They known as it an N.F.L. sport, however was it actually?
For a Week 17 sport between two groups with postseason aspirations, the Dallas Cowboys-Tennessee Titans sport on Thursday evening meant little or no. And the groups principally performed prefer it. A subdued crowd in Tennessee watched because the Cowboys beat the Titans, 27-13.
The Titans, now 7-9, are battling with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the high of the A.F.C. South, however Thursday’s sport was nearly meaningless, with a ultimate head-to-head assembly with the Jaguars subsequent week set to find out the division winner no matter this week’s outcomes.
The Cowboys, now 12-4, are very more likely to be a wild card workforce, with solely the faintest mathematical hopes of catching the Philadelphia Eagles for his or her N.F.C. East division title.
So each groups lacked a lot motivation to win.
The consequence was one other Thursday evening sport missing high quality, one thing N.F.L. followers have been complaining about for a number of years. Sometimes that occurs as a result of groups wrestle to provide their greatest efforts with solely a quick relaxation. Sometimes it’s as a result of the league is thought to schedule stinkers in the Thursday slot now and again.
This week, the reality was that nobody actually cared who received.
The Titans rested the league’s second main rusher, Derrick Henry, and several other different starters got a week off or sat out with minor knocks.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is out for the season with an ankle damage except the Titans are alive on the time of the A.F.C. Championship sport, so final week the workforce added Joshua Dobbs, a longtime backup to Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, and rolled him out for his first N.F.L. begin on Thursday. He had 17 profession passes earlier than the sport.
In distinction, the Cowboys did play quarterback Dak Prescott (29-41 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, nonetheless a downside for him this season) and working again Ezekiel Elliott. That and being a significantly better workforce than Tennessee made the distinction.
The Cowboys went up by 10-0, and the Titans acquired a couple of discipline targets earlier than the half. The Cowboys pulled away in the second half. There had been some fumbles and interceptions. Elliott had a landing. The Cowboys had been 12- to 13-point favorites. They received by 14. There wasn’t a lot to see.
“We came here for the win,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy mentioned. “We’re not going to get into what it’s supposed to be and things like that, because that’s how you get yourself in trouble.”
Dobbs was 20-39 for 232 yards, his first profession landing cross and an interception.
“Shoot, we’re throwing routes out there on the field that we haven’t even thrown in practice with it being a short week,” Dobbs mentioned of his restricted preparation.
The Titans have now misplaced six video games in a row, not the perfect type earlier than their all-or-nothing finale in opposition to the Jaguars, who’ve received 4 of 5. The Cowboys might be lining up in the playoffs quickly.
Those ought to be good video games. This one wasn’t.
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