Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans: Complete Week 2 Preview for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys have the opportunity to bounce back from their disappointing start to the regular season when they face the Tennessee Titans at L.P. Field in Nashville, Tenn.
While the Cowboys are coming off a discouraging loss, the Titans are coming off an encouraging win, where they steamrolled the Kansas City Chiefs, 26-10, in their home stadium.
The Cowboys will likely look to get some positive momentum as the Titans try to continue their winning ways.
The last time these two teams faced off was in 2010, when the Titans escaped Cowboys Stadium with a 34-27 win.
The Cowboys are going to have their hands full with Jurrell Casey when they are on offense and their deep receiving corps when they take the field on offense.
The Cowboys had trouble with the San Francisco 49ers' Justin Smith, therefore, there is no reason to believe that Casey will not give the Cowboys problems.
The Cowboys will have a great opportunity to turn the pessimism surrounding the team to optimism if they take care of business this week.
Read on for some news and notes, injury information and players to watch on Sunday.
Dallas Cowboys Week 1 Recap
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The Cowboys fell to the 49ers, 28-17, in a game that was essentially over by halftime. This was not the way a team wants to start the season. The regular season is supposed to answer the preseason questions, but there seems to be more questions than answers after Week 1.
Going into Week 1, the conventional wisdom was that the Cowboys offense was a strength, while the defense was the weakness; however, the roles were flipped against the 49ers.
The offense was pathetic at times, especially considering it had four turnovers in the first half, which is the biggest reason the Cowboys lost. The defense did a respectable job considering the circumstances it was put in.
The Cowboys held the 49ers under 350 total yards, which is incredible considering how bad they were last year.
Rolando McClain was incredibly productive at the "Mike" linebacker, while Henry Melton was disruptive in his limited snaps.
The performances of these two players, along with Jeremy Mincey, should give the Cowboys hope moving forward.
The offensive line did an incredible job opening up huge holes for DeMarco Murray throughout the game. This performance may influence play-caller Scott Linehan to lean on the running game more moving forward.
Altogether, this loss falls on Tony Romo's shoulders. Without his three interceptions, the Cowboys would've had a great chance to win the game.
News and Notes
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What's the Reason for Tony Romo's Bad Game?
Tony Romo had an awful game against the 49ers, plain and simple. The reason for his performance is up for debate.
Could it be that Romo is just on the downside of his career? Another theory could be his back hampered him more than he let on, or maybe it's just rust that has accumulated from not taking the bulk of the offseason snaps.
Romo seems to believe it was just mental rust per The Dallas Morning News' Brandon George:
"In explaining his three-interception game in the opening loss to San Francisco, the Cowboys quarterback acknowledged that he had some mental rust but was OK physically.
Romo said his surgically repaired back didn’t bother him against the 49ers and has held up just fine over the last three days since San Francisco sacked him three times and hit him four more times.
'Physically, I did a lot of things well,' Romo said. 'Mentally, I felt like I wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be. That’s what stood out to me.'
"
Romo made a plethora of mental errors throughout the game. He consistently didn't see open receivers, while targeting players who weren't open.
Romo holds the Cowboys' playoff hopes in his hands. If he plays well, they will consistently be in playoff contention. If not, they will be in contention for a top-five draft pick.
Is Zack Martin a Better Rookie Than Travis Frederick Was?
Zack Martin acquitted himself very well in his first professional regular season game. He did a great job of keeping 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald in check throughout the game.
However, will Martin exceed the standard for rookies that Travis Frederick set last year? Frederick certainly thinks so per ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon:
"I think he’s in a better spot than I was when I was a rookie after my first game. I would say he’s probably at least to where I was halfway through the season. You can tell that he’s ahead and he’s going to be a really good player. I’m really excited to be playing with him.
"
If Martin can perform even close to the same level as Frederick did in his rookie year, then the Cowboys front office should be extremely satisfied.
Are the Cowboys Already in a Must-Win Situation?
Conventional wisdom would say that it is too early for the Cowboys to be in a must-win game. Nevertheless, ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer states his case as to the Cowboys' game against the Titans is a must-win:
"Is it too soon to call a Week 2, nonconference game against the Tennessee Titans a must-win for the Dallas Cowboys?
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Not really.
Since playoff expansion in 1990, only 12 percent of 0-2 teams recovered to make the playoffs. The 1993 Cowboys started 0-2 and won a Super Bowl, but those Cowboys and the 2014 Cowboys are the same only in that they wear the same uniform.
This game is a must-win for the Cowboys, but not for the reason Archer states. The Cowboys don't have to win this game because some statistic, they have to win because it is important that they win the games in which they are the more talented team.
The Cowboys need this game in the worst way and it will be important that they get the job done.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Darrion Weems (shoulder) | OT | Out |
| Anthony Spencer (knee) | DE | Out |
| Terrell McClain (ankle) | DT | Probable |
| Justin Durant (groin) | LB | Out |
| C.J. Spillman (groin) | S | Doubtful |
| Tony Romo (back) | QB | Probable |
| Zack Martin (foot) | OG | Probable |
| Terrance Williams (back) | WR | Probable |
| George Selvie (shoulder) | DE | Probable |
| Lavar Edwards (foot) | DE | Out |
Injury information from The Cowboys' Official Team Website.
The Cowboys will once again be without Anthony Spencer and Darrion Weems, while the former is much more important than the latter.
The only likely difference from last week is that Justin Durant and C.J. Spillman will likely miss the Titans game. Anthony Hitchens will likely fill in for Durant at the "Will" linebacker in the base defense and Rolando McClain will probably fill in for him in the nickel defense.
The loss of Spillman won't make much of a difference, since he only plays on special teams.
Overall, the team is relatively healthy entering Week 2.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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The Cowboys Offensive Line vs. Jurrell Casey
The best player on the Titans is Jurrell Casey, who was the second best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL Week 1 per Pro Football Focus (Subscription required).
Last week, the Cowboys had their hands full with Justin Smith, who beat the Cowboys for two sacks. This week, they will matchup against an even more daunting foe in Casey.
Casey lines up at every position along the Titans defensive line, and he is productive at each spot. He has incredible strength to push back linemen along with an incredible burst to blow past them.
Wherever Casey is lined up, the Cowboys offensive line must play with perfect technique, or he will make them pay.
This game may come down to who wins inside the trenches on a consistent basis. For this reason, the Cowboys have to do a job limiting Casey's impact on the game.
Dez Bryant vs. Jason McCourty
Last week, Jason McCourty followed the Kansas City Chiefs' No. 1 wide receiver for a majority of the game, so there is no reason to believe he will not follow Dez Bryant on Sunday.
McCourty did an incredible job against the Chiefs, which led to a plus-3.1 coverage grade per PFF.
However, it is unlikely that McCourty has similar success against Bryant, who is one of the best receivers in the NFL.
It is extremely important that Bryant beats McCourty on a regular basis so that the offense is running on all cylinders. The Cowboys need someone to step up and put on an incredible performance, and Bryant is in a perfect position to do so.
Cowboys' X-Factor of the Week: J.J. Wilcox
The Titans have a very deep receiving corps with players like Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter and Nate Washington. All these players have the ability to stretch the field and make big plays for the Titans offense.
This will put an enormous amount of pressure on J.J. Wilcox, who is usually the single-high safety. The Cowboys play an exorbitant amount of Cover 1 and Cover 3, which puts the onus on the single-high safety.
Wilcox will need to do a great job of breaking on passes underneath him, while playing with great discipline on every passing play. If he makes even one mistake, it could result in six points for the Titans.
The Cowboys need Wilcox to have a great performance if they want to slow down the Titans offense enough to get a win.
Prediciton
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The Cowboys actually played well in most facets of football outside of quarterback play against the 49ers. If Tony Romo gets back to the player he was last year, then the Cowboys should be to win this game.
Nonetheless, it is hard to be certain as to what level Romo will play on Sunday. If Romo is anything outside of exceptional, the Cowboys will be in a great deal of danger to fall to 0-2 on the season.
The Cowboys need Romo to be smart with the ball and take what the defense gives him. That coupled with a productive running game and decent defense will almost assuredly end up with a Cowboys win.
The Cowboys offensive line has the ability to nullify Jurrell Casey, which will give Romo time in the pocket and Murray holes in the running game.
All in all, Romo should use this game to get back on track as the defense continues playing above-expectations. This should lead to the Cowboys coming out on top and restoring hope to their fans across the country.
Prediction: Cowboys 28, Titans 20
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