Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys know they have some things to clean up. Starting a two-game road swing to wrap up the regular season with a victory is all that matters.
Prescott on Thursday threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns to Dalton Schultz as the Cowboys beat the banged-up and resting Tennessee Titans 27-13 for their sixth win in seven games.
The Cowboys (12-4) posted their first back-to-back 12-win seasons since 1994 and 1995, when Dallas won the last of their five Super Bowl titles.
Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA Today
“This was a game we needed to get, and we got it done,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “Whether we get any style points [or not], that’s OK. We’re still at 12 wins.”
The Cowboys still need to finish the regular season by winning at Washington, with Philadelphia (13-2) losing out for a chance at a second straight National Football Conference East title. Otherwise, they will be locked into the No. 5 seed in the conference.
Ezekiel Elliott had a one-yard touchdown run, his ninth straight game with a rushing touchdown.
That made him the fifth player with such a streak since 2000, joining Shaun Alexander (2005), Priest Holmes (11 in 2002), Jonathan Taylor last year and LaDainian Tomlinson (18 between 2004 and 2005).
The Titans (7-9) lost their sixth straight hours after placing quarterback Ryan Tannehill on injured reserve, ending his season unless they reach the American Football Conference championship game. They have 22 players on injured reserve and lead the NFL using at least 83 different players.
The game was meaningless for Tennessee in the standings, with next week’s regular-season finale at Jacksonville deciding the American Football Conference South title. So the Titans scratched seven starters, not counting two others put on injured reserve with Tannehill. Those watching included Derrick Henry, the NFL’s second-leading rusher.
“I’m sure that everybody expected us to just lay down,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “I know that we didn’t do that.”
The Titans gave Joshua Dobbs, signed on Wednesday last week off Detroit’s practice squad, his first NFL start instead of rookie Malik Willis, their third-round pick in April. The former University of Tennessee star played his last college game on the same field, a 2016 Music City Bowl win over Nebraska, for a very long wait between starts.
“Oh man, it was a long time, that’s for sure,” Dobbs said. “It definitely was a long time. A lot of working out and you’re like: ‘Dang, I don’t even know.’”
Dobbs had more yards passing by halftime than Willis managed in any of his first three starts. He finished with 232 yards and the first touchdown pass of his career, a seven-yarder to Robert Woods, that pulled the Titans within 17-13 late in the third quarter.
The Cowboys scored the final 10 points. Prescott capped a 75-yard drive with his second touchdown pass to Schultz for a 24-13 lead early in the fourth. Brett Maher added his second field goal for the final margin.
Dallas led only 10-6 at halftime thanks to three turnovers, including two interceptions off Prescott by two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard that set up field goals by Randy Bullock.
That gave Prescott a career-high 14 picks, tying him with now-benched Raiders quarterback Derek Carr for most in the NFL. That is despite Prescott missing five games with a broken thumb. The Dallas quarterback has been picked off in six consecutive games for the first time in his career.
“Whether it’s off your guy’s hands, or whether I throw it behind the receiver and the cornerback makes the play, they’re all frustrating and somehow or another they’ve got to stop,” Prescott said.
Prescott took advantage of the ailing Titans defense, finding CeeDee Lamb for 11 catches for 100 yards. Lamb also became only the third Cowboys player with 100 catches in a season, joining Michael Irvin (111 in 1995) and Jason Witten (110 in 2012).
When undrafted rookie cornerback Tre Avery was flagged for grabbing Michael Gallup on third-and-19, Prescott threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Schultz on the next play midway through the third quarter for a 17-6 lead.
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