The Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans kick-off Monday Night Football at the AT&T Stadium tonight. Both teams share a 3-4 record, sitting multiple games behind their division leaders.
Dallas
Monday’s game will be the Cowboy’s first game in two weeks. The Cowboys fell 17-20 to NFC leader, the Washington Redskins, on Oct. 21. But quarterback Dak Prescott will have a new weapon: Amari Cooper. The wide receiver will make his Cowboy debut Monday, coming from the Oakland Raiders at the end of the trade deadline.
Coming soon to @ATTStadium…@AmariCooper9 | #DallasCowboys https://t.co/AcpzuoS1w8
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 4, 2018
Cooper says he’s excited to play for America’s team.
Both executive vice president Stephen Jones and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said they can’t wait to get Cooper out there, according to CBS Sports.
Prescott threw for 273 yards, completing 62.9 percent of his passes against the Redskins. He’s struggled this season with a completion rate almost identical at 62.1 percent. This season he’s only thrown for 1,417 yards, 8 scores and 4 interceptions. Prescott said the time to win is now.
Tennessee
On the other side of the ball, the Titans have dropped their last three games. Quarterback Marcus Mariota will start after dealing with an injury to his right elbow. The No. 2 overall pick in 2015 has struggled this season, accounting for 1,030 passing yards, 3 touchdown pass and 5 interceptions in six games.
Mariota is staying positive heading into the week 9 game.
We're playing the big stage tonight. #TitanUp pic.twitter.com/2bOkg7933q
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 5, 2018
There’s more on the line tonight for Mariota than just snapping a three-game losing streak. Mariota must prove his worth in order to receive a contract extension.
Titians head coach Mike Vrabel said they need to recreate the fourth-quarter passing mentality.
With nine games ahead of them, the Titans remain optimistic.
“At the end of the day, the sky is not falling,” safety Kevin Byard said. “We know we have a good team, but we have things we need to improve on, just like every single team in the NFL,” according to Titans Online.
Game Info
The game is crucial for both teams if they want to play into January.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET in Arlington, TX. The matchup will be broadcasted on ESPN.