Throughout the offseason, acquiring a primary backup and potential future replacement to Tony Romo has been considered the top priority of the Dallas Cowboys. Romo has an injury history and the Cowboys have been left high and dry due to those injuries in the past, and there were reports that Jerry Jones was upset the team missed out on rookie Paxton Lynch in the NFL Draft.
But the Cowboys did take a quarterback, Dak Prescott, and were ecstatic with his play in the preseason. It looked like the Cowboys found their backup, giving them some security, but when Romo went down with an injury in the third preseason game, it became clear that Prescott would be getting a lot of playing time a lot sooner than the team wanted.
Prescott is now the team's starter, and Romo will not be ready for the start of the season. So rather than starting the fourth preseason game against the Houston Texans, and rather than play the bulk of that game in an extended look for the coaching staff, Prescott will now not see the field at all.
Suddenly, he's a starter and will need to be protected, not risking injury in what is generally considered a meaningless fourth preseason game. As a rookie who is still very raw, some thought there might be a chance at him playing. The Cowboys are taking no risks though, and Prescott will be on the sidelines when Thursday's game gets underway from AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Jameill Showers is expected to start the game for the Cowboys, and he should play most of the game, if not the whole thing.
For the Texans, backup Tom Savage will be starting and should get plenty of playing time. Brock Osweiler, despite getting a lucrative free agent contract this offseason, is still relatively unproven and how the players behind him -- Savage and Brandon Weeden -- perform is still very important.
Osweiler will have a big, big leash this season, but then again that's what the Texans said last season before switching quarterbacks several times between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. This will likely be a big game for Weeden, who hasn't played much since an injury that forced him out of last season.
Thursday's game is set for 8 p.m. ET and will not be broadcast nationally. There will be a live stream available via NFL Game Pass, and for local television options, read on.
How to Watch Texans vs. Cowboys on Thursday
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: Away: KTRK-ABC 13 | Home: KTVT-CBS 11
Announcers: Away: Kevin Kugler, Spencer Tillman | Home: Bill Jones, Babe Laufenberg
Online Streaming: NFL Game Pass