Cowboys vs. Panthers: Final Report Cards, Player Grades for Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys were on the road again, this time facing the Carolina Panthers. At times, it appeared as if the Cowboys would dominate the game, but instead costly turnovers and inopportune penalties made this game closer than it should have been.

The Cowboys escaped Carolina with a 19-14 victory over the Panthers as kicker Dan Bailey went 4-for-4 on field goal attempts.The Cowboys improve to 3-3 while dropping the Panthers to 1-5. Dallas got the victory, but are they going to be happy with their performance?

Let's take a look as the final player grades and analysis for the Dallas Cowboys.

Quarterbacks

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Tony Romo: A

Tony Romo is unappreciated for what he accomplishes in Dallas. He is still working with wide receivers that do not run the correct routes in certain situations, drop passes that hit them right in the hands and the offensive line continues to underwhelm.

Romo did miss a wide open Jason Witten late in the fourth quarter, but that is because he was running for his life. He continues to the best he can with what he’s got.

Romo finished the game going 24-of-34 for 227 yards and one touchdown. Best of all he had no turnovers and finished with a passer rating of 98.5.

Runningbacks

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Felix Jones: B-

Nobody is going to be claiming that Felix Jones should replace DeMarco Murray anytime soon. However Jones did have a decent performance considering he was a little banged up as well.

Jones finished the game with 74 total yards on 20 touches.

Phillip Tanner: B

Phillip Tanner continues to be a hard runner and he did a good job filling for Felix Jones throughout the game. The Cowboys must have confidence in Tanner if they are handing him the ball late with the game on the line.

Tanner rushed for 30 yards on 13 carries and added one reception for eight yards.

Wide Receivers�

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Miles Austin: B+

Miles Austin lead all receivers with 97 yards. He also had the only touchdown catch of the game and it was a pretty over the shoulder catch for a 28-yard score. The problem was that Austin had a critical fumble that changed the momentum in the second quarter.

Austin finished with five catches for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Dez Bryant: C-

Dez Byrant’s up-and-down season continues. This week he only had two catches for 14 yards and he dropped a sure touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Bryant is not living up to the hype and the Cowboys may start wondering if he is worth the headache.

Kevin Ogletree: F

Why do the Cowboys continue to believe that Kevin Ogletree is the answer as their third wide receiver? He was awful again today. Ogletree dropped a first down and then bobbled another pass that he eventually caught short of a first down.

Ogletree did make four catches for 27 yards, but they were not game changing.

Tight Ends

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Jason Witten: B+

Jason Witten had a quiet game as far as stats go. Witten only gained 44 yards on six catches but his leadership on the field cannot be mistaken. Any time quarterback Tony Romo is in trouble, he always looks for Witten to make the big play.

Unfortunately Romo missed a wide open Jason Witten in the fourth quarter for what would have been an easy touchdown. Witten also had a solid day blocking for both running backs.

Offensive Line

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Tyron Smith: B+

Tyron Smith had a decent game protecting Tony Romo’s blindside. It also appears that the Cowboys were able to run the ball effectively behind Smith.

In other great news, Smith did not commit any penalties in this game.

Doug Free: F

How does Doug Free still have a job with the Dallas Cowboys? The Cowboys do not gain any yards when they run to his side and the pass rush always seems to come by him. This week Free was charged with another false start penalty that stalled an offensive drive.

Phil Costa: B+

Phil Costa was having another solid game until he was forced to leave with an ankle injury. Costa was one of the reasons why the Cowboys had been running the ball so well. They struggled to run the ball effectively once Costa left the game.

Nate Livings: C-

Nate Livings continues to struggle with the Cowboys. Although quarterback Tony Romo did not get sacked, most of the pressure on Romo was coming through Livings. Livings gets beat far too often.

Defensive Line

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Jay Ratliff: B-

Jay Ratliff was having a great game until he committed a silly personal foul penalty early in the fourth quarter. He was only credited with two tackles, but he was a constant force against the run.

Ratliff finished with two passes defensed, a quarterback hit and a tackle for a loss.

Jason Hatcher: A-

Jason Hatcher is becoming a great inside pass rusher. Hatcher had a half sack to go along with his two tackles and one pass defended.

If Hatcher continues to command such attention, things are going to start to open up for the Cowboys linebackers.

Kenyon Coleman: C+

Kenyon Coleman disappears from time to time. He only had one tackle in the game and did not provide any pressure at all. The Cowboys are going to need Coleman to become a bigger threat on the defensive line.

Linebackers

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DeMarcus Ware: A

It can be argued that the best player for the Dallas Cowboys is DeMarcus Ware. He is always harassing the quarterback. He only managed a half sack against the Panthers but he had a bigger day.

He had eight tackles including one for a loss and he was credited with a quarterback hit. Ware also did a great job in coverage and he recovered a fumble at the end of the game.

Sean Lee: A-

Sean Lee was having another great performance before leaving the game with a big toe injury. Prior to exiting the game early in the third quarter, Lee had already made six tackles including one for a loss.

Anthony Spencer: B

Welcome back Anthony Spencer! Spencer had a big game by registering a sack, making six tackles including a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit. Spencer makes a big impact when he is on the field, and none was bigger than the sack on quarterback Cam Newton

Defensive Backs

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Brandon Carr: B-

Brandon Carr had a better game this week but it was still inconsistent. There was a reason Carr had five tackles in the game. Those came against receivers catching the ball against him. It is becoming apparent that Carr is more comfortable when he is allowed to play bump and run coverage.

Morris Claiborne: A

Rookie Morris Claiborne showed today that he was worthy of a top five pick in the draft. His coverage skills were excellent although many believe he should have been flagged for his final pass breakup against Louis Murphy.

Claiborne also had two tackles and was credited with two pass breakups.

Gerald Sensabaugh: B

The Cowboys continue to lack depth at the safety position and they are fortunate that Gerald Sensabaugh has remained healthy. He had six tackles including three solo tackles in the game and is doing a better job in coverage. If Sensabaugh misses any time due to injury, the Cowboys are going to be in trouble.

Special Teams

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Dan Bailey: A

Dan Bailey was perfect on the day, going 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts. He made kicks of 19, 49, 28 and 38 yards on the day and was the only bright spot in the Cowboys special teams units.

It is clear that the Cowboys need to make some drastic changes to the return game. Continuing to have Dez Bryant return punts is not the answer.

Coaching

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Jason Garrett: C-

Jason Garrett’s play calling lacks imagination and the Cowboys offense has become too predictable. At some point, he is going to have to let Tony Romo throw the ball down the field. 18 play drives are great when you score touchdowns at the end of those drives. The Cowboys are not, they are settling for field goals.

At some point, Jason Garrett also needs to shoulder some of the blame for the Cowboys offensive penalties. He either has to get tougher on the players that continue to make the same mistakes. The same players are committing the same stupid penalties and until he makes a drastic change, the results are going to be the same.