Pre-Game Analysis: Dallas at Houston.

The Cowboys hit the road for the first time, taking their 2-0 preseason record to Reliant Stadium to face the Houston Texans on Saturday night.

The Cowboys have put together two excellent all-around performances in picking up wins over Indianapolis and Denver, and will look to stay unbeaten in the preseason against another AFC team. The Texans are 1-1 on the preseason, after dropping a close 20-19 decision to Chicago in their opener, and beating Arizona 33-20 on the road last Saturday.

THE MATCHUPS

Cowboys offense vs. Texans defense

Dallas has efficient through the air and on the ground so far, getting great contributions from both the starters and the backups. The Cowboys are averaging 187 yards passing and 162 yards rushing in the first two games.

Through the air, Tony Romo is 21 of 29 for 215 yards in the first two games, after playing a quarter against the Colts and the entire first half against the Broncos.

The run game, however, has been getting most of the attention, namely Marion Barber III and Tyson Thompson, who have shined in the first two games. Last week, Barber (57 yards, 2 TDs) and Thompson (75 yards on 16 carries) led a rushing attack that gained 190 yards against the Broncos’ defense. Thompson leads the team in rushing yards in the first two games with 109. Starter Julius Jones hasn’t gotten a ton of carries, but is averaging nearly four yards per carry (57 yards on 15 carries).

Given their success in the first two games, the Cowboys should have a field day against a Texans defense that has been porous, especially against the pass. The Texans’ pass defense has given up an average of nearly 290 yards in the first two games (273 vs. Chicago, 304 last week vs. Arizona). With Romo playing into the third on Saturday, that’ll give him the chance to carve up the Houston secondary and at least double his numbers up to this point. Terry Glenn is still out, but Romo and Co. will have plenty of receivers to throw to, including Isaiah Stanback, who’s sure to see several balls his way after impressing in his debut vs. Denver.

And, you can look for the offensive line to keep it going and open the way for continued success by the running backs. The Texans have done a decent job against the run so far, but haven’t had to face a rushing attack like the Cowboys have, and will be hard pressed to shut the ground game down, or at least limit its production. But, if the run game is able to keep up the momentum, it’ll be all the more beneficial for the aerial attack, and well, if you’re Houston, that could mean a long, long night.

Texans run offense vs. Cowboys run defense

The Texans rushed for 143 yards on 32 attempts against the Cardinals last week, but it’ll probablhy be a little tougher sledding against a much better defense this week. The Cowboys have held two good running teams to a total of 84 yards (on 34 attempts) in two games. Unless the Texans offensive line can create some holes, things might be much the same way they were for Houston against the Bears, when they averaged only three yards per carry and totaled only 75 yards against the Bears D. They do now have one of the NFL’s top backs in former Packer Ahman Green, but the offensive line still has a long way to go, and will be facing quite the stiff test against Dallas’ front seven.

Matt Schaub and the receivers may be able to do a little something against the Dallas secondary, but if the run game can’t get anything going, having to go to a one-dimensional attack will severely dent Houston’s chances, because Dallas’ pass defense is still more than capable of getting the job done, even without an injured Terence Newman.

THE PREDICTION

Expect to see a steady diet of the duo of Jones and Barber, and even though the starters will see the majority of the time, Thompson has earned his fair share of carries. And, Romo will have time to throw and plenty of people to throw to, so the passing game should do well also.

If the Houston defense is the same as it was the past two weeks, expect another excellent, balanced offensive game.

And, you can expect the defense to come to play yet again, and even though the Texans’ O-line seems to be improved, the Cowboys’ front seven is poised to be one of the league’s best. We may well see Anthony Spencer have his first big impact after being mostly quiet in his first two starts.

So, at the end of the night, expect Dallas to come out on top in their first road test, and a leave Reliant Stadium with an impressive win over their in-state neighbors.

I’ll be here tomorrow night with coverage of the game, from pre-game to post-game, but before then, I’ll have the weekly ‘Hub Headliner,’ which will take a ‘What If…’ look at Cowboys history and how things might have been if certain well-known (and a couple lesser thought of) things had or hadn’t happened.