Nick Harris: Five things to watch in Cowboys-Texans

A matchup that once had football fans around the state circling the date on the calendar has now turned toward a potential Monday night letdown at AT&T Stadium, as the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans will meet in primetime on ESPN to finish off week 11 in the NFL.

The Texans and Cowboys have experienced some disappointments to start the season, just in radically different ways. Dallas has gone from an NFC contender to an NFL bottom-dweller following a 3-6 start while the Texans have battled through injuries on both sides of the ball to limp into a 6-4 record.

Can the Cowboys finally win a home game or will Houston claim state dominance behind its talented youth movement? Here are five things to watch in the Governor’s Cup:

Nico Collins returns

Just in time for the Cowboys matchup, the Texans are expected to have wide receiver Nico Collins available after he missed five games with a hamstring injury. Prior to being sidelined, Collins was leading the NFL in receiving yards with 567 yards in five contests, as second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud had found an early favorite target in the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Michigan product.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said earlier this week that he was looking forward to having a big element of his playmaking back in the offense with Collins’ return, as he leads the NFL with 113.4 receiving yards per game.

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is expected to draw the matchup against Collins as he will try to use his own big body frame at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds to combat Collins’ immediate threat to the Texans offense.

Mukuamu or Carson?

Speaking of the cornerback position, it’s been a rough go of it for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in determining who complements Trevon Diggs on the opposite corner as injuries mount and bodies shuffle in and out.

In the team’s week 10 loss to the Eagles, rookie Caelen Carson allowed five receptions for 108 yards before being pulled for Israel Mukuamu in the second half. With DaRon Bland still recovering from his foot injury and Amani Oruwariye still on injured reserve with a back issue, the responsibilities in the secondary to fill their role have fallen on the rookie.

“He’s missed a fair amount of time, so he’s still getting back into rhythm,” Zimmer said about Carson who has also battled an injury to his shoulder that put him out for four games earlier in the season. “We don’t have a lot of options out there so he has to get out there and go. There were a couple situations in the game where he made a couple of rookie mistakes, but he’s going to learn from them and get better.”

For Mukuamu, the fourth-year versatile defensive back has been used in multiple spots in the secondary this season which has him ready to jump into any situation mid-game. Against a talented Texans wide receiver group, it could be Mukuamu who draws the start in place of Carson.

Does Trey Lance pick up more action?

For the first time since being traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick last August, quarterback Trey Lance saw action in the regular season against the Eagles last week. In 15 snaps, he threw for 21 yards and rushed for another 17 in mostly mop-up duty late in the game.

While head coach Mike McCarthy remained committed to Cooper Rush as the starter going into week 11, getting Lance more time in the offense when the game is close could benefit an offense that could only muster 145 total yards in its first game without starter Dak Prescott last week.

“We got him in there to try and give us a spark,” McCarthy said. “And then it got to the third down, I just felt he didn’t have reps in that particular situational work, but then we gave him some series based on where we were. I thought he did some good things, and there are some things that he can learn from. It was good to get better.”

In the final year of his rookie deal, getting Lance more time in the offense over the final eight weeks could be a benefit to a front office that will have to make a decision on his future with the team this offseason.

Mingo’s debut

Second-year wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is expected to make his debut with the Cowboys on Monday night after the team traded a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for his services ahead of the trade deadline.

Mingo, who has drawn great early reviews for how he has picked up the playbook and the offense, will have a largely unknown role for an offense that is trying to find its identity in the absence of Dak Prescott down the stretch.

“I don’t want to project his role obviously until you see him play,” McCarthy said. “I think he’s everything we thought he was when we made the transaction. His work ethic, he’s coming right in. He’s picking it up quickly. I’ve been impressed with that…He’s done a nice job, so I look for him to be available this week.”

After being drafted in the second round by the Panthers in 2023, Mingo has hauled in 55 receptions for 539 yards in 24 career games. He is still searching for his first NFL touchdown.

A stifling Texans defense

How could it get worse for an offense that put together one of its worst showings in the Mike McCarthy era? How about going up against a DeMeco Ryans-led defense that is third in the NFL in allowing just 288 yards per game?

Whether it’s intercepting multiple passes a game (third in the NFL with 13), sacking the quarterback (seventh in the NFL with 29) or using its plethora of All-Pro talents in Derek Stingley Jr., Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and more, the Texans defense has been relentless in attacking opponents so far this season.

“When I look at them this year, I see a very defense similar to the 2022 [San Francisco 49ers defense led by Ryans] as I recall the competition of those games,” McCarthy said. “But you know, we’re a little different, so you play to your matchups like you do every game.”