Division hopes still hang in the balance in Week 17 for the Dallas Cowboys, albeit by a thread. Dallas needs to win out and they need the Philadelphia Eagles to lose out to win the division title, but none of that matters if they don't take care of business in Nashville. Dallas' defense is set to face their second backup quarterback in as many games with Malik Willis under center for the injured Ryan Tannehill, but the Cowboys are dealing with some injuries in their own right. Without knowing exactly who will be on the field, this edition of Thursday Night Football is shaping up to be a rather unpredictable one. Nevertheless, here are some bold picks for the Cowboys in primetime Thursday night.
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3. Dan Quinn does not take the Titans likely
There are a lot of reasons why this might not be a marquee matchup in prime-time. Both teams are banged up in different places and there are really no significant playoff implications for wither side unless the Eagles throw Dallas a bone against the saints on Sunday. So why shouldn't the Cowboys rest all their starters and let the chips fall where they may? The answer is because this is the perfect opportunity for Dan Quinn's defense to have a get-right game.
This Cowboys' defense has not been playing up to the standard they set for themselves early on in the season. One sack in the last three games is a new low for Dallas' pass rush that was so dominant through three quarters of the schedule. Not only do the Cowboys have a chance to get back on track against a floundering offense, they get a look at a player with a similar play style to Jalen Hurts. This is significant considering Hurts and the Eagles are likely the biggest hurdle between Dallas and the NFC championship game come playoff time.
Quinn needs to get his defense going again and he needs to have a plan to attack a mobile quarterback in the playoffs. If he sits back and relaxes against the Titans he will have squandered an opportunity to check both off of his to-do list. Expect the Cowboys defensive coordinator to go after Willis and the Titans full force.
2. The Cowboys experiment on the offensive line
Dallas has been in survival mode the last few weeks in the trenches. The injury to Terence Steele forced the Cowboys to thrust Tyron Smith back into a huge role a little sooner than they might have liked. The Cowboys couldn't afford to see what they have on the offensive line against the Eagles. Now with an opportunity against the depleted Titans, Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy have a chance to do some shuffling on the offensive line.
Jason Peters only played one snap against the Eagles. The future Hall of Famer figures to be at least a little bit bigger part of Dallas' overall plan on the offensive line. Tyler Smith added another solid game to a sterling rookie campaign against the Eagles, but Peters should be more involved against the Titans. The Cowboys had some success with Peters at both left guard and left tackle earlier in the season. With a much less formidable defensive front than the Eagles' on the docket for Thursday night, look for the Cowboys to move Peters and some other pieces around to try and optimize their play in the trenches.
1. DaRon Bland is the guy on the outside
Undrafted rookie sensation DaRon Bland appears to have answered the question of who will play next to Trevon Diggs as Dallas second starting cornerback moving forward. After stepping in for Jourdan Lewis as Dallas' slot corner, Bland made the move to the outside against Philly where he made the defensive play of the game with a crunch time interception.
Bland still played plenty of slot corner against the Eagles. He actually lined up as a nickel corner 29 times compared to 23 snaps on the outside. Those 23 snaps as a wide corner were more than twice as many as he had logged in any one game this season though. The Cowboys have tried and failed almost every other option at cornerback since Anthony Brown's injury. Don't expect them to go away from Bland as long as he keeps up the playmaking that he has displayed recently.
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