By Jim Keller
Can the Cowboys put together a second consecutive all-around effort? Can they contain Chris Johnson? What will the run-pass ratio be? And how will they welcome home old friend Vince Young.
Fans will be honing in on these aspects as the Cowboys return from the bye week on Sunday and host the 2-2 Tennessee Titans.
The Cowboys (1-2) avoided a dubious 0-3 start by manhandling the Houston Texans 27-13 two weeks ago at Reliant Field. QB Tony Romo played a flawless game, WR Roy Williams came out of the witness protection program and the Dallas defense recorded 4 sacks, forced three turnovers and held two 1st-and-goal situations to six points.
On offense, Dallas did run the ball 27 times and passed it 30 times, but make no mistake about it, Romo threw 21 times out of 27 plays over a four-drive stretch in which the offense scored 17 points and put away the game.
Romo had just one off-target pass all day against Houston, wasn’t sacked or picked and completed 7-of-9 passes in which he threw more than 10 yards downfield for 167 yards.
It was nice to see Romo spread the ball more evenly. He targeted Miles Austin 26 times in the first two games but just three times last week. Williams got seven targets in his second 100-yard receiving game with the “Boys. Austin will be going against Titans CB Cortland Finegan this week in an interesting matchup.
Don’t be surprised to see Romo & Co. go to the pass game more exclusively Sunday. Tennessee limited Denver to 19 yards rushing in 20 carries in last week’s 26-20 loss in which Kyle Orton threw 50 times for 341 yards. Sound familiar?
With the Dallas starting offensive line intact for a third straight week (LG Kyle Koiser expected to play), Romo will hopefully continue to stretch the defense. In Week 1’s loss to Washington, he had nine completions for two yards or less. In the first quarter of that game he threw 10 passes a total of 25 yards downfield as Dallas changed the game plan to protect Romo, who was without Kosier and right tackle Marc Colombo. Still, despite all the quick throws and short drops, the line was whistled for six holding calls.
Protecting Romo will be paramount this week against Tennessee, which is tied for the NFL lead with 16 sacks, with unheralded DEs Dave Babin and Dave Ball combining for 7.5 sacks.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys will stack the box against 2009 rushing champion Chris Johnson, who hasn’t been able to shake loose so far this season, man-up on their outside receivers and make former Univ. Texas QB Vince Young beat them.
Johnson was held to 53 yards on 19 carries against Denver, ran for just one first down, had a long run of eight yards and fumbled inside the Broncos 30-yard line. He’s managed just 354 yards on 94 carries this season but has found the end zone four times.
How will Dallas attack favorite son Young. Dallas seems to have backed off the various blitz packages since Jay Cutler picked it apart in Week 2’s 27-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.
The ‘Boys blitzed a second linebacker just seven times last week, but still managed to double its sack total from their first two games, pick off two passes and force a fumble. CBs Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman kept the wide receivers in front of them all night. The Texans steered away from Jenkins, who had three balls thrown against him all day.
Tennessee ranks 30th in the NFL in passing offense at 152 yards per game, but
Young hasn’t thrown a pick in the last two games. However, he’s the type of QB teams would want to pressure and force him into a few bad decisions and throws.
That said, the Cowboys will probably start by laying back in coverage, but since Newman and Jenkins are much better than their receiver counterparts, head coach Wade Wilson won’t hesitate to bring the pressure if needed.
Notes: Romo has completed 65 percent of his passes with 8 TDs and 0 INTs in his last four games against the AFC. …WR Dez Bryant has 50+ yards receiving in each game and ranks third in the NFL with a 17.8 yard average on punt returns. … Ware has 60.5 sacks since 2006 – most in the NFL. He tied his career high with 3 against Houston. … Tennessee has won 10 straight against the NFC and Young is 11-2 against the NFC. … Johnson has run for 100 yards in six consecutive road games.
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