Cardinals vs. Texans 2016: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online

Carson Palmer has given the Arizona Cardinals new life, providing the offense with a real weapon to assist an already strong defense. But at 36, he’s getting up there in years, and has had some serious injuries over the years. Every season from here on out, the health of Palmer will be the top concern of the Cardinals, including on Sunday afternoon against the Houston Texans.

It’s the third week of the NFL preseason, which means starters typically play longer than in any other game. It’s also usually the last time the starters play before the regular season -- the fourth game is mainly for backups and backups of backups.

How long Palmer will play, if at all, will likely depend on how things are looking on the field. Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, hasn’t yet come into his own for the Texans, suffering through injuries and disappointment the past two years.

But Clowney looked like the best player on the field against the New Orleans Saints last week, showing a quick burst with two tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. Clowney taking down Palmer is exactly the opposite of what the Cardinals want, and if it starts to happen it seems likely that Bruce Arians would pull his quarterback to get him out of harm’s way.

The Cardinals have high expectations this year, and will look to win the NFC West over the Seattle Seahawks for the second year in a row. They have a strong defense, a productive offense and a head coach who’s well-respected.

Earlier this preseason, Houston dominated the San Francisco 49ers for much of their game and wiped the floor with the Saints, but the Cardinals are a real test for them. The Texans are in an interesting position, in a division that was completely up in the air last season. If their starters can play well against the Cardinals, then they just might be in good shape.

But that has a lot to do with how Brock Osweiler performs. The Texans invested heavily in Osweiler, a quarterback who had shown little with the Denver Broncos in limited time a season ago. Osweiler has looked so-so during the preseason thus far and against the Cardinals’ defense he’ll face his toughest challenge yet. If the Texans are to find success this season, Osweiler has to at the very least be an average quarterback who doesn’t make huge mistakes.

The jury is still out on that front.

Sunday’s game is set to begin at 4:25 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on FOX. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will provide commentary, and a live stream will be available via NFL Game Pass. Below is all you need to watch the game.

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

TV: FOX

Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Online Streaming: NFL Game Pass