Cowboys vs. Titans final score, results: Dallas weathers first-half struggles, draw closer to Eagles with win

Kevin Skiver

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Cowboys vs. Titans final score, results: Dallas weathers first-half struggles, draw closer to Eagles with win image

After the last "Thursday Night Football" game of the 2022 NFL season, a 27-13 win for the Cowboys over the Titans, all the Titans can do is shrug and move on to Week 18.

The game was meaningless to them in the AFC South race, which led to an exhibition vibe in Nashville. Joshua Dobbs got the start at quarterback after just nine days with the team, and despite playing fairly well — he went 20 of 39 for 232 yards, a touchdown, and an interception — the offense struggled with Derrick Henry out.

MORE: Why Titans' playoff chances rest solely on Week 18 game vs. Jaguars

For the Cowboys, self-inflicted wounds continued to be the name of the game. They went into the half leading just 10-6 after turning the ball over three times, including two Dak Prescott interceptions. With no Tony Pollard, the game plan leaned more heavily toward the passing game, and that was reflected in Prescott's stat line. He threw 41 passes — his second-highest total of the season. Some of throws seemed forced.

MORE: Why Josh Dobbs started for Titans one week removed from Lions' practice squad

The Titans will enter Week 18 looking to wrest the division title from the Jaguars in what will be a play-in game. The Cowboys, meanwhile, await the result of Eagles vs. Saints on Sunday. If Philadelphia wins, it will clinch the division and Dallas will know that it will enter the playoffs as the fifth seed in the NFC. If the Saints win, then the Cowboys could play for the division in Week 18.

MORE: Projecting the seeds & matchups for AFC, NFC brackets in Week 17

The Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from Cowboys vs. Titans, the opening game of Week 17:

Cowboys vs. Titans score

   1   2   3   4   F 
Cowboys 7 3 7 10 27
Titans 0 6 7 0 13

Cowboys vs. Titans live updates, highlights from 'Thursday Night Football'

(All times Eastern.)

Fourth quarter

11:17 p.m. -- A few more runs and this game is over. Final score is Cowboys by 14, Cowboys 27, Titans 13.

11:16 p.m. -- The Titans are killing clock, but with urgency. Vrabel just wants this done. They run the ball twice to start this drive.

11:14 p.m. -- We hit the two-minute warning with the Cowboys about to punt. This game is all but wrapped.

11:10 p.m. -- The Titans turn it over on downs with 3:44 left.

11:09 p.m. -- Now on this third down Dobbs gets blindsided and spikes one into the dirt. It'll be fourth down for Tennessee.

11:07 p.m. -- Dobbs at this point is playing to start next week. He makes another good throw on third down to convert and keep the drive alive. No matter what happens down the stretch here, he's very much in play to start against the Jaguars.

11:03 p.m. -- The Cowboys don't do anything with that drive and go three-and-out with a pair of incompletions. Titans muff the punt but it looks like fair catch interference will give them the ball back. Titans ball.

11:01 p.m -- Dobbs forces the issue on the next drive and gets picked off by Wright on the sideline. Possibly a backbreaker for the Titans there.

10:56 p.m. -- Cowboys swing one out to Lamb on third down for a gain of 10 to give Maher a field goal attempt. He hits from 45 and gives the Cowboys some more cushion. Cowboys 27, Titans 13.

10:54 p.m. -- This Titans defense is really trying to stay on top of things, but it's difficult barring flashes of brilliance. The Cowboys had another methodical drive into Titans territory, but the defense picks up a sack to force third-and-long. Now, however, the question is if Tart -- a very good tackle and a key cog of the Titans defense -- is OK.

10:48 p.m. -- The Titans take a false start -- possibly on purpose? -- and punt it away through the end zone. Cowboys will start after the touchback.

10:46 p.m. -- The Titans have another third-and-manageable, but Dobbs is forced to throw it away due to intense pressure. Now, fourth-and-5 from the Dallas 41-yard line, we'll see how conservative Vrabel wants to be.

10:42 p.m. -- Following a 20-yard end around run to Burks, Dobbs finds Haskins over the middle for a gain of 11 and another first down. The Titans find themselves in Dallas territory quickly once again.

10:35 p.m. -- The Cowboys offense appears to have figured something out. Prescott puts a perfect pass on Schultz for a touchdown to extend the Cowboys lead, and the fourth quarter opens favorably for the Cowboys. Cowboys 24, Titans 13.

10:34 p.m. -- The Cowboys again convert on third down, this time on third-and-2, with a swing pass to Davis.

10:32 p.m. -- The fourth quarter starts much like the rest of this game has gone for the Titans: With a penalty. Tennessee gets hit with roughing the passer, and a run puts the Cowboys near the Titans 20-yard line.

Third quarter

10:30 p.m. -- The third quarter ends with a Davis run for no game, and we head into the fourth with the Titans trailing. Cowboys 17, Titans 13.

10:24 p.m. -- The Cowboys get into third-and-10, but Prescott finds Hilton over the middle on a little drag route that picks up 27. Big play for the Cowboys at a time where they needed it, and the Cowboys are in Titans territory.

10:20 p.m. -- And the Titans finally cap off a drive with a touchdown as Dobbs finds Woods for six. It's Dobbs' first career TD pass, and it comes with the Titans trying to claw their way back into this one. That's a 14-play, 71 yard drive for the Titans that took 6:44 off the clock. Great answer to that Cowboys TD. Cowboys 17, Titans 13

10:15 p.m. -- The Cowboys force a third-and-6 on the next set of downs, but Dobbs puts a great pass to Woods on the sideline for another first down, and the Titans continue to drive in the Cowboys red zone.

10:13 p.m. -- The Titans are playing a four-down game now. On third-and-7 they run it up the middle and on fourth down Hassan Haskins makes a great second effort to get a first down. That play was initially blown up.

10:10 p.m. -- The Titans are trying to keep things rolling here and get back into this game, but they can't keep kicking field goals at this rate. After Dobbs makes a gorgeous pass on the run to convert third down, Tennessee catches Dallas sleeping in the hurry up with a run up the middle for 11 yards. Those are the types of passes Dobbs needs to make, difficult though they may be.

10:04 p.m. -- Dallas immediately cashes in with a nice touchdown pass against the flow to Schultz. Cowboys 17, Titans 6

10:03 p.m. -- The Cowboys end up in third-and-19, and the Titans commit an egregiously bad pass interference downfield on Michael Gallup that is going to give the Cowboys the ball at the Tennessee six. Just a horrid penalty by this defense to keep the drive alive, and a nice play by Prescott to just gun one.

10:01 p.m. -- The Cowboys convert there with relative ease on an Elliott carry. Onf first down on the fresh set of downs they get hit with a hold to make it first-and-20. For this offense, not whatt you want.

9:59 p.m. -- Once again the Titans struggle to stay out of their own way. McReary gets hit with pass interference on second-and-9 to give the Cowboys a fresh set of downs, and they now find themselves in third-and-2 nearing midfield.

9:56 p.m. -- Following a punt, A decent KaVontae Turpin return gets erased by a block in the back, and the Cowboys are going to start from their own 11-yard line.

9:55 p.m. -- Titans get the ball back to start the second half, and they're currently down four. They start things out with a three-yard dive up the middle. 

Halftime

9:40 p.m. -- It shouldn't surprise anyone to see the Titans defense keeping them alive. The offense is moving the ball somewhat well, but without consistency. Josh Dobbs completed 9 of 16 passes for 143 yards, helped along by a few big plays, whereas Dak Prescott is 17 of 25 for 145 yards. Two interceptions is the difference there, both from Kevin Byard. The Cowboys are lucky to find themselves up at this point, as the Titans offense has struggled in the short field.

2nd quarter

9:38 p.m. -- Titans find Treylon Burks on the sideline on the next play and Burks gets brought down with two seconds left, leaving Bullock with a 29-yard attempt that he converts easily. We go into the half Cowboys 10, Titans 6.

9:36 p.m. -- That'll be heartening for Cowboys fans. Prescott takes off on third-and-short for nine yards and a first down. It's not often run is his instinct. The next play will be LESS heartening, as Prescott gets read like a book by Kevin Byard and Byard intercepts him and takes it to the Cowboys 41-yard line. Byard is having a huge game.

9:35 p.m. -- Prescott now hits Lamb for six yards to set up third-and-short, and the Cowboys burn their last timeout.

9:34 p.m. -- Following that hold, Prescott finds Schultz over the middle for 13 yards and a first down. The Cowboys use their second timeout, and on first down they hit Hilton on the sideline for a short gain. 

9:32 p.m. -- The Cowboys offense is really struggling. On this drive they have a pair of incompletions before Prescott gets sacked to force fourth down. Prescott is hobbled getting up, and the drive remains alive following a hold on the Titans defense. A lot going on here.

9:28 p.m. -- The Titans find themselves in third-and-9 following that series, and they convert a field goal to get on the board ahead of the half. Anything but smooth sailing, but Tennessee is grinding. Cowboys 10, Titans 3.

9:23 p.m. -- Tennessee converts on third down near the Cowboys 20 to take us into the two-minute warning.

9:22 p.m. -- The Titans are moving the ball once again, thanks to a 33-yard gain from Chestnut on the outside. Dobbs puts a ball right in Trevon Diggs' bread basket on second down here on the next series, but Diggs drops it and gives the Titans new life.

9:18 p.m. -- Another somewhat promising drive from the Cowboys is abruptly stopped as Prescott's pass is dropped by Hendershot and intercepted by Kevin Byard. The Titans offense is going to get another shot from its own 36-yard line with about 3:30 left until halftime.

9:10 p.m. -- The Titans offense has done a decent job of staying somewhat on schedule. It gets itself into a manageable third-and-5, but Dobbs airmails a pass to Hooper on the sideline and the Titans will have to punt. Cowboys will get the ball back at the 8-yard line following the turnover.

9:08 p.m. -- Another quick-change! Prescott fumbles the snap and it gets recovered by Tart in the middle. Titans get the ball back around midfield.

9:07 p.m. -- Shoutout to the Nissan Stadium PA announcer trying to keep people involved. On third down, the Cowboys find TY Hilton for 12 yards and a first.

9:02 p.m. -- Some confusion on the field here, as the Titans dump a pass Okonkwo and the Titans grab and advance what they thought was a fumble. Hassan Haskins went down to the 2-yard line and the Titans went to line up, but the play was whistled dead. On third down, the Titans get sacked by Dante Fowler Jr. and the ball comes loose from Dobbs and gets recovered by the Cowboys to bring the drive to an abrupt halt. Big play by the Cowboys defense to end the scoring threat.

8:56 p.m. -- Dobbs is still looking for some rhythm, as he gets stripped on the edge and has to throw it away. Another four-yard gain on the ground on second down has the Titans in third-and-6. Dobbs goes deep and connects with Racey McMath for a huge 39-yard gain. Beautiful pitch-and-catch by Dobbs and McMath to find a gap in the Cowboys defense.

8:54 p.m. -- Not a second thought from McCarthy and the Cowboys, and Maher bangs through a 36-yard field goal. Cowboys 10, Titans 0

1st quarter

8:50 p.m. -- The Cowboys cap off the quarter with a third-and-1 run that gets stacked up, bringing up fourth and short to start the second. Mike McCarthy has an early decision to make.

8:48 p.m. -- Davis makes his presence felt again. Just as the Cowboys cross into Titans territory, he gashes the defense up the middle for 24 yards. Cowboys are at the Titans' 24-yard line, and they're looking to get comfortable early.

8:42 p.m. -- Following a run for a short gain Dobbs misses Austin Hooper over the middle and Robert Woods drops a pass on third down that was a little high, but catchable. Quick three-and-out for the Titans in response to the Cowboys' TD.

8:37 p.m. -- The Cowboys cap off the drive with a touchdown from Ezekiel Elliott to take the lead. That drive was 10 plays for 60 yards in 5:30, with a heavy lean on the ground game. Cowboys 7, Titans 0.

8:36 p.m. -- As this drive continues, the Cowboys will have it first-and-goal from the two. They direct snap to Elliott who takes it inside the one.

8:33 p.m. -- The Cowboys get TY Hilton involved on a quick route for seven yards before Noah Brown draws a pass interference. The Cowboys are continuing to move with relative ease and they're now at the Titans' 13. With Tony Pollard out, Malik Davis runs up the middle for seven.

8:31 p.m. -- Dallas is moving the ball well to start this drive, as an offsides makes it second-and-5 and Prescott finds Dalton Schultz for a first down shortly after. They're in Titans territory.

8:27 p.m. -- The call is illegal motion on the Titans, so the Cowboys will get the ball from their own 40-yard line to start this drive.

8:26 p.m. -- Following a decent catch and run by Okonkwo, the Titans have to punt on fourth down. Turpin takes it up the sideline but a penalty is down.

8:25 p.m. -- A really nice Dobbs run for a first down gets erased by a hold, potentially a drive-killing penalty as second-and-16 goes incomplete. Titans can't stay out of their own way.

8:23 p.m. -- Dobbs completes his first pass to Okonkwo for a 12-yard gain. Good confidence boost for the young quarterback.

8:19 p.m. -- Titans start things out the right way and force a punt after giving up one first down on the drive. Joshua Dobbs will take the field for the first time, starting from his own 13-yard line.

8:15 p.m. -- The Cowboys take the opening kick, which sails through the end zone. They'll start from their own 25-yard line.

8 p.m. -- It's the final TNF game of the season, as the Titans host the Cowboys at Nissan Stadium. As a reminder, Joshua Dobbs is starting for the Titans and Derrick Henry is out, as next week is already guaranteed to be an AFC South Championship Game of sorts. For the Cowboys, they're chasing the Eagles in the NFC East. They must win their next two games and the Eagles have to lose theirs.

Cowboys vs. Titans start time

  • Date: Thursday, Dec. 29
  • Time: 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. CT)

The game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. local time) from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s Fahrenheit and high humidity.

What channel is Cowboys vs. Titans on?

  • TV channel (Dallas): KDFW
  • TV channel (Nashville): WTVF
  • Live stream: Prime Video (U.S.) | DAZN (Canada)

Like all other "Thursday Night Football" broadcasts, Cowboys vs. Titans will be live streamed on Prime Video. Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color analyst) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) will be on the call.

Viewers in Canada can tune in with a live stream on DAZN, which features every NFL game.

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.