Slightly Improved Texans take on Heavy favorite Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys (13-3 SU, 9-7 ATS in 2007 regular season; 0-2 SU & ATS in pre-season) will try to get into the win column in the regular season when they play host to the Houston Texans (8-8 SU & ATS in 2007; 2-0 SU, 1-0-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL contest that is set to kick off at 8 PM ET at Texas Stadium (artificial turf) in Irving, TX.

Friday, August 22

BetUS NFL betting odds: DALLAS -4.5 (-115), Total 41.5

NOTABLE STAT: Dallas scored one point for every 12.9 yards gained in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: Houston has played nine unders in its last 11 in pre-season

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Cowboys are listed as a 4.5-point favorite (laying -115), with the total posted at 41.5 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* HOU has won five of its last eight games SU
* HOU has played four of its last five games OVER the total
* DALL has lost three of its last four games SU
* DALL has won eight of its last 11 games SU
* DALL has played its last four games UNDER the total
* DALL has lost its last five games ATS

* HOU has played nine of its last 11 pre-season games OVER the total
* HOU is 6-2-2 ATS in its last ten pre-season games
* DALL is 8-5-1 SU in its last 14 pre-season games

You couldn't get much sharper than the Houston Texans offense was last week against the New Orleans Saints. The quarterback tandem of Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels showed it was ready for NFL regular season play already. Schaub was 14 for 16 for 187 yards and two touchdown passes, and Rosenfels was six of eight for 94 yards. All of this has been done, mind you, without any participation from Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson, who has missed the first two pre-season contests. And the offensive line did its job, as neither of the QB's was sacked.

The running game, which is a priority for Gary Kubiak and his staff, including Alex Gibbs, was not blistering, but was adequate. Steve Slaton, the rookie out of West Virginia, gained 57 yards, and that is encouraging if Ahman Green's injury problems persist. Marcel Shipp has also been brought in to add to the "committee."

The Cowboys were not impressive on the defensive end against Denver last time out. Jay Cutler, the Bronco quarterback, carved them up for 178 yards on 16-for-20 passing. Patrick Ramsey even got into the act, having a credible outing with 8-for-13 passing. For those of you who have been following "Hard Knocks" as it concerns the Cowboys, Keon Lattimore saw his first action of the pre-season, gaining 25 yards on three carries, while Todd Lowber had a 39-yard reception. Felix Jones had four touches, gaining 44 all-purpose yards.

I like the effort the Texans' offense has been showing, and see no reason why it won't continue in this game. The Cowboys have been very blasé about things in the exhibition schedule, but they're not the ones looking for a head of steam going into the regular season. Still, it was encouraging to see Brad Johnson in a solid outing (9-12, 114 yards, 1 TD) as he fights off questions about his ability as a backup. And Tony Romo, who threw nine passes against Denver, should get some more playing time. Houston has played in "overs" in nine of its last 11 pre-season games, and this might be an entertaining night from a couple of offense that are fine-tuned. We're going OVER the 41.5 points on this game, as that total is posted in the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds.