Blogging The Boys
Grades for last week were rather rough for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys did what they do best: lost to the 49ers. This was a whirlwind of an experience, too, taking a halftime lead and completely throwing it away before making things close again but, ultimately, running out of time. Let’s hand out some grades after this up-and-down performance.
This was not the worst game of Dak Prescott’s career - far from it - but it may have been his most disappointing one. Prescott’s two picks were both the result of poor decision-making and both were catastrophic for his team. In general, Prescott was once again too risky with the ball and not accurate enough for the gambles to pay off. That’s been a recurring theme all year, and it leads to a harsh but fair grade in a game where he should’ve risen to the occasion.
Grade: F
At least all the unwarranted hype over Dalvin Cook can die down now. After plenty of anticipation, Cook made his Cowboys debut and totaled just 12 yards on six carries. Ezekiel Elliott led the backfield after Rico Dowdle’s sudden illness, and the veteran put up 34 yards on 10 carries but once again showed why he can’t be a team’s top option at running back.
Grade: D
Arguably the only bright spot in the game, the pass catchers seemed to all get back in sync in this one. CeeDee Lamb was impressive, catching 13 of his 16 targets for 146 yards and two scores. Jake Ferguson added six catches for 25 yards and Jalen Tolbert continued his run of reliable play. Keeping this group from a better grade is KaVontae Turpin, who left some plays on the field, especially a deep shot at the very end of the game that he flat out dropped.
Grade: B+
All things considered, the offensive line was solid enough in this one. Only one of the two sacks on the night was charged to the line, though each tackle did give up four pressures apiece. They also had their moments in run blocking, especially in the first half. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but the offensive line was definitely not the reason Dallas lost this game.
Grade: C
It was a tale of two halves for the run defense. In the first half, Dallas actually looked solid against the run, with San Francisco averaging a paltry -0.26 EPA/rush. But in the second half, that number jumped up to an astonishing 0.47 EPA/rush with Dallas looking more like their usual selves: unable to stop the run.
Grade: D+
There was virtually no pass rush in this game for Dallas, which was especially troubling given how long Brock Purdy has been holding the ball this season. Just three players logged two pressures on the night, with one being linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. More than that, five of the Cowboys’ eight defensive...
