HOUSTON. The Cowboys Texans rematch arrives Sunday at noon CT in Reliant Stadium, with Dallas at 1-2, Houston at 0-3, and newly acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr. cleared to make his Cowboys debut after two practices and no injury designation.
Both sides need a win after rough September starts. For North Texas fans, the stakes are not abstract: Dallas is trying to avoid a 1-3 hole after the late collapse in Rio against Baltimore, while a secondary that has been short-handed finally gets Porter, safety Malik Hooker, and corner Shavon Revel Jr. back into the conversation on the same injury report.
Where and how to watch the Cowboys Texans game
According to DallasCowboys.com’s Oct. 2 how-to-watch guide, kickoff is noon Central on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The club lists the game on FOX Sports / FOX 4 in DFW, with NFL+ as a streaming option, Compass Media nationally on radio, and KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan locally. The TV booth is Kenny Albert, Greg Olsen, and Pam Oliver.
The Texans’ Week 4 gameday hub matches the noon CDT start and the 1-2 / 0-3 records. Houston’s Sept. 27 broadcast note also lists NFL Network and FOX nationally, FOX-26 in Houston, and 95.7 The Fan on radio.
Joey Porter Jr. available, and what Stephen Jones said
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported Oct. 2 that Porter will be available Sunday. The corner, ruled out of Pittsburgh’s Thursday game with a tight back before the trade, practiced Thursday and Friday in Dallas and carries no designation. Executive vice president Stephen Jones, speaking on 105.3 The Fan after Friday’s practice, said, “We actually think Joey Porter will get snaps.”
Coach Brian Schottenheimer called Porter’s first practice “really impressive” and wanted him to “stack a second day” before committing fully. “He’s trending in the right way and he’s working really hard at it,” Schottenheimer said, per ESPN. Porter told reporters his back was “feeling better” and that the staff is taking things day by day. He has not played since the Steelers’ wild-card loss to the Texans in January, a bit of matchup familiarity he said gives him confidence if he suits up.
Dallas acquired Porter late Wednesday for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, writing Oct. 3, quoted owner and general manager Jerry Jones on 105.3 The Fan Friday: “It’s important to think big,” and framed the deal as sitting “over in that big thought area about what we can do to help our defense.” Jones added that the market remains “always fluid” and that “you can’t sit still.”
Injury board: who is in, who is out
ESPN’s Archer report and an Oct. 3 Yahoo Sports Cowboys notebook line up the same Dallas secondary picture. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) is out for a third straight game. Corner Cobie Durant (hamstring) is out for a second straight game. Revel (knee/ankle) was a full participant Friday with no designation. Hooker, who fractured a forearm in Week 1, is set to return after missing the past two games.
The Landry Hat’s Oct. 3 roundup adds Houston’s side of the ledger: wide receiver Nico Collins is expected back after a Grade 1 hamstring strain cost him two games and a full practice week. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is out with a groin injury after not practicing all week. That is a meaningful defensive absence for a Texans unit that still features Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter up front.
Schottenheimer’s pressure after the Rio meltdown
The football problem Dallas is still answering is not only depth. It is finishing. The San Antonio Express-News’ Joseph Hoyt wrote Oct. 3 that Schottenheimer’s honeymoon ended with the loss in Rio, where Dallas had an 81% win probability (per NFL Pro) after a defensive pass interference call put the ball at the 2-yard line with 28 seconds left and one timeout. The Cowboys settled for a field goal, then allowed a historically quick Ravens game-winning drive after the kickoff.
Schottenheimer took the blame publicly and, according to offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, in front of the team. “I’ll take responsibility for this. I’m a grown man. I can handle it,” he said. “Do I deserve the criticism? Absolutely.” Hoyt noted Schottenheimer’s head-coaching record at 8-11-1 and the club at 1-2. Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan Friday that “you can 1,000% assume that the confidence is there” in the coach and staff, while also making clear earlier in the week that no explanation of those final 28 seconds satisfied him.
For DFW readers, Sunday’s Cowboys Texans game is the first real chance to see whether the Porter trade and the returning pieces change the defensive look, and whether Dallas can turn accountability talk into a result against a winless in-state rival.
How Never Late News reported this
This story draws on DallasCowboys.com’s Oct. 2 how-to-watch guide, the Texans’ Week 4 gameday and broadcast pages, ESPN’s Oct. 2 Todd Archer report on Porter’s availability and the Cowboys injury board, Oct. 3 Pro Football Talk coverage of Jerry Jones’ “think big” comments, The Landry Hat’s Oct. 3 Collins and Al-Shaair notebook, and the Oct. 3 San Antonio Express-News account of Schottenheimer’s response to the Rio collapse. No original interviews were conducted for this piece.
About Never Late News: Never Late News is a US local and civic news site covering North Texas sports and entertainment with people-first reporting. This article carries the byline Mike Joe.