The Dallas Cowboys overcame three turnovers to vanquish the Tennessee Titans 27-13 on the road on Thursday Night Football. The win keeps the Cowboys in competition for the NFC East title, but the team will need to wait until Sunday to see if the Eagles can overcome the New Orleans Saints. An Eagles win will automatically earn Philly the division title, and the Cowboys will be locked in as the No.5 seed in the NFC.
WHAT TO KNOW
Tennessee elected to start Joshua Dobbs at quarterback over rookie QB Malik Willis. Dobbs joined the Titans just eight days before the game when he was claimed off the Detroit Lions practice squad. Dobbs made several impressive throws, but the Cowboys’ relentless pass rush and aggressive secondary resulted in an interception and two fumble recoveries that derailed any opportunity for the Titans to keep pace in the second half.
Tennessee has now lost six in a row and rested or sat at least nine players against the Cowboys, including star running back Derrick Henry. The Titans entered the Week 17 game against the Cowboys knowing that the contest would make little difference in the playoff race.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to struggle with interceptions, tossing two in the contest against Tennessee. Prescott also lost a fumble on a missed exchange with center Tyler Biadasz.
Biadasz later exited the game in the third quarter with a leg injury and was taken to the locker room on a cart. The severity of the injury is not yet known, but his loss will require a significant personnel shuffle on the offensive line. Prescott indicated postgame; the injury does not appear to be long-term.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Cowboys’ offense was without running back Tony Pollard, who was absent with a knee injury. In his place, the Cowboys added Malik Davis, who had 10 carries for 39 yards. The Cowboys rushed just 32 times and gained only 87 yards. Starting running back Ezekiel Elliott scored the team’s lone rushing touchdown to extend his streak of games with at least one score to nine.
Prescott’s first interception of the game came on a fluke as the ball ricocheted off the hands of tight end Peyton Hendershot, similar to the game-ending pick-six two weeks ago. Prescott has now thrown 10 interceptions in the last six games after throwing just seven in his first seven starts.
Prescott hit two touchdown passes to tight end Dalton Schultz and now has 159 career passing touchdowns, tied for second-most in Cowboys franchise history with Troy Aikman.
Linebacker Micah Parsons continued to be a disruptive force against Tennessee. The Cowboys recorded two sacks — neither from Parsons — but his impact on the Titans’ game plan was noticeable. Dobbs was forced into short passes to get the ball out quickly to avoid sacks, and the Cowboys’ defense managed an interception and a fumble recovery against Dobbs.
WHO SAID?
“This is a resilient team,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said. “Coach McCarthy made that our mantra at the beginning of the year and honestly just taking all the pain we had from last year and using that to move us forward this year and not hide our scars. Nobody blinks, it just keeps moving forward. This is just a great team, a great brotherhood, and resilience is a perfect word for us.”
UP NEXT
The Dallas Cowboys will wrap up the 2022 regular season with a home game against the Washington Commanders. Should the Eagles lose to the Saints on Sunday, the Cowboys will need the win to stay alive for the NFC East division title. If the Eagles win, the Cowboys will be locked in at the No.5 seed and will have very little to play for in Week 18.
