Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans: Hurricane Harvey Forces Week 4 Preseason Cancellation

No longer are all 32 NFL teams scheduled to play Thursday night. The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans won’t be a part of Week 4 of the 2017 preseason after the NFL canceled their game because of Hurricane Harvey.

It’s the second change made to the game this week. With the contest originally supposed to be held at Houston’s NRG Stadium, it was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas because of the storm.

“The Houston Texans have made the decision to travel back to Houston after local authorities have now found a safe route for the team to drive home today. The fourth preseason game scheduled for Thursday night in Dallas will be cancelled. At this time, the priority of our organization is getting our players, coaches and staff back home to be reunited with their families, many of whom have been evacuated from their homes and are currently sheltered. The team feels it is imperative to get back home to help the Houston community recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey,” the Texans said in a statement Thursday.

“Robert, Janice, Cal and Hannah McNair will make a donation equal to the money that would have been generated from ticket sales from Thursday’s preseason game in Arlington to recovery and relief efforts.”

More than 40,000 tickets to the game have been sold since tickets went on sale Tuesday. Fans who bought seats have the option of receiving a refund or donating the money to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Players on both teams have come out in support of the NFL’s decision to cancel the game. Cowboys tight end Jason Witten called the situation “bigger than football,” while Dallas linebacker Sean Lee said he was happy that members of the Texans were able to go home and see their families.

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who is entering his seventh season in Houston, has been at the forefront of the relief efforts. In the span of just a few days, Watt has used social media to raise $6 million.

When asked about the game Monday, Watt indicated that he wouldn’t be opposed to the team skipping their fourth and final preseason game.

“I think that the most important thing right now is the family and friends and the city of Houston back home,” Watt told reporters at The Star in Frisco, where the Texans were practicing. “Making sure they're safe, making sure they're taken care of.

“If there is something played this week, I think we should definitely involve some sort of fundraiser, some sort of way to benefit the people back home, because I think this is a much bigger issue than just a football game.”

Dallas has already played four exhibition games this year. They kicked off the season by defeating the Arizona Cardinals in the 2017 Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 3. In the next three weeks, the Cowboys played the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders.

Houston will end the preseason with just three games. They are 1-2, having beaten the New England Patriots while suffering losses to the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.

The Texans might not be the only team that ends up only playing three preseason games. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the league is considering canceling Thursday’s game in New Orleans between the Saints and Baltimore Ravens.

The Saints have since announced that the game is still scheduled.