Cowboys vs Titans Week 17: history, key players, projection
By Riley Donald
The Dallas Cowboys have their last of four games in five weeks against the AFC South as they head to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. Both teams come into this one on a short week but carrying very much different tunes at this point.
The Cowboys enter this game on a 7-2 stretch that has pushed them to an 11-4 overall record and a playoff berth already clinched. They are all but locked into the No. 5 seed as the first Wild Card team but want to enter the postseason confident and playing good football.
The Titans are reeling and that may be an understatement. After starting out the year 7-3 and looking to have full command of the AFC South, the Titans are on an 0-5 skid, most recently losing to the Texans, to fall all the way back to 7-8 and on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
Ryan Tannehill being for the season is a very big loss for this team that relies on his game management and easy completion. The Wild Card may be a tough route for them and they need to catch the Jaguars, who also at 7-8, hold the tiebreaker and are currently in the playoffs as things currently stand.
Music City on Thursday two days before New Years’ Eve will be a full house with Cowboys fans traveling incredibly well, this game having extreme urgency for the Titans, and primetime coverage. Time to get into the history, weather forecast, a few key players, and a projection for this meeting.
Cowboys vs Titans: History, key matchups, and prediction
Cowboys vs Titans: Matchup History
All-time Record: 8-7 in favor of the Dallas Cowboys
Most recent result: Tennessee Titans 28, Dallas Cowboys 14 on November 15, 2018
The Cowboys simply don’t see the AFC South very much but this matchup has occurred a lot due to the Titans’ days as the Oilers. They were the Oilers for nine of the 15 matchups of all-time. Neither team has been able to sustain success for more than two wins in a row in this series as the record shows how often they trade wins.
In the most recent matchup, former Titans’ quarterback Marcus Mariota was the catalyst throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Dak Prescott dueled with him putting up a nearly identical line of 243 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys could not run on the Titans, though, as they managed 72 yards on the ground.
This year sees Prescott returning but the Titans have rookie QB Malik Willis running the offense with top running back Derrick Henry. Their game-plan will look very different this year as they try to control the game with a young quarterback.