Desmond King isn’t from around these parts.
The former San Diego Chargers 2017 fifth-round pick grew up in Detroit and played his college ball at Iowa. When King joined the Texans in 2021 after spending the first four and a half seasons with the Chargers — and the rest of the 2020 campaign with the Tennessee Titans — it was the first time he lived in Texas.
“I’m not too familiar with the Dallas-Houston relationship,” King told reporters Tuesday. “I’m not from here. I have heard people talk about the game, the battle of Texas. Not really sure what the rivalry is about.”
A comparison King would appreciate is the rivalry between Detroit and Cleveland. The two cities that surround Lake Erie are rivals in everything from baseball to football to basketball.
Like the Texans and Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions only meet once every four seasons due to the NFL’s scheduling formula. Nevertheless both fan bases can take home bragging rights after the game, regardless of the team’s records going into the contest.
With Dallas at the northern end of I-45 and Houston at the southern end — a three and a half hour drive — a rivalry is inevitable, especially in a football charged state such as Texas.
Dallas and Houston play for the Governor’s Cup. The two sides meet often in preseason with last year being the most recent. In regular season play, the Cowboys hold a 3-2 advantage over the Texans.
The first win in Texans history was a 19-10 victory over the Cowboys on Sept. 8, 2002, at then-Reliant Stadium. The win was a statement to the sports world that the NFL was back in Houston, which had been devoid of pro football since the Houston Oilers left for Tennessee after the 1996 season.
“To me, it’s just going to be another game that we got to go in with the goal to win,” King said.
