Cowboys Dominate Titans On The Ground For A 26-10 Win

The Dallas Cowboys picked up a huge 26-10 win on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to even their record up at 1-1. This was a huge win for the Cowboys after falling flat during Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cowboys were able to get the win against the Titans thanks to a huge day on the ground by running back DeMarco Murray, wide receiver Dez Bryant, and dominate play by their defense.

At first it looked like the Cowboys offense was going to struggle when they drove the ball into Titans territory and were forced to punt after a negative play by Murray, and a sack on quarterback Tony Romo. Bryant also was forced to the locker room after making a catch on the drive with a shoulder injury.

Sep 14, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) is wrapped up by the Tennessee Titans defense during the first half at LP Field. The Cowboys beat the Titans 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

After punting the ball to the Titans, the Cowboys defense came up huge holding them to a three and out only allowing eight yards. Things did not get better for the Cowboys on offense though when the Titans punted the ball due to Murray coughing the ball up after two plays for his second fumble of the short season.

That fumble did not matter though. The Cowboys defense came up with their second three and out and forced the Titans to punt once again. When the Cowboys got the ball back, instead of offensive coordinator Scott Linehan avoiding Murray, Romo handed him the ball to start the teams third drive of the game.

The Cowboys were able to put together a nice drive the third time they had the ball behind the strong play of Murray and running back Joseph Randle that took the team down to the Titans 11 yard line. That was as close as the Cowboys offense would get though with the offenses red zone woes continuing with running back Lance Dunbar getting stuffed behind the line, a sack to Romo and two penalties that left the team facing a 4th and 29 before Dan Dailey was able to hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Cowboys on the scoreboard first before the quarter ended.

After a slow start to the game the Cowboys turned things up in the second quarter. It all started with safety Barry Church intercepting Titans quarterback Jake Locker to give the offense excellent field position at the Titans 40 yard line. Four runs later Murray was in the endzone to give the Cowboys a 10-0 lead and control of the game.

Although the Cowboys only managed to score two more field goals by Bailey in the first half, they kept the ball on the ground controlling the clock while the defense did it’s job by not allowing any points and holding Locker in check with only 16 yards through the air. The Titans running game was not much better in the first half either.

After halftime is when things started to heat up for the Titans. After playing four scoreless quarters dating back to halftime of the game against the 49ers, the Cowboys defense allowed a field goal and a touchdown to the Titans on their first two drives of the third quarter.
Those 10 points though were all the Cowboys defense would allow for the rest of the game. Linebacker Rolando McClain was also able to force another turnover by the Titans offense when he made an amazing interception in the fourth quarter that should have been returned for a touchdown, but was blown dead by the officials.

Sep 14, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (24) attempts to tackle Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) during the second half at LP Field. The Cowboys beat the Titans 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

While the Cowboys were not awarded the touchdown on the interception, Bailey put three points on the board on the next Cowboys drive to pretty much seal the deal. That field goal and a Bryant third quarter touchdown was all the scoring the Cowboys did in the second half.

Romo had another tough day finding himself under pressure when he dropped back to throw the ball. Luckily for the team though he did not make any bad passes or turn the ball over but was sacked four times including once in the red zone. Romo finished the day completing 19 of 29 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown.

While Romo managed to have a quiet day through the air, the Cowboys running backs stacked up 220 yards on the ground. Murray led the way with 29 carries for 167 yards and one touchdown. He was followed by Dunbar with 11 carries for 27 yards.

Randle finished the game with three carries for 26 yards. His day came to an end early when he was knocked out of the game on a special teams collision.

Bryant also had a strong game after he returned from the locker room with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. When Bryant returned to action he was almost unstoppable with 10 receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown.

Now with a win under their belt against a Titans team that showed a lot of promise during Week 1 when they held the Kansas City Chiefs in check, the Cowboys should have plenty of momentum for next week when they travel to St. Louis to take on the Rams. Guess those blue jerseys are not as cursed as a lot of fans thought they were.