AUSTIN — The Thing About Sports hosts Brian Fitzgerald and Chad Hastings evaluated the week one games for both Texas NFL franchises following opening-week losses.
Chad noted that teams opening with a 1–0 record historically reach the playoffs 60 percent of the time, while teams that recover from an opening loss to reach 1–1 maintain a 38 to 39 percent playoff probability. However, falling to 0–2 drops a team's postseason likelihood to approximately 11 or 12 percent.
The Houston Texans dropped their opener to the Buffalo Bills, surrendering 36 points and over 400 total yards. Despite holding the Bills under 100 rushing yards and maintaining possession for 36 minutes, the Texans were hampered by two turnovers. The team faces another tough challenge against the Cincinnati Bengals, who gained momentum after forcing four turnovers in a Week 1 victory over Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys fell to the New York Giants by eight points. In that contest, Dallas allowed 165 rushing yards and three passing touchdowns to quarterback Jackson Dart, while also committing nine penalties. A crucial interception by Dak Prescott late in the second quarter directly resulted in a New York touchdown. The Giants controlled the clock for 37 minutes, aided by strong performances from Dart and tight end Isaiah Likely.
The Cowboys now prepare for a division matchup against Washington, which also lost its opening game to Philadelphia. With both Dallas and Washington entering the game at 0–1, the loser faces an 0–2 start overall and a 0–2 record within the division. Both the Texans and Cowboys will play their upcoming Week 2 games at home as they seek their first victories of the season.
The Thing About Sports can be heard every Saturday at 9am on Talk 1370
