NASHVILLE – These NFL games are never easy and the Cowboys were in a close one Thursday night, when on the surface it should have been a blowout.
But the bottom line was to win and that’s what the Cowboys did, 27-13, over the Titans at Nissan Stadium.
Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, and fumbled a snap for three total turnovers. Yet, the Cowboys defense force two turnovers, a fumble and an interception, and CeeDee Lamb finished with 11 catches for 100 yards and T.Y. Hilton (four catches for 50 yards) is proving to be a quality late season signing.
Let’s not forget the two touchdown receptions from Dalton Schultz, one on a nice throw from Prescott into the back of the end zone, where only Schultz could catch it.
The Cowboys won a game, but they also have some issues. We look at five things of note:
What’s next?
Now we wait. The Cowboys needed this victory to keep hopes and dreams of another NFC East title alive. But if the Eagles defeat the Saints on Sunday, then the division title goes to the team from Philadelphia. As for the Cowboys, their goal was to keep winning and hope for the Saints to do something for them on Sunday. There’s still a chance. But one thing is certain, the Cowboys go into the regular season finale at Washington next weekend either playing for the division title or looking at their depth.
Dak, the turnover machine
Not all turnovers are created equal. Prescott committed three turnovers, all in the first half, on Thursday night. He threw two interceptions and fumbled a snap. When Prescott’s pass was picked off by safety Kevin Byard, who jumped the route on a bad throw for his second interception of the night, it set a career-high for QB1. Prescott has 14 interceptions this season in 11 games. Prescott, as we know, missed five games with a fractured thumb. It doesn’t matter what the Cowboys say, stay aggressive or whatever, the turnovers must stop. Some of the picks aren’t on Prescott, like the one tight end Peyton Hendershot bobbled away into the arms of Byard. The fumbled snap, it appeared center Tyler Biadasz didn’t get the ball up enough for Prescott to grab. Yet, the fumble is on Prescott. When it came to the three turnovers, the Titans were able to just get six points on two field goals. But if this were a better team, say the Eagles, who knows what the totals would amount to.
Defense gets a sack and some turnovers
Dallas recorded just one sack the last three weeks, but picked up two against the Titans. Safety Donovan Wilson came up fast and sacked Joshua Dobbs on a rollout. Defensive end Dante Fowler had the other sack, which led to a fumble that was recovered by Micah Parsons. Parsons played the game with his left hand wrapped in a club. Parsons secured the loose ball with his non-clubbed right hand. Overall, the defense has struggled against the run and it gave up 97 rushing yards Thursday night.
The secondary is also nicked up, no Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis with season-ending injuries. And during the game, Nahshon Wright left the game twice with a shoulder issue. Jayron Kearse also departed but returned.
Dobbs, a surprise starter over Malik Willis, provided the Cowboys defense with some problems on his rollouts and his ability to get out of the pocket. The Cowboys, which leads the NFL in takeaways at 32, almost added to that number even more but cornerback Trevon Diggs dropped a clear interception on a drive that ended with a made field goal.
It’s almost unfair to expect a turnover every game, but when things are close, or closer than expected, you need the defense to make some plays for you. Cornerback Nahshon Wright picked off a high ball near the Titans sideline with 5:57 left to seal the win.
The running game
Remember when the running attack was the strength of the team? Remember when Cooper Rush was the starting quarterback and the offense was depending on Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard? With Pollard out with a thigh injury, the Cowboys relied on rookie Malik Davis to fill that void. Davis had 10 carries for 39 yards which included a nice 23 yard run up the middle in the first half.
When the game was over, the Cowboys rushed for 87 yards. This is after this same offense picked up 115 yards in the victory over the Eagles last week. To tell you how bad things are with the running game, the Cowboys couldn’t run the clock out after the Wright pick with 5:57 left, a drive that included Prescott throwing a deep pass to Lamb with 5:10 left. A strong running attack prevents Prescott from taking deep shots with a 27-13 lead.
O-line problems
Starting center Tyler Biadasz went down in the third quarter with an ankle injury and it wasn’t pretty. He got rolled up on during a Malik Davis running play. With Biadasz out, it forced the Cowboys to make numerous changes. Veteran Jason Peters moved to left tackle, Tyler Smith moved to left guard and Connor McGovern became the center.
When Tyron Smith returned from a torn hamstring injury, the Cowboys’ objective was to build continuity along the offensive line going into the postseason. Tyron Smith was moving from his customary left tackle spot to right tackle. It was the first time Smith played right tackle since his rookie season.
So, now he was getting the work and everything was on the way up when it came to building chemistry along the line, until now, if Biadasz doesn’t return.
