Dallas Cowboys Houston Texans
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans in overtime during their last meeting. Getty

The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans are set to play each other on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Most of the players on the field will be backups in the regular season or not even make the final 53-man roster, but the game carries a little extra meaning with the Governor’s Cup on the line.

Preseason records may be meaningless, but the Cowboys are looking for an improved performance since they enter Thursday night’s game as one of just three winless teams. Houston is the only AFC North team with two exhibition wins, but they aren’t expected by many to compete for the division title.

Injury News

Many of Dallas’ top players will get the night off, even though they are healthy, but the team has suffered a few serious injuries. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick went down for the season last week with a torn ACL. Defensive end Kenneth Boatright won’t make the final roster because of a neck and back injury that will keep him off the field for the season.

Linebacker Jadeveon Clowney hasn’t played this preseason, and it appears that he won’t get on the field until Week 1. He’s hoping to be ready for the start of the season after recovering from microfracture surgery, but the Texans are being extremely cautious with their No.1 pick from a year ago.

Players to Watch

Dustin Vaughan is hoping the Cowboys carry him on the roster as their third-string quarterback for a second year, but he’s given Dallas little reason to do so. He’s spent more time under center than anyone for Dallas this preseason. Vaughan has completed just 51 percent of his passes for no scores and two interceptions. One more bad performance could seal his fate as a roster cut on Saturday.

For the Texans, it’s former fourth-round draft pick Tom Savage that will get the start at quarterback. Savage doesn’t have a chance to win the starting job for the regular season, but while Dallas is secure at quarterback with Tony Romo, Houston has a lot of question marks at the position. Brian Hoyer edged out Ryan Mallett for the job, but both players might be better served as backups.

Where to Watch

With the game scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET, Dallas (CBS 11) and Houston (ABC 13) will both broadcast the contest on local TV. A live stream is available online with a free seven-day trial from NFL Game Pass.

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