A pair of 3-4 teams throw down on Monday Night Football with Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys hosting Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans.
The winner pulls to an even .500 record, while the loser takes a major step back at the mid-point of the season.
Tennessee Titans (3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
Kickoff: 8:15pm ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Point Spread: Cowboys -5.5
Over/Under: 40.5
The 3-4 Bowl
This crucial game could also get dubbed as the “3-4 Bowl” because both teams have an identical record with both the Cowboys and the Titans in the thick of their respective division races.
Fresh off a bye week, the Cowboys opened as a three-point favorite at home before the line moved to -5.5. The Titans are amidst a three-game slide and want to avoid losing four in a row.
Vrabel’s Gambit
The Titans could be 4-3 but they lost a one-point game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Down 20-19, the Titans opted for the win with a two-point conversion attempt instead settling for a tie with an extra point and heading into overtime. The two-point play did not work and the Titans lost by a point.
“I have a lot of faith in our players,” said head coach Mike Vrabel. we prepare, we work together and I’ve got confidence in them to go out and execute. It just didn’t work out. Faced with the same situation I’d like to think I’d do it the same way,” he said.
Low Total, Good Ds
The oddmakers in Las Vegas are expecting a low-scoring affair with two of the top defenses squaring off against each other.
The total is hovering around 41 points. The Titans are one of the lowest scoring teams in the NFL with only 15.1 points per game. However, the Titans defense is third best in the NFL with only 18.1 points allowed per game.
The Cowboys only allow 17 points per game, which is second-best in the NFL. It’s their offense that is the huge problem. The Cowboys average only 20 points per game, which is seventh-worst in the NFL. The Cowboys scored 17 or fewer points four times this season.
Wounded Warrior
Marcus Mariota should have been sitting out a couple of games with an elbow injury, but he was rushed back into battle.
Mariota, the former Oregon Ducks QB who won the Heisman Trophy in 2014, struggled so far this year with only 3 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and three fumbles.
The offensive line of the Titans has been riddled with injuries and the rest of the guys have been ineffective. In a game against the Ravens, Mariota got sacked 11 times in a 1-0 shutout.
Dak and Zeke Show
RB Zeke Elliot has three rushing touchdowns and a passing TD. Zeke is averaging 4.7 yards per carry, but he’s not getting enough touches.
Dak Prescott (8 TD, 4 INT) got off to a slow start, but he’s thrown 6 touchdowns in his last four games and rushed for two more.
Prescott now has a top receiver to throw to with the addition of Amarai Cooper. After Dez Bryant’s eight-year run in Dallas came to an end, Jerry Jones paid a hefty price for the acquisition of Cooper and sent a first-round draft pick to Oakland for a premier WR.