Titans at Cowboys: Five Things To Watch in Sunday's Game

The Dallas Cowboys (1-2) host the Tennessee Titans (2-2) in a matchup that brings Vince Young back to Texas to face an inconsistent Cowboys team that is coming off a bye. Both teams will be hungry to avoid heading into Week Six with a losing record and leave themselves with ground to cover against their division foes.

Here are five things to watch in today's game:

1. Cowboys Defense vs. Chris Johnson

In the Titans' two wins, Chris Johnson rushed for 125-plus yards. In the Titans two losses, Johnson was kept to fewer than 54 yards on the ground. The message for the Cowboys is clear: Keep Johnson contained if you want to win the game.

2. Cowboys 3-4 Scheme vs. Vince Young

Vince Young's worst game this season was against a Steelers defense that runs a 3-4 defensive scheme. In that game, Young passed for 66 yards and threw two crucial picks before he was pulled for backup Kerry Collins.

On the other hand, the Cowboys defense has not been able to cause turnovers consistently, although they recovered a fumble and caused an interception in their last game against the Texans. If the Cowboys D can press Young into a few mistakes, the game could turn the Cowboys' way. 

3. Cowboys Offense

The preseason and the first three weeks of the season have been tough for quarterback Tony Romo and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The Cowboys have amassed yardage on offense, but what has been lacking is the ability to translate yardage into points.

Moreover, the Cowboys three-headed running back beast of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice have made more noise for turning the ball over—think Choice's fumble against the Redskins in Week Onw and their lack of punch (their running game is ranked 26th in the league when ranked by yardage)—than for the explosiveness that it promised before the season started. If the Cowboys can get a semblance of a running game going, it should open the deep pass for Romo and Co.

4. Cowboys Offensive Line

From the start of the season, the microscope has been on the Cowboys aging offensive line. You could easily argue that the OL cost the Cowboys a Week One victory when Alex Barron choked/wrestled down Redskins LB Brian Orakpo on what would've been the game-tying touchdown.

Since then, Kyle Kosier and Marc Colombo returned to the starting lineup and have provided good pass coverage to Tony Romo, but the run blocking has been inconsistent. On top of that, there has been lots of talk about right guard Leonard Davis' footwork and how it is hurting his blocking duties.

The bye week should have provided some time for the OL to get their strength back and heal their wounds, so there will be no excuses for the offensive lineman to play at their best. 

5. Special Teams

Last season, David Buehler excelled as the Cowboys kickoff specialist, consistently booming kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. This season, Buehler took over place kicking on top of his kickoff duties, but has failed to get a touchback and has missed two of six field goal attempts.

Buehler, however, did show some hope that he has turned the corner, making both of his field goals against the Texans. The Cowboys will need Buehler to maintain that consistency with his place kicking and help the team win the field position battle by regaining his kickoff prowess.