Cowboys-Titans: Can the Cowboys Defense Stop Chris Johnson?

We have officially entered Week 4 in the National Football League and your favorite team is either already dead in the water, trying to keep their head above water, or walking on water. Either way, the storylines are plentiful and each and every fan of the NFL has a complaint or praise to share.

The Dallas Cowboys have some of the most loyal fans in America. They also are the team that harbors the most hate, kind of like the New York Yankees of the National Football League. Last week Dallas got its first victory of the year by beating interstate rival, the Houston Texans.

Dallas’ defense finally woke up as they harassed Texans quarterback Matt Schaub all day, caused a couple of turnovers, and stopped Houston’s high powered offensive attack. Schaub was held to only 241 yards passing ,and Texans star wide receiver Andre Johnson caught only four balls for 64 yards.

But even with the victory the Cowboys defense still has some improving to do. Texans running back Arian Foster knocked off 106 yards, and averaged a healthy six yards per carry. Looking at the game, Foster was prevalent, but his 106 yards didn’t really make much of a difference in the outcome. Yet still, this was the first time the Cowboys have allowed a 100-yard rusher in 20 contests.

Up next for the ‘Boys from Valley Ranch is the Tennessee Titans and their vaunted rushing attack machine: Chris Johnson. So far this season CJ has picked up 301 yards and four touchdowns. His 76-yard scamper against the Raiders in Week 1 was a thing of beauty. Johnson is like Barry Sanders in the sense that he can be stopped for three-and-a half quarters, break for an 80-yard run, and rip the opposing defense’s heart out.

So can the Cowboys stop the former East Carolina speed demon? Let’s take a look at the stats.

Dallas has a pretty strong run defense as evidenced in their first three games of the season. So far they are only giving up 83 yards on the ground this year, which is good enough for eighth best in the league. Funny thing is the Titans average about 138 yards per game for eighth best in the NFL.

Should be a battle of the Titans right?

Mooovving on…

In their first contest of the season against the Redskins, the Cowboys held elder Washington running back Clinton Portis to 31 yards on 18 carries. The middle of that Dallas defensive line is pretty stout, so Johnson will have a hard time searching for holes with Jay Ratliff menacing the middle.

Next up for the ‘Boys was Chicago Bears swingman Matt Forte. Forte has an amazing set of hands and a pair of quick feet, so if anything Wade Phillips' job was to take Forte away as a receiver as well as a runner.

Forte’s running day was just as gloomy as Portis', as Matt only averaged 2.9 yards per carry for 29 yards on the day. But I say again, Forte is very dangerous catching the ball, and he burned the Cowboys for a three-yard touchdown catch from Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

In regards to the Titans, I think Dallas will have another opportunity to show how well they can play the run.

Since Vince Young’s arm scares no one but the 2005 USC Trojans defense, Dallas will receive a healthy dose of Johnson. Chris totted the rock 32 times against the Giants, and broke away for a big 42-yard gain.

However against the Steelers and their new steel curtain defense, Johnson was held to 2.1 yards per carry. CJ had 34 yards and his longest rush of the game was 11 yards.

So it’s a mixed bag with him and he’s not the type of back to have up-and-down games based off of how he’s feeling. Whatever the defense gives him is what he takes.

If we’ve learned anything about brother Wade Phillips as a defensive coordinator is that he’s good at what he does, and he does a great job of scouting the other team. Last season against the Saints he did a remarkable job of bringing pressure at the right time to force a bad throw by Drew Brees or flushing him out of the pocket.

Phillips will do a great job of forcing Johnson out of comfort zones and trying to seal off the edges and not allowing Johnson to hit the corners for a big gain.

Talent-wise the Cowboys are better than the Titans by leaps and bounds. But can Dallas keep its momentum going by stopping one of the best running backs in the NFL?

-JH

You can catch Jason's radio show, Monday Night Quarterback, every Monday at 8pm ET on www.blogtalkradio.com/cowboyjay

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