On Monday Night Football, the Tennessee Titans will travel to AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas to take on the Cowboys. This Monday Night Football matchup will kick off at 8:15 PM. ET.
The Titans are coming off three straight losses that have them falling in the AFC South standings. The Titans need to find some answers on the offensive side of the ball and fast. Against the Chargers in week seven, the Titans racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense but it still wasn’t enough to overcome Los Angeles. Coming off their bye week, expect the Titans to try to correct their red zone struggles.
The Cowboys have alternated wins and losses through the first eight weeks of the season. The NFC East appears up for grabs, and it’s currently a three-team race. The reigning Super Bowl Champion Eagles look vulnerable, the Redskins just lost badly to the Falcons, and the Giants are already thinking about 2019. Dallas has yet to play their best football this season, coming off their bye week, expect a refocused Cowboys squad to make a run at their divisional foes. That quest start this week against a struggling Titans team.
Which Titans team will show up?
Throughout the 2018 season, the Titans have looked hot and cold. According to NFL Stats, the Titans rank 30th in terms of offensive yards per game. The Titans’ offense averages a meager 280 yards per game. For context, Tennessee’s offense is worse than the Jets and slightly better than the Bills. That’s not the type of offensive company any team wants to associate themselves with. Yards are one thing, but points are another. Unfortunately for the Titans, they are equally bad at getting into the end zone as they are at moving the ball down the field.
According to NFL Stats, the Titans rank 30th in the NFL in terms of points per game. Tennessee averages a disappointing 15 points per game. It’s been bleak for the Titans offense, and yet they’ve still managed to win 3 games and lose two others by one point.
One of Tennessee’s biggest disappointments has been the play of Marcus Mariota. The franchise quarterback, Mariota has only thrown three touchdowns on the year. If Mariota doesn’t begin to play like a franchise quarterback and win a few more games this season, one has to wonder if Tennesse’s head coach, Mike Vrabel, will think about moving on from Mariota in 2019. It’s possible that Mariota isn’t the franchise quarterback everyone thought he was coming out of Oregon.
The Cowboys: America’s Team or mired in mediocrity?
The NFC East is the most competitive division on a year to year basis. It’s a debatable argument, but few divisions are tihs much of a tossup.
The Cowboys have an opportunity to make a run. No team in the division has separated themselves from the pack.
Dallas still has a strong rushing attack behind Ezekiel Elliot. According to NFL Stats, the Cowboys rushing attack ranks fourth in yards per game. However, Dallas ranks 18th in rushing touchdowns.
The Cowboys inability to find the end zone on the ground is seriously hurting their passing attack. The Cowboys need a dominant rushing attack to open up their passing game.
The Cowboys have struggled on offense all season. Dak Prescott isn’t getting the job done under center.
According to NFL Stats, Prescott has thrown 8 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.
What’s more concerning is the yardage, Prescott is averaging 202 yards passing per game.
The Cowboys’ defense isn’t good enough to dominate an opponent. The offense needs to show up, and they need Prescott to make more plays.
Cowboys Vs Titans Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Cowboys favored to win the game by -5 points. The over/under on total points scored is 39.5. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The Cowboys and Titans are both coming off byes and will both have the benefit of extra time to prepare. Both units have major issues on offense and defense, but in the end, this game will come down to which side can break out of their season-long doldrums. The Titans are better coached and have a better defense than Dallas, but the Cowboys have a slightly better offense and a stronger rushing attack. If Elliot can find the end zone more than once in this game then the Cowboys will win and easily cover the spread.
Play: Cowboys -5 @ BetOnline.ag
2018 Monday Night Football • Dallas Cowboys betting • NFL week 9 betting pick • Tennessee Titans