Dallas escapes a nemesis with Azeez Al-Shaair sidelined, yet the return of Houston’s dynamic wideout Nico Collins poses a lethal threat to a thin, vulnerable Cowboys secondary.
Azeez Al-Shaair has already helped end two Dallas Cowboys seasons ... and the last time is certainly the easiest one to remember.
On Dallas’ infamous final play of its 19-12 divisional-round loss to San Francisco in January 2023, Ezekiel Elliott lined up at center, snapped the ball and was immediately driven backward by Al-Shaair.
Dak Prescott dumped the ball to KaVontae Turpin, Jimmie Ward made the game-ending tackle and another Cowboys postseason run was finished.
Al-Shaair ended that night with seven tackles after recording five in San Francisco’s playoff win over Dallas one year earlier.
On Sunday, Dallas finally gets another game against this "Cowboys Killer'' — without actually having to deal with him.
The Houston Texans ruled Al-Shaair out with a groin injury, removing the centerpiece from the middle of DeMeco Ryans’ defense. He leads Houston with 31 tackles through three games, 10 more than safety Reed Blankenship, and normally serves as the unit’s green-dot signal-caller.
That gives Brian Schottenheimer an opening worth testing over and over.
Houston has defended the run well, allowing 260 yards on 75 carries — just 3.5 yards per attempt. Maintaining that standard gets tougher without its leading tackler, though, especially with Henry To’oTo’o still on injured reserve and Jake Hansen entering Sunday questionable with a calf injury.
Fourth-round rookie Wade Woodaz could suddenly find himself carrying a much larger workload.
Dallas enters at an interesting time, too. Javonte Williams rushed 19 times for 98 yards and a touchdown against Baltimore as the Cowboys finally generated some rhythm on the ground.
If Schottenheimer can establish that again, Houston’s reshuffled linebacker group then has to sort through play-action, Jake Ferguson working underneath and Prescott forcing it to communicate snap after snap.
There is a catch ... and it is a big one.
Nico Collins is back.
Collins practiced in full Friday and carries no injury designation after missing Houston’s last two games with a hamstring injury. In his only appearance this season, he caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.
That is exactly the kind of return a battered Dallas secondary did not need. Cobie Durant is already out, and Collins gives Houston a legitimate chance to attack the Cowboys where their depth has been stretched the most.
Dallas may have acquired its answer earlier this week.
Joey Porter Jr. is available to make his Cowboys debut, and his history against Collins could hardly be more relevant.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Cowboys elevated corner Reddy Steward and safety Juanyeh Thomas from the practice squad ... so maybe those two roster moves can help.
But bigger?
Pittsburgh assigned Porter to follow Collins for most of its playoff meeting with Houston in January. Collins was targeted seven times and finished with three catches for 21 yards before sustaining an injury late in the third quarter.
So Sunday’s injury report has reshaped this matchup on both sides.
Dallas gets to attack Houston without the linebacker who has literally been standing in its way during some painful January memories.
Houston gets back the receiver capable of turning one secondary mistake into the defining play of the afternoon.
And after everything that changed this week, one of Dallas’ newest additions may end up mattering just as much as one of Houston’s biggest absences.
