Texans host the Cowboys seeking their first win after an 0-3 start

HOUSTON (AP) — After a second straight 0-3 start to the season, any win would be huge for the Houston Texans.

But getting that elusive first win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday would certainly mean a little something extra.

“We know how big this game is and how much it means to our fans here in the city of Houston,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We have to play well to give our fans what they’ve been searching for and that’s that first win and I’m excited.”

These teams don’t play very often, with Sunday being just the eighth all-time meeting, making these rare matchups a big deal in the state.

The Cowboys lead the series 4-3, but Houston has won two of the past three meetings, including a 34-10 victory in Arlington, Texas, in the most recent matchup in 2024. And diehard Texans fans still fondly remember when Houston got its first-ever win as a franchise with a 19-10 triumph over Dallas in 2002.

Now in their 25th season, Sunday’s game will be an anniversary celebration featuring a halftime ceremony honoring Texans greats including Hall of Famer Andre Johnson, J.J. Watt, Arian Foster, DeAndre Hopkins, Brian Cushing and Billy Miller along with former coach Gary Kubiak.

Houston defensive end Will Anderson is trying to stay focused this week despite all the hoopla surrounding the game.

“The biggest thing (is) how much more can we focus in on just doing your job and just being where you’re supposed to be and doing what you’re supposed to do,” he said. “Then when we get to the game, we can worry about the rivalry in Texas and stuff like that.”

While the Texans are one of five winless NFL teams this season, the Cowboys year hasn’t gone much better. Dallas is 1-2 after a 34-31 loss to Baltimore on a last-second field goal last week.

It’s a game that led to owner Jerry Jones saying he believes errors in game management by his coaching staff in the final seconds cost his team the win.

Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer knows better than to underestimate the Texans despite another awful start.

“We know that we want to focus on us, but clearly when you watch them play, they’re not a 0-3 team,” he said. “Their record says they’re 0-3, but hard pressed to find a better defense than this front.”

Dallas (1-2) at Houston (0-3)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX

Latest odds: Texans by 3

Against the spread: Cowboys 2-1; Texans 0-3

Last week: Cowboys lost to the Ravens 34-31; Texans lost to the Colts 19-17.

Last meeting: Texans beat the Cowboys 34-10 on Nov. 18, 2024.

Series record: Cowboys lead 4-3.

The Cowboys have struggled under 34-year-old first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Dallas ranks 30th in the NFL by allowing 387 yards a game and is dealing with mounting injuries in the secondary.

The unit will be tested this week with the expected return of star receiver Nico Collins, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. Quarterback C.J. Stroud ranks seventh in the NFL by averaging 264.7 yards passing a game but has thrown just three touchdown passes and will get a boost if Collins is back. Stroud hasn’t thrown an interception this season and hasn’t been picked off in six straight home games.

The Cowboys acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in a trade with the Steelers on Thursday to help address their secondary issues. But he has been inactive in each game this season while upset about his contract situation and dealing with a back issue. There are indications he could have a limited role against the Texans despite the quick turnaround from the trade.

— The Texans went 12-2 after last year’s 0-3 start to become the first team in NFL history to reach the playoffs twice after losing the first three games. Only the 1992 Chargers rebounded from a 0-4 start to make the playoffs.

— Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw his 250th career TD pass last week to become the fifth player in NFL history with at least 250 touchdown passes and at least 30 rushing TDs.

— Houston DE Will Anderson had 2 ½ sacks, three tackles for loss, his fifth career forced fumble and fourth career fumble recovery last week. He’s second in the NFL with seven tackles for loss and his four sacks are tied for second in the league.

— Dallas WR CeeDee Lamb had seven receptions for 112 yards last week for his 29th career 100-yard game. Lamb ranks fourth in the NFL with 309 yards receiving this season and has had at least 110 yards receiving in the past two games.

— Houston DE Danielle Hunter forced the 16th fumble of his career last week. He has 21 ½ sacks and 25 tackles for loss in 19 home games since joining the Texans in 2024. He had two sacks and three tackles for loss in his previous game against Dallas.

AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb (88) runs the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) throws an incomplete pass as he is pressured by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) runs against Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) during the second half of an NFL football game in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The NFL suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York for six games Friday following his arrest earlier this year in a prostitution sting in Ohio.

The league announced that York also was fined $500,000 for violating the league's personal conduct policy. York has not attended any games or league meetings so far this season and was credited with three games served. He is eligible to return on Oct. 20, following the team's game the previous night against Washington. The NFL's fall league meetings begin that day in New York.

York said in a statement released by the team that he accepts the punishment given by the league and apologized for his actions.

“To my family, to the players, coaches, and employees of the San Francisco 49ers, to our fans and partners, I am deeply sorry,” he said. “This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility. What I did does not reflect my values or the man I strive to be for my family. While I fell short of the model I want to set for my sons, I now hope to show them the importance of owning up to one’s failures, and that even our worst moments teach us to be better. Leading the 49ers is a privilege, and one I don’t take lightly. Your trust will have to be earned back over time, and I look forward to that work ahead.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan said later Friday that he didn't believe anything would change from the operation of the team on the field over the final three weeks of the suspension. Shanahan that if he and general manager John Lynch wanted to make a major move during that time, they probably would tell York's father, John, about it, but that ownership has always deferred to Shanahan and Lynch on those decisions.

“There’s never been a situation where we’ve gone to him with a trade or anything like that and then him say no or anything like that,” Shanahan said. “If it’s something that the football people believe and think we should do, he’s always been fully supportive. So, I expect it to be no different if something like that comes up.”

York was arrested in a mobile home park by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force after police said he was attempting to pay $160 for sex with a woman he believed to be a prostitute.

York was booked into jail and was released after posting a $5,000 bond. York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution, but prosecutors amended that to disorderly conduct. He pleaded no contest to that charge and to possessing criminal tools for using his phone to respond to an undercover online prostitution advertisement.

He was sentenced to one day in jail for both offenses to be served concurrently and was credited with one day served when he pleaded no contest. He also was fined $1,150. Police seized the $160 from York and that was later given to the human trafficking task force as part of the plea. York also completed an online course.

Owners have been previously punished for violating the personal conduct policy. The late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 following a guilty plea to driving while impaired in 2014.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was investigated but not punished by the league after he was arrested in Florida in 2019 for allegedly paying for sex with a woman at a massage parlor. The charge was later dropped after a court ruled that police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms at the spa.

York spent most of the summer in Ohio, where he grew up near Youngstown and had been away from the team even before his arrest. He had filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, in May, according to court records.

York took over day-to-day control of the 49ers from his parents in 2008. He became the team’s principal owner in 2024. After some initial struggles under York’s leadership, the team has been a consistent contender since hiring Shanahan and Lynch in 2017.

The Niners have made the Super Bowl three times under York’s leadership, losing in the 2012 season under coach Jim Harbaugh and the 2019 and ’23 seasons under Shanahan and Lynch.

York also oversaw the building of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The team moved from San Francisco to the new stadium in 2014. The stadium has hosted two Super Bowls, a World Cup and a College Football Playoff title game.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

FILE - San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York stands on the sideline before a preseason NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos, Aug. 9, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Kelley L Cox, File)