The Tennessee Titans faced off against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, with Josh Dobbs starting at quarterback for the Titans. Unfortunately, Dobbs and the Titans just couldn't quite bring the necessary firepower to the field, resulting in a 27-13 loss at Nissan Stadium. Despite the loss, Dobbs had a solid outing in his first NFL start, completing 20 of 39 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. The former University of Tennessee star also threw an interception in the fourth quarter, but he was able to keep the ball as a souvenir for his first career touchdown pass.
Despite the loss, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel saw some promise in Dobbs' performance. "I thought he did some good things, and obviously a couple of throws he'd like to have back," Vrabel said after the game. "We'll see where things are here in a couple of days." The Titans will make a decision on who will start at quarterback for their season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the coming days, with Dobbs and Malik Willis both in the running.
The Titans showed some fight throughout the game, but ultimately couldn't overcome the mistakes they made. "We just beat ourselves too much," Vrabel noted. "It is too hard to beat the Cowboys, or good football teams, when you beat yourself. But I thought we competed. I was extremely proud of the way the 47 guys we had up tonight competed. We gave ourselves a chance but did too many things that hurt us."
The Cowboys took an early lead with a one-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott, followed by a 36-yard field goal from Brett Maher. The Titans were able to cut the lead to 10-3 with a 37-yard field goal by kicker Randy Bullock, and then added another 29-yard field goal from Bullock on the final play of the first half to make it 10-6 at the break. The Titans defense also came up with three turnovers in the first half, with two interceptions by safety Kevin Byard and a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Teair Tart.
The Cowboys extended their lead to 17-6 with a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to tight end Dalton Schultz, but the Titans responded with a 14-play, 71-yard drive led by Dobbs and capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass from Dobbs to Robert Woods, making it 17-13. The Cowboys then scored two more touchdowns, a 10-yard pass from Prescott to Schultz and a 45-yard field goal from Maher, to seal the 27-13 victory.
The Titans struggled with penalties throughout the game, being flagged for 10 penalties totaling 124 yards. There were also too many drops and mistakes, leading to the Titans' sixth straight loss and a 7-9 record on the season. The Titans will now turn their focus to their season finale against the Jaguars, with the exact date and time to be announced in the coming days. The contest will decide the AFC South, and the Titans will need to get some things fixed in order to come out on top.
