FRISCO, Texas – The 3-4 Dallas Cowboys face a 3-4 Tennessee Titans Team at AT&T Stadium for Monday Night Football in a must win game for both teams. The two teams have met 14 times, with Dallas leading the series winning eight, including three of the last four. The Titans are currently sitting at second in the AFC South division, and the Cowboys dropped to No.3 in the NFC East. Last season, the Titans recorded their first playoff victory since 2004 against Kansas City in the wild-card round.
To start off the 2018 season, Tennessee made several coaching changes across the board including a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator. Quarterback Marcus Mariota will be playing this season for his third head coach and fourth offensive coordinator in four years. New offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur will be calling the majority of the show for the Titans, and the cowboys’ defense will have to prepare for his signature staple of success: play-action.
Offensively, Dallas has had an extra week to acclimate Amari Cooper into the offensive scheme and get Marc Colombo accustomed to his new role as offensive line coach, as they gear up for defensive coordinator Dean Pees’ 3-4 defensive front and weapons Kevin Byard and Malcolm Butler in the Titan’s secondary. Byard led the league in interceptions last year with eight during the regular season and two in the post.
Last week against the Redskins, Connor Williams and Joe Looney had a rough time containing nose tackle Daron Payne in the interior clogging up holes giving runners nowhere to go and shutting down Dallas’ ground attack. The offense will have to be ready for Tennessee’s three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey who is a standout on running plays and has only missed two games in seven years.
“ Starts with blocking their defense up front and doing a great job controlling the line of scrimmage, “ Jason Garrett stated. “They are very active and show you different looks. They are good cover guys in man and zone. Byard and Butler have been good players in the league for a long time. We have to focus on us and in Amari’s case, understanding what we are asking him to do. Play fast and with precision. “
