Dallas @ Tennessee preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2010 ) Tennessee 34, Dallas 27

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo attempts to bounce back from a shaky season debut when the Cowboys visit the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Romo had offseason back surgery and threw three interceptions in a 28-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. Tennessee received great play from quarterback Jake Locker in its opener, controlling the ball for close to 38 minutes while rolling to a 26-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

While Locker looked sharp and passed for 266 yards and two touchdowns, Romo appeared off-kilter and rusty in a lackluster showing. “All quarterbacks go through it,” Romo told reporters. “You never want to have games where you throw multiple interceptions. But what makes the best quarterback who they are is how they respond to it.” Dallas is striving to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2010 while the Titans are after their first 2-0 start since 2008.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Titans –3.5. O/U: 49.5.

ABOUT THE COWBOYS (0-1): Romo passed for 406 yards in a loss against the Titans in 2010 – one of five 400-yard outings in his career. DeMarco Murray piled up 118 yards on 22 carries against San Francisco while recording his eighth career 100-yard outing but both wideout Dez Bryant (four receptions, 55 yards) and tight end Jason Witten (two catches, 14 yards) had subpar performances. Linebackers Rolando McClain and Justin Durant led the defense with eight tackles apiece but 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 125.5.

ABOUT THE TITANS (1-0): Tennessee racked up 405 yards – including 162 on the ground – while controlling play against the Chiefs and Locker feels it is just the beginning of a season hinged around offensive improvement. “It’s something to build on,” Locker told reporters. “If we can take (penalties) out, we might score a few more touchdowns. I’m excited about what we did offensively but the fun part for us is that we get to go back and look at it. I think we left a lot out there.” Cornerback Jason McCourty had two interceptions after not picking off a single pass last season and safety Michael Griffin also had an interception.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Tennessee RB Shonn Greene had 71 yards in the opener – a total he topped just once in 2013.

2. Durant (groin) is appearing doubtful with rookie Anthony Hitchens looming as a replacement.

3. Titans ILB Zach Brown (torn pectoral muscle) was injured against Kansas City and is done for the season and Zaviar Gooden will take his place.

PREDICTION: Titans 27, Cowboys 24