Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: DAL 20, TEN 31 (Line: TEN by 3.5)

The Cowboys at home dug a hole much bigger than they could climb out and now hit the road where they were only 3-5 last year. The Titans surprised everyone with a big road win in Kansas City. The Cowboys are not that bad and the Titans are not that good but at home, the Titans should make this one another notch in the win column.

The Cowboys schedule is going to be very tough this year and the easier part should be here in September. But it was obvious that all the time that Tony Romo missed recovering from back surgery resulted in his rusty play and three interceptions. The rushing offense was quite good but under-used. With two road games in a row, it will be tough to right the ship and the discontent is already high in Big D.

QUARTERBACK : Tony Romo ended with 281 yards and a score but his three interceptions were game-killers and he was sacked three times as well. Either he was unprepared for the game or he needs to knock the rust off in a hurry. Of his 281 yards, only 69 yards went to Dez Bryant and Jason Witten combined. That is not how the offense works.

RUNNING BACK : DeMarco Murray ran very well gaining 118 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and he added 25 more yards on three receptions. There were no other carries by a running back besides Murray. While the offensive line had challenges with the pass rush, they did a good job with the run. Until his annual injury, it looks to be a lot of Murray and nothing from anyone else.

WIDE RECEIVER : Dez Bryant was held to only four catches for 55 yards in a home game. Terrance Williams also took in four passes for 50 yards and the lone receiving touchdown. Cole Beasley (4-42) was used in almost the same measure as the other two wideouts. When Bryant is held to moderate yardage, this offense struggles to win games.

TIGHT END : Jason Witten had six targets but only ended with two catches for 14 yards and the interception thrown into the ned zone by Romo was supposed to somehow pass through the two defenders and into Witten’s arms. The early struggles of Romo were rust but he never regained that chemistry with the receivers, not even his safety blanket in Witten.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: This is hard to evaluate since the Titans played the Chiefs who don’t really have a passing game of note. But the Titans did hold Jamaal Charles to only 19 yards on seven carries in his stadium. It is somewhat favorable that the only passing score by the Chiefs went to their tight end. Last year the Titans were weak against the run but great against the pass. So far they are great against both facets of the offense. Consider Romo, Bryant, Witten and Murray as must starts but this game will be a good indicator of what to expect in the future. They have to hope last week was a Mulligan and they get to work here.

Great opening weekend for the Titans with a road win under their belt but two looming trips to Cincinnati and Indianapolis mean this will be the softest matchup and only home game for the first month of the season. The defense looks better than last year in embarrassing the Chiefs in their own stadium and the offense is still taking form with new HC Ken Whisenhunt trying to bring in some of that San Diego-style offense. This one has to count because the home opener is facing one of the weakest defenses.

QUARTERBACK : Jake Locker starts out 2014 with a nice effort. He passed for 266 yards and two scores in Kansas City with no turnovers. He mixed in running backs, tight ends and wide receivers and kept he Chiefs guessing. Locker has been injury-prone to be sure but is a decent quarterback when he can play.

RUNNING BACK : Whoa. Now there’s your committee. Shonn Greene (15-71) was better than Dexter McCluster (9-29) was better than Bishop Sankey (6-25) was better than Leon Washington (2-23). The question here is how long it takes Sankey to rise to the top but the Titans are in no big hurry. He’s certainly a higher “pedigree” than the rest but needs to gain the trust and confidence of the coaches. For now, I will project for Greene only until there is more clarity on what to expect. These ratios could be continually changing. In fact, they should be considering Greene is top dog.

WIDE RECEIVER : While no one had a big game, there were solid games from Kendall Wright (6-46, TD) and Justin Hunter (3-63) and Nate Washington (4-59) and the Titans had no great need to pass. This group should come to life at home against the Cowboys.

TIGHT END : Delanie Walker scored once but only ended with 37yards on three catches while sharing with Taylor Thompson (2-24). Like the wideouts, this group is hard to evaluate based only on last week.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The 49ers never had to try too hard in Dallas last week because of the stream of turnovers but there is no reason to expect that Cowboys secondary is good enough to hold everyone (or anyone) to just 200 pass yards. The 49ers ran for 113 yards on 23 carries and scored once via a run. But the Titans so far are giving out carries like they were feeding chickens. Greene is worth a start here to see what happens and the Cowboys gave a score to the bruiser Carlos Hyde. Locker is in a good spot for a start. Consider him, Wright and Hunter as worth a fantasy nod this week.

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