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Welcome to Texans Roundup, your weekly look at the numbers, trends and milestones shaping the Houston Texans' upcoming matchup. From team rankings and player accomplishments to notable streaks and league-wide context, Texans Roundup highlights the stats and storylines to know before kickoff.
Matchup Information
The Houston Texans return home in Week 4 to host the Dallas Cowboys. The two teams have met seven times in the regular season, with Dallas holding a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series. Houston, however, won the most recent meeting, defeating Dallas 34-10 on Nov. 18, 2024.
Through three weeks, the Texans are averaging 326.0 total yards per game, while the Cowboys enter the matchup averaging 330.3. Defensively, Houston ranks 16th in the NFL with 325.3 yards allowed per game, while Dallas ranks 30th at 387.0.
The Inaugural Game
Sunday's matchup brings together the same two teams that met in the first regular season game in Texans history. On Sept. 8, 2002, Houston defeated Dallas 19-10 on Sunday Night Football in front of 69,604 fans, becoming the first expansion team to win its inaugural game since the Minnesota Vikings in 1961.
Rookie QB David Carr, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, opened the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown pass to TE Billy Miller just 1:14 into the game. After Dallas tied the score at 10 in the third quarter, Carr connected with WR Corey Bradford for a 65-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter before NT Seth Payne sealed the victory with a safety.
Bradford's 65-yard score remains the third-longest touchdown in the fourth-quarter or overtime in franchise history.
Have a Day, Mr. Anderson
In Week 3 at Indianapolis, DE Will Anderson Jr. recorded seven tackles (five solo), 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also generated nine quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.
Anderson is one of two NFL players since 2020 to record at least 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in a single game.
After earning AP First Team All-Pro honors in 2025, Anderson is tied for second in the NFL in sacks (4.0), tackles for loss (6), quarterback pressures (20) and third-down quarterback pressures (8) through Week 3 of the 2026 season.
50th Career Games
QB C.J. Stroud and DE Will Anderson Jr. are each set to play their 50th career game on Sunday. The pair entered the NFL together after Houston selected Stroud No. 2 overall and Anderson No. 3 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Entering the milestone, Stroud's 11,670 passing yards rank 30th in NFL history through a player's first 49 career games, while Anderson's 34.0 sacks are tied for 28th over the same span.
What to Watch For
No. 3 CB Kamari Lassiter: With one tackle for loss, Kamari Lassiter would become the fourth cornerback since 1999, when tackles for loss began being tracked, to accumulate at least 15 tackles for loss in their first three seasons, joining Roger McCreary, Andru Phillips and Devon Witherspoon.
No. 5 S Jalen Pitre: With six total tackles, Jalen Pitre would surpass LB Morlon Greenwood for the 10th-most tackles in franchise history.
No. 32 RB David Montgomery: With one rushing touchdown against Dallas, David Montgomery would become the fifth player in NFL history to record at least one rushing touchdown in four consecutive games against Dallas, joining Alfred Morris, Ricky Watters, Ottis Anderson and Jim Brown.
