Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans: Complete Week 2 Preview for Tennessee
Although they both originally hail from Texas, the Cowboys and the Titans haven't played since 2010, where the Titans won on the road 34-27.
The two original Texas teams could not have had more different Week 1 games. The Titans dominated defensively and forced three turnovers, while the Cowboys had their offense dominated by the 49ers, and had four turnovers on offense.
Now, the Cowboys face the additional challenge of being on the road to try and take the Titans out to avoid a disastrous 0-2 start. The Titans hope to let the good times roll in Nashville and take out another team struggling offensively.
But Week 1 had a lot of surprising outcomes, so don't assume we know everything just yet. Here's a preview of the Tennessee-Dallas matchup.
Week 1 Recap
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The Titans shot themselves in the foot through penalties, but otherwise had their way with the Chiefs. Alex Smith was sacked four times and threw three interceptions, while Jamaal Charles was held to a meager 34 total yards.
The Titans offense out-gained the Chiefs in total yards, 405 to 243, and all three turnovers came from the Chiefs. Jake Locker was accurate and had 266 passing yards along with a pair of touchdowns.
The Titans won the game in the trenches, and the Tennessee corners consistently shut down the Kansas City receivers, who were lacking Dwayne Bowe. The Titans even kicked more accurately than the Chiefs.
In the end, the game wasn't even as close as the 26-10 score made it out to be. However, it remains to be seen if the one-sided nature of the game says more about the Titans' strengths, or the Chiefs' weaknesses.
News and Notes
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While it didn't have a big effect on the ultimate outcome of the game, the Titans committed way too many penalties against the Chiefs. In the end, the 12 penalties they accumulated cost the team 110 total yards, almost half of Kansas City's total offense.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson was responsible for 15 yards after he taunted a Chiefs receiver, and that penalty put the Chiefs in scoring position. Wreh-Wilson had a good game overall and vowed that won't happen again, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.
Wreh-Wilson narrowly beat out Coty Sensabaugh for the starting spot, and if he becomes a consistent problem, he could lose his starting spot.
Jurrell Casey, who I worried was not a fit in a 3-4 scheme, had concerns of his own about the scheme, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com wrote.
Casey had a fantastic game against Kansas City, so the transition to the new scheme may be relatively painless. Casey is the Titans' best player on defense, so as long as he's still making plays, the defense won't be too bad.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Justin Hunter | WR | Probable |
| Zach Brown | LB | Out |
Justin Hunter is listed as probable, so he's likely to be ready to go by Sunday. With a thin receiving corps, losing Hunter for any extended length of time this season could be devastating to the passing game.
It's also worth noting that Hunter was Locker's favorite target against the Chiefs.
The loss of Zach Brown hurts, but the Titans defense looked very good against the Chiefs without him, and Zaviar Gooden had a solid showing in his spot.
It will certainly make the inside linebackers a little thinner but given the quality defensive outing in the opener, Brown doesn't seem to be a huge loss.
*Injury information taken from ESPN's injury report.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Jason McCourty vs. Dez Bryant
The Titans' defensive backs completely shut down the Chiefs' receivers in Week 1, and Jason McCourty in particular had a quality game, but the Chiefs didn't have a receiver like Dez Bryant.
McCourty will likely be covering Bryant most of the game, and if he and the other defensive backs can limit Bryant the way the linebackers limited Jamaal Charles, then it throws a wrench in Dallas' entire offense.
If not, then the Cowboys, who put up 17 points against the 49ers, could make things tough for the Titans offense.
Titans Offensive Line vs. Cowboys Defensive Line
The Cowboys don't sport a particularly impressive defensive line. They allowed 127 rushing yards against the 49ers and only got to Colin Kaepernick once.
The Titans and their very expensive offensive line ought to be able to win in the trenches against them. They can't let Locker take as many hits as he did against the Chiefs, since staying healthy has been the biggest hurdle to his career thus far.
X-Factor: Titans Running Backs
If the Titans' stable of running backs can consistently move the ball on the ground and win the possession battle again, then the defense can stay fresh and take advantage of Tony Romo's tendency to give the ball away.
The Titans had the best time of possession in Week 1, and repeating that success would make victory a lot easier.
Prediction
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After their embarrassing performance against the 49ers and the Titans' excellent one against Kansas City in Week 1, no one is picking the Cowboys to win this one.
Now, the 49ers are expected to be one of the best teams in the league this season, so Dallas may not be as weak as people think it is. Plus, Romo has always had a tendency to throw a horrible game from time to time, and he could be a completely different quarterback against the Titans.
Even so, the Titans have the home-field advantage, have a very balanced offense and look better in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
I think Dallas will show more life against Tennessee than it did against San Francisco, but I'm not going to go against popular opinion. Against a weak pass rush, Locker will probably continue to look sharp.
Prediction: Titans 31, Cowboys 20
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