The Tennessee Titans won the Dallas Cowboys Sunday Night Game 28:14, reviving their playoff hopes. Tennessee’s Defense dominated the cowboys in the second run at will and had some creativity at the ready on the offensive side. With the Cowboys it could become now slowly narrow for Head Coach Jason Garrett.
It actually started so promising when the cowboys finished the first quarter with a touchdown, just by newcomer Amari Cooper. Previously it was Dallas’ Defense who forced a fumble in the name of Demarcus Lawrence and gave the cowboy opener the ball in a great field position. The Titans’ uncertainty was evident when Marcus Mariota and Dion Lewis disagreed at the handover, the ball was cleared again and Dallas was back in possession of the ball in Tennessee’s half.
This time, however, the cowboys didn’t reward themselves. Dak Prescott overcame Cooper from the 6-yard line and Titans-Safety Kevin Byard thanked him for the pick with a Terrell Owens style cheer in the middle of the field. Maybe the sticking point of the game. Because from here on, it was the Titans who controlled the game.
With an 80-yard drive that took nearly 9 minutes from the clock, the Titans were balanced by Derrick Henry. A Boyz Three-and-Out later, Tennessee marched 69 yards across the field again and finished the drive with a splendid screen play that led Lewis into the end zone. Dallas made up for it again, because Allen Hurns Malcolm Butler sent Malcolm Butler into no-man’s-land on the left side lane and came unhindered into the final zone. That, however, was the last ray of hope for the cowboy open.
In the second run the Titans Defense took over the game. Starting with a stupid fumble in which Prescott held the ball in his hands for far too long and Jayon Brown tore it loose, through some O-Line undiscipline and 5 allowed sacks, the cowboys got under the wheels here. The Titans, on the other hand, showed twice what it could look like when Mariota executed the Read Option to perfection and sent Jonnu Smith into the final zone with a Shovel Pass and the Hawaiian later made the right decision again when he himself ran for a touchdown.
In the last two home games it looked much better for Dallas as far as the offense was concerned. Especially the game against the Jaguars was so promising, but now it was the showpiece of the team, which made the evening for Prescott (21/31, 243 YDS, 2 TD, INT) much more difficult. With the exception of Zack Martin, the cowboys had little to no answers to the Titans’ Rush pass. Prescott, who has not only recently been the subject of criticism, has never been able to find a rhythm.
This also had a powerful influence on Cooper’s debut. The dearly signed Wideout caught 5 of his 8 targets for 58 yards and the first score of the game. Cooper managed enough separation against Butler several times, but Prescott didn’t have enough time to stage the ex-Raider.
On the defensive side, however, it was Lawrence again who put a lot of pressure on the team and managed to get through to Mariota several times. Otherwise, however, there is also bad news from the defensive side. Sean Lee had to leave the game with an injury and could not return. The injuries have increased noticeably in recent years. Only two weeks ago the linebacker returned from a break against the cowboys.
For head coach Jason Garrett the air is getting thinner and thinner. The objective of the cowboys is clearly to get into the playoffs. In a division that offers more chances this season than it has for a long time, this would also be feasible with the team’s capabilities. Dallas’ Offense, however, is far too predictable this season. Jerry Jones ruled out dismissal during the post-game season on demand, but there seems to be growing evidence that this will be the last season for Garrett, who has been in office since 2010.
It was certainly not a perfect evening for Mariota (21/29, 240 YDS, 2 TD) on Monday evening. But he had a lot of very good plays where he even showed great downfield throws. Mariota read the defense of the cowboys correctly most of the time and successfully recounted 11 of 14 third downs with arms and legs. So the Titans held the ball over 34 minutes of playing time and punctured only once.
Tennessees Pass Rush had an outstanding second half and held Dallas in the second run without points. The Titans had a lot of success with their flashes and rookie linebacker Rashaan Evans had one of the best games of his season. Especially after his shaky start a good sign.
The Titans didn’t win a single game in October and showed little on the offensive side, which gave rise to enthusiasm. But Bye Week was apparently well used and the chances for the playoffs were maintained with the win against Dallas Aufrecht. The race for a wild card spot is wide open in the AFC and the rest of Tennessee’s programme seems feasible, with the exception of the game against the Patriots next week.