cowboys odds (via BetMGM) have the Texans as -350 moneyline favorites and the Cowboys as +270 underdogs. The over/under is 41 total points (-110/-110). The Texans are 7-point favorites on the spread over the Cowboys (-7).

The Texans are in first place in the AFC South and in control of the division. The Cowboys, meanwhile, look like they'll be competing for

Let's get into my MNF preview and Texans vs. Cowboys predictions and picks, as well as the latest Monday Night Football odds and betting trends.


Texans vs. Cowboys Odds

Texans Logo
Monday, Nov. 18
8:15 p.m. ET
ESPN
Cowboys Logo
Texans Odds
SpreadTotalMoneyline
-7
-120
41
-111o / -112u
-360
Cowboys Odds
SpreadTotalMoneyline
+7
-105
41
-111o / -112u
+280
Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute NFL odds here.
bet365 Logo
  • Texans vs. Cowboys spread: Texans -7
  • Texans vs. Cowboys over/under: 41.5 points scored
  • Texans vs. Cowboys moneyline: Texans -350, Cowboys +275

MyTexans vs. Cowboys best bet is on Houston to cover the first-half spread. For all of your NFL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NFL odds page.

Texans vs. Cowboys Prediction

Against the Spread

I want to find a way to fade the Cowboys, who have been awful this season and are especially hopeless with Dak Prescott out for the season.

The Texans are still working things out offensively, so I don't want to lay a touchdown with them over the course of the whole game. Houston has been better offensively in the first half, so I'd recommend betting it there.

Moneyline

I have no interest in betting on Dallas, and I'm also not going to bet the juiced Texans moneyline.

Over/Under

My projection for this game's total is 41.5, so I'm right in line with the market and have no pick.

My Pick: Texans 1H -4 (-110)

Texans vs. Cowboys Betting Trends

  • 74% of the bets and 66% of the money are on the Texans to cover the spread.
  • 94% of the bets and 86% of the money are on the Texans to win the game outright.
  • 51% of the bets and 53% of the money are on the UNDER.

Texans vs. Cowboys Monday Night Football Preview

I'm not a fan of laying points with this Texans team. C.J. Stroud, who is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) as an underdog, is just 5-10 ATS as a favorite and 3-8 when laying a field goal or more.

A lot of that has to do with Houston's conservative nature, especially with a lead. This offense is just not firing on all cylinders at the moment, ranking 30th in Success Rate, primarily due to a leaky offensive line (especially in the interior) that allows too much pressure and injuries at wide receiver.

However, Nico Collins is expected to return tonight. His presence can't be overstated, as Stroud's numbers are night and day with him in the lineup. The Texans will also benefit from playing indoors at AT&T Stadium, where they are at their best.

It's hard to envision Dallas having a ton of defensive success. Unless Micah Parsons can make a few game-changing plays, which he's certainly capable of, this Dallas defense doesn't really have any overwhelming strength and the secondary isn't 100% healthy. Joe Mixon should be able to get going on the ground against a Cowboys defense that ranks dead last in Rush EPA and 30th in Rush Success Rate. That should set up some shots downfield for Stroud, who now has his deep threat back in the lineup.

The other side of the ball looks even uglier for Dallas with Cooper Rush under center for the injured Dak Prescott. The Cowboys had a pitiful 26% Success Rate last week against the Eagles with less than 50 yards passing on 29 attempts. That's impossibly bad and Ceedee Lamb also might not be at 100%.

Things likely won't get better this week against one of the league's most underrated defenses (second in Success Rate), especially since Dallas can't really lean on its run game consistently. As a result, it should find itself in plenty of known passing situations against a top-tier pass stop unit that leads the NFL in pressure rate. That's a recipe for disaster with Rush under center.

I don't have much interest in laying a touchdown with Houston on the road here. The Texans are still figuring things out offensively, especially with their propensity to get too conservative and Nico Collins is coming back.

However, I do like the Texans as a moneyline parlay piece (trust the better defense and massive quarterback edge) and fancy Houston for the 1H. For what it's worth, the Texans rank in the bottom five in the NFL in both EPA and Success Rate in the second half compared to 12th and 23rd in the first half.

My Pick: Texans 1H -4 (-110)


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About the Author
Stuckey is a senior betting analyst at Action Network, focusing on college football, college basketball, and the NFL. He hosts The Action Network Podcast and co-hosts the Big Bets on Campus podcast with Collin Wilson and Brett McMurphy. Stuckey was Action Network’s first content hire in 2017, helping launch their award-winning app, and continues to work closely with their development team. A CFA Charterholder, Stuckey has been betting since 2003 and has a background as a derivatives analyst in the financial industry. He holds an MBA from George Washington University.

Follow Stuckey @Stuckey2 on Twitter/X.

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