The NFL released the 2018 regular season schedule, unveiling four primetime games that includes a Texas showdown between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.
The Texans will host the Cowboys on Oct. 7 on NBC's Sunday Night Football. The intrastate rivalry, complete with a Texas Governor's Cup trophy awarded to the winner, is the fifth time in franchise history that the two teams have met in the regular season (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).
The last time the two teams met on Oct. 5, 2014, Bill O'Brien was in his first season as Texans head coach. Tens of thousands of noisy Texans fans filled AT&T Stadium forcing Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to use a silent count at home. The Texans, who lost 20-17 in overtime, have only faced the Cowboys in preseason games since then.
The Texans will play two more primetime games at NRG Stadium during the 2018 regular season. Houston will host the Miami Dolphins in a Thursday night game on Oct. 25. Four weeks later, Houston will face the division rival Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football on Nov. 26. The Texans-Titans matchup marks the second time the two teams have played on Monday Night Football (2009).
Houston could still add to their three primetime games after flex scheduling begins later this year: Philadelphia, Jacksonville, anyone? Also, the Texans-Jets matchup is nationally televised and has a 50/50 chance to move to primetime since Saturday kickoff times in December are still TBD.
Houston's 13 primetime regular season games from 2016-18 are the most in team history over a three-year span.
Check out the opposing quarterbacks the Texans will likely face in 2018. (Photos via AP Images)
