With two games left to play, the Cowboys and Titans are taking vastly different approaches for their penultimate regular season game. While Dallas is likely locked into the No. 5 seed barring two losses from the Eagles, they’re keeping their starters on the field. For Tennessee it’s a different story. Their season comes down to their Week 18 bout with the Jaguars so they’re benching a majority of their starters before they head to Jacksonville.
The Cowboys are being cautious with running back Tony Pollard, who has a thigh bruise and shouldn’t be needed to defeat the Titans’ backups. Linebacker Leighton Vander-Esch is nearing his return after a stinger set him back while defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins is still a ways away before he can bring a big boost to the Dallas run defense.
Tennessee is rolling out without their star running back Derrick Henry and a majority of other key players that were dealing with nagging injuries or needed extra rest. Rookie quarterback Malik Willis is even getting a week off, while practice squad quarterback Josh Dobbs got the call to start in Nashville. Take a look at the full list of inactives for Cowboys-Titans.