Texans vs Cowboys live stream: How to watch 2021 NFL preseason game online

TG_Texans vs Cowboys live stream NFL — Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys helmets on a field
(Image credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images / Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The Texans vs Cowboys live stream tonight catches two teams in the midst of some intense quarterback competitions. One team is looking for a starter, while the other is using this NFL live stream to find someone to hold down the fort for the time being.

Texans vs Cowboys channel, start time

The Texans vs Cowboys live stream is tonight (Saturday, August 21) at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. It will be broadcast to the Houston market on ABC 13 and to the Dallas market on CBS 11. 

The Cowboys know once Dak Prescott is healthy he will retake the reins as the teams starter. Unfortunately for Dallas, they will have to wait to see how Dak bounces back from a broken ankle that ended his season in week five last year, as well as see how his shoulder heals from a sprain suffered in training camp.

Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy told reports this week, “There’s a good chance [Dak] doesn’t play against the Texans.” He went on to say, “There’s no urgency to see Dak play in Houston. We don’t want to create a setback.”

With Dak still on the mend, Dallas will have round three of its QB battle between Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush. Gilbert started his second straight game of the preseason last week against the Cardinals. He threw for 80 yards on 7-of-16 passing. Rush came in midway through the second quarter and completed 7-of-13 passing for 89 yards. Neither has established themselves as the leader for the second-string QB job behind Dak when the regular season rolls around.

The Texans have their own quarterback problems and that’s only referencing what’s going on with them on the field. Deshaun Watson’s status is still uncertain for the season, as he's facing more than 20 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct. Tyrod Taylor and third-round pick Davis Mills are looking to take over as the team’s starter.

Taylor started last week for the Texans, completing all four of his passes for 40 yards. After two series, Taylor was out and Mills came in. He went on to complete 11 of his 22 passes for 112 yards and did throw an interception, but overall looked sharp. Mills led one of only two Texans touchdown drives. He hit fellow third-round pick Nico Collins for a 24-yard gain that set up a Scottie Phillips five-yard touchdown run.    

The Texans visit the Cowboys as 3.5-point road underdogs. The over/under is 36.5 points.


How to watch Texans vs Cowboys live stream with a VPN

ExpressVPN

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NFL streaming tip:

If you're away from home and so can't watch the Texans vs Cowboys live stream, you can still see the game. Using the best VPN makes it so that you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town, so you can access the same streaming services you already pay for.

Here's how easy it is to stream NFL from anywhere in the world:

1. Get a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN as the best out there)
2. Connect to the location you want to stream from
3. Use your usual streaming service and watch like normal

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Texans vs Cowboys live streams in the US

In the US, the Texans vs Cowboys live stream is going to be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT Saturday, August 21  to local markets on ABC 13 (Houston) and CBS 11 (Dallas). 

If FOX, ESPN, NBC and NFL Network have typically been enough to get you all the football you need, you could rely on Sling (which doesn't include CBS or NFL RedZone). You can get CBS NFL games via Paramount Plus, if you want.

The more comprehensive package comes from Fubo TV, as it has all five of the main channels you'll want: CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC and the NFL Network. That's why it's one of the best streaming services.

It's a case of "you get what you pay for" as Sling Orange & Blue (which you'd need to get ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network) costs $50 per month, while the Fubo TV Standard package gives you all of the above, for $65 per month.

Fubo.TV:a 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV: One of the best streaming services with the NFL Network, and the top pick for watching all of the 2021 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

Sling TV

If you can stand to miss CBS games, Sling TV provides a middle ground. The $50 per month Sling Orange + Blue package has FOX affiliates, local NBC affiliates and ESPN.

NFL Sunday Ticket: No pre-season games are included, so the Texans vs Cowboys game won't be on NFL Sunday Ticket.

How to watch Texans vs Cowboys live streams for free

If you just want to watch on your phone, the Yahoo Sports app for iOS and Android gives away every NFL game that's broadcast in your local TV market to your smartphone or tablet for free. This appears to include preseason games, but we can't find specific confirmation for this game.

Yes, that includes Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. You can also sign in to your NFL Game Pass subscription and stream it from the Yahoo app.

With one of our best TV antenna picks you can watch live if — and only if — your local FOX affiliate is showing Texans vs Cowboys.

Texans vs Cowboys live streams in the UK

American football fans across the pond cannot watch Texans vs Cowboys on Sky Sports, the typical home to more than 100 live games per NFL season.

The Texans vs Cowboys live stream starts at 1 a.m. BST Sunday morning. 

Americans abroad could just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

Also, the NFL Game Pass can be purchased for $99 and will allow you to live stream 28 preseason football games. This is ONLY for NFL Preseason games. You cannot live stream NFL regular season games using NFL Game Pass.

Texans vs Cowboys live streams in Canada

Get in, folks, we're going to Da Zone. Or to be more specific, Canadian football fans will need DAZN to watch Texans vs Cowboys live streams in Canada. DAZN is trying to get GamePass rights, but that has not been announced yet.

DAZN is also the home of live Champions League soccer games. Plus, Canadians get a 30-day free trial of DAZN here.

Texans vs Cowboys live stream — VPN statement

Marc Farzetta

Marc is a contributing sportswriter at Tom’s Guide covering the NFL, NBA and MLB as well as various other leagues. He is a graduate of Temple University where he studied Broadcasting and Journalism. Marc’s previous stops include the Trenton Times and NBC Sports Philadelphia. He also worked on the production crew of NBC Sunday Night Football for 11 seasons. When not working, Marc is probably sipping his next espresso to get him ready for more work.