'Win's a Win,' But ... Cowboys Raise 3 Big Playoff Questions at Titans
The Dallas Cowboys arrived at Nissan Stadium with a prime opportunity to make a statement in front of a national audience against the short-handed Tennessee Titans ... and left Thursday night with nearly as many questions as they began.
While Dallas (12-4) walked away with a 27-13 victory, Tennessee (7-9) hung around for 60 minutes, even without quarterback Ryan Tannehill and star running back Derrick Henry.
Granted, the Cowboys didn't have leading rusher Tony Pollard - but facing an undermanned team that entered as losers of five consecutive games, Dallas was expected to dominate against Tennessee's "junior varsity" team.
But that simply wasn't the case.
Quarterback Dak Prescott's interception woes continued, tossing two more in the first half as the Cowboys endured a sloppy stretch of three turnovers in as many possessions. Despite playing just 11 games, Prescott is tied for the league lead in interceptions with 14.
Pollard's absence was sorely felt, as Dallas mustered just 87 yards on 32 carries, an average of 2.7 yards per attempt - its second lowest mark of the season.
Defensively, it's difficult to crucify the Cowboys, though the Titans' 4.9 yards per play matched Dallas, despite not having two of its most critical assets. Tennessee converted seven of 16 attempts on third down and quarterback Josh Dobbs, making his NFL debut, operated from a mostly comfortable pocket, passing for 232 yards and a touchdown - though he also threw an interception and lost a fumble.
Nonetheless, Dallas faced a wounded Tennessee team that committed 10 penalties for 124 yards and still found itself in a dog fight entering the fourth quarter.
On one hand, NFL games are rarely blowouts and even struggling teams have talented depth players ... but considering the context surrounding this primetime affair, the Cowboys' effort left a feeling of dissatisfaction.
Dallas needed a win to stay alive in the NFC East race, and while the 14-point victory certainly accomplished that, there were few questions answered.
What's going on with Dak's interceptions?
Can Micah Parsons get healthy (our Mike Fisher reported on Monday that he may have a nasty cut on his hand) and get back in the sack column?
Is the team running on all cylinders entering January?
With a national audience tuned in, the Cowboys showed "resilience," per Prescott - but also failed to quell many of the concerns that surrounded the team.
But even if question marks remain, Dallas has won six of its last seven games and appears set to carry plenty of momentum into the postseason ... and ultimately, winning is the biggest task the Cowboys have to answer in January, no matter the form or fashion.
"A win's a win, any day of the week," Prescott said.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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