Riding a five-game losing streak, the Tennessee Titans will host one of the best teams in the NFL in the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
Tennessee comes into this game on the verge of collapse in the AFC South. After building a comfortable lead earlier in the season, the Titans’ skid has put them on the outside looking in for the playoffs.
The Titans currently sit in second place in the AFC South and will have to win a Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in order to secure their third-straight division title.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have already punched their ticket to the postseason, but now Dallas is looking for more. The Cowboys are still alive for the NFC East, and even the No. 1 seed, although they’ll need some help.
The Titans have more reasons for concern than optimism going into a game that is meaningless for them but not their opponent.
Optimism and concern: A meaningless game for Titans
Thankfully, the Week 17 game has no bearing on the Titans’ AFC South hopes, so the team is facing a situation in which they can rest banged-up starters if they so choose.
Doing so would ensure the Titans have their very best players as healthy as possible for the Week 18 do-or-die game against the Jacksonville Jaguars instead of running the risk of losing any of them beforehand.
However, resting key players also means the Titans will have no chance to win this game, although they don’t have much of a chance even with their entire group of starters on the field.
Another negative is that the Titans will be riding a six-game losing streak into next week and won’t have any semblance of momentum ahead of such an important game.
Optimism: Cowboys' run defense
The Cowboys sport one of the best defenses in the NFL, but the unit does have a weakness, which is defending against the run, where Dallas ranks 22nd.
The Titans are a run-first team, and even more so now that Ryan Tannehill is hurt. The only problem here is that Derrick Henry might not play, which will hinder Tennessee’s chances of taking advantage.
Even if Henry plays, the Cowboys will be able to key-in on him with the Titans offering no threat through the air.
Offensive coordinator Todd Downing can help alleviate some pressure on whoever is at running back by calling for more designed runs with Malik Willis, something we haven’t seen enough of in his three previous starts.
Concern: Cowboys' pass-rush
The Titans’ offensive line has been terrible this season, and especially in pass protection, where the Titans are tied for the seventh-most sacks given up.
Making matters worse, the Titans will be without at least two starters in right guard Nate Davis and center Ben Jones, who are also their two best, and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere’s status is up in the air.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys sport one of the best pass-rushes in the NFL with 49 sacks, the third-most in the league, and they have arguably the best defensive player in Micah Parsons, who has 13 of them.
Parsons is going to be a massive problem for this Titans offensive line, but guys like Dorance Armstrong and DeMarcus Lawrence are major concerns as well.
For a raw rookie like Willis, this is a nightmare matchup.
Concern: Cowboys' passing attack
The Titans are going to have a tough time scoring points in this game, per usual, which means their defense is going to have to play a near-perfect contest on Thursday.
That will be impossible if the Titans don’t play their key starters.
Tennessee has been elite against the run but has struggled mightily against the pass. In order to change that, the Titans must get pressure on Dak Prescott to help a secondary that hasn’t been able to stop a nosebleed lately.
Unfortunately for Tennessee, the Cowboys sport an offensive line that ranks in the bottom-five in sacks allowed this season, and lately the Titans’ pass-rush has not played as well as it did earlier in the season.
That group will be even tougher to crack if guys like Denico Autry and/or Jeffery Simmons don’t play. And, rest assured, the run defense will take a hit without them, also, leaving the Titans with no way to limit Dallas’ offense.
Whether key players take the field or not, the Titans are going to have their hands full on Thursday night.
