It's been 15 days since the Dallas Cowboys last played football and we can't wait any longer! Fortunately, they play under the lights on Monday Night Football as they host the Tennessee Titans in Arlington, Texas. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this game and we're ready to kick things off with this week's “Cowboys Wishlist.”
Feel free to use the comments section below or tweet me @MauNFL to tell me what your wishes are for tonight's game!
Wish #1: Amari Cooper Catches a TD
I mean, we had to start with the elephant in the room, right?
The Dallas Cowboys will count with a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver in Amari Cooper after a blockbuster trade a couple of weeks ago and we'll finally get to watch him wear a Star tonight. Many discussions have taken place about the compensation the front office paid for Cooper.
This will not change until the 24-year old WR puts on impressive performances on the field and I wish he does just that in his first game with the team. Hopefully he finds the end zone against a Titans defense that does have some talent on the defensive side of things.
Wish #2: Dak Prescott Throws for 300 Yards
This of course is also related to Cooper's arrival to Dallas. The Tennessee Titans are the ninth best defense against the pass in the NFL. If Dak Prescott quickly connects with Amari Cooper and Cole Beasley and Michael Gallup are able to take advantage of their new teammate, throwing for more than 300 yards against this defense would be a huge statement for a team trying to “turn the corner.”
This is a bold wish, but hope springs eternal for an offense that will be playing with a true WR1 for the first time on the year.
Wish #3: Offensive Line Avoids Penalties
In addition to acquiring Cooper for the receiving core, the Cowboys also fired OL Coach Paul Alexander and named Marc Colombo the new man in charge. This is particularly important because the offensive line was clearly struggling this season. Now granted, it's tough to play at the same level than the 2016 or 2014 unit, but the roster is too talented at the position to be playing at the level they have been so far.
I wish that we see a different, nasty unit opening up running lanes, keeping the pocket clean and most importantly, avoiding drive-killing penalties that have been very common this season.
Wish #4: Keep The Titans Under 14
Another optimistic wish makes the list at #4 this week. However, keep in mind that the Titans are only scoring 15.1 points per game, ranking 30th in the league. Marcus Mariota isn't doing enough to lift a weak roster around him.
Corey Davis is talented but Byron Jones and company should do a very good job shutting down this team's passing offense. Also, the Cowboys have done a great job against the run and Deion Lewis and Derrick Henry should pose no great challenge for the #1 scoring defense in the nation.
Wish #5: Exploit Titans' Rush Defense
Despite having a pretty bad offense, the Titans also have a Top 3 scoring defense in the NFL right now. Allowing only 18.1 points per game, it should be an interesting game defensively. Good news is, the Titans aren't that good at stopping the run, as they've allowed 119 yards per game through eight weeks.
We've talked so much about Amari Cooper helping the passing game that we've forgotten about it also achieving great things for Ezekiel Elliott, who shouldn't be the only threat on offense anymore (no disrespect to Cole Beasley, but having a better outside receiver changes things a lot).
After running for only 33 yards in Washington two weeks ago, hopefully Zeke makes a great comeback versus Tennessee.
