He's not from here, but Bill O'Brien knows that the Week 5 matchup with the Cowboys is significant.
"I know it means a lot," O'Brien said on Monday. "Start here in this organization. I know that this game means a lot to Mr. McNair and this Texans organization."
The Massachusetts native has been a Houstonian for roughly nine months, and his 3-1 Texans travel to Arlington for a noon showdown against the 3-1 Cowboys. O'Brien thinks highly of the organization he and Houston will face next Sunday, and thinks it starts with Jason Garrett.
"Dallas has an excellent football team led by a really good head coach, Coach Garrett, who I have a lot of respect for," O'Brien said. "It's a big challenge, but we realize how important it is to the fans and
to us."
Left tackle Duane Brown is also very impressed by the Cowboys, even though he was unable to see their 38-17 thrashing of the Saints on Sunday Night Football.
"Their offense played well," Brown said. "They've been running the ball great, passed the ball great last night. It's a big challenge for us."
The first win in franchise history was against the Cowboys in the 2002 season opener. The Texans beat Dallas 19-10 that evening. In 2006 and 2010, however, the Cowboys were victorious. Houston will look to even up the regular season record with a victory on Sunday.
It's also the first time both teams will enter the matchup with winning records.
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