Cowboys vs. Texans: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes
The common storyline revolving around the fourth and final preseason game is that it “doesn’t matter," but if you were to ask the hundreds of players whose football lives will be changing one way or another in the days following the game, you’d hear a different take. For these guys, this game matters potentially more than any they have ever played.
The Cowboys preseason finale against the Houston Texans on Thursday night was no different. Meaningless in terms of the standings, and projecting performance in the regular season, but far from meaningless to those taking part.
Offensively, the Cowboys were led by Dustin Vaughan at quarterback, who started and played the entire game. Not surprisingly for Cowboy fans, Vaughan had some trouble generating offense, especially early in the game, with only 108 total offensive yards for the team at the half, 20 percent third-down efficiency, and only about four yards per play. For the game, Vaughan wound up finishing 11-of-20 for 115 yards.
As a team, the Cowboys rushed for 154 yards on 34 attempts (4.5 yards per carry), led by Ben Malena (15 carries 88 yards) and Gus Johnson (16 carries 68 yards).
Defensively, the Cowboys performed well once again.
The Texans had 12 possessions in the game, and were forced to punt six times, turned it over on downs twice, and turned it over (interception/fumble) twice. Of the two Texans touchdown drives, one started at the Cowboys 21 yard line after a fumbled punt by Nick Harwell, and the other came after the Cowboys offense failed to convert a 4th-and-1 at the 46-yard line near the end of the first half. The pass rush was both disruptive and productive again in the final tune-up game, registering three sacks.
Position Grades for the Dallas Cowboys
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Position | Grade |
QB | C- |
RB | B+ |
WR | C+ |
TE | B+ |
OL | B- |
DL | A- |
LB | B- |
DB | B+ |
Special Teams | B- |
Coaching | B |
Quarterback: Dustin Vaughan played every snap and threw 20 passes, completing 11 for 115 yards.
While there were a few nice completions, the Cowboys offense struggled with third-down efficiency, going 4-of-12 on the night. One of those four conversions came on a herculean effort by Gavin Escobar who caught a five-yard pass and broke multiple tackles after the catch to get 18 yards on 3rd-and-17.
Running Back: Gus Johnson got the first reps at running back and played the first and third quarters, while Ben Malena played the second and fourth quarters.
Johnson struggled a bit in the first quarter, averaging a measly 2.4 yards per carry, but the running game got rolling in the second quarter with Malena on the field. The former Texas A&M Aggie ran for 31 yards on only five carries in that period, including an impressive 22-yard scamper after a nice cutback on an inside zone run play.
Once the second half started Johnson kicked his game up a notch, going for 44 yards on si carries, highlighted by a 21-yard touchdown following a Texans turnover. Malena also performed well in the second half, going for 57 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Wide Receiver: The most targeted wide receiver in the game was Lucky Whitehead, who caught four of his nine targets, gaining 40 yards. Three other receivers (Clyde Gates, A.J. Jenkins and Nick Harwell) combined for 42 yards on five catches.
Tight End: Escobar was the only tight end who was targeted in the game, catching two balls for 33 yards, including a super-human 3rd-and-17 catch and run for a first down. He also brought in a 15-yard catch that came up a yard short of another 3rd-and-long conversion.
Offensive Line: The line was far from perfect, allowing three sacks for 21 yards, but overall, they were relatively good, allowing only three tackles for loss on the night and powering a run game that averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
Defensive Line: Throughout training camp and the preseason, few position groups have generated as much excitement and anticipation as Rod Marinelli’s beloved “Rush Men."
The players vying for those last roster spots who took part in this game continued to perform well. Three guys who could be battling one another for a single roster spot as the last defensive end on the 53-man roster, Ryan Russell, Lavar Edwards and Ben Gardner, all showed up.
Russell and Edwards each had a sack, with Russell’s resulting in a fumble recovered by Dallas, while Gardner and Edwards tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with two each.
Ken Bishop, Davon Coleman and Terrell McClain were disruptive from their defensive tackle spots, led by McClain, who had a sack a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. Coleman added a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit, and Bishop hit the passer twice. Efe Obada, the seventh defensive linemen who saw action, even added a quarterback hit of his own.
Linebackers: The Texans averaged a mere 2.5 yards per carry on the ground, and while that can be attributed to the defense as a whole, a significant amount of credit must go to the linebackers.
The ‘backers made plays led by Keith Smith, who led the team with six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and recovered the fumble forced by Russell. Jasper Brinkley added five combined tackles, including a tackle for loss.
Defensive Backs: The Cowboys chose to play only five defensive backs in the game, deciding to take advantage of the flexibility provided by Byron Jones and Corey White, who have the ability to play both corner and safety.
The highlight of the night defensively was White’s interception for a touchdown in the third quarter, where he jumped underneath a throw by Houston’s Tom Savage and took the ball three yards for the touchdown.
White added the only other pass defended on the night, although the defensive backs were in good position for the majority of the game.
The two biggest pass plays given up by the secondary were an 18-yard catch by Jaelen Strong and the 16-yard touchdown throw to Keshawn Martin. Strong's catch came down the sideline after what looked like a miscommunication between cornerback Joel Ross and safety Tim Scott, while Martin beat rookie cornerback Byron Jones. Jones was in good position on Martin but wasn’t able to locate the ball to make a play.
Special Teams: Chris Jones averaged over 46 yards per punt and pinned the Texans at their own one-yard line, which lead to White’s interception for a touchdown.
Dan Bailey made all three extra-point tries, while Whitehead and Malena combined to average almost 17.5 yards per return on kickoffs and punts. Whitehead had a kick return and a punt return go for over 30 yards, and Malena pitched in a kick return for 32.
Coaching: It is difficult to truly judge coaching in a preseason game, as coaches are not faced with the same strategic decisions throughout the game as they may be in the regular season.
Important Note No. 1: The Injuries
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The primary goal in any preseason game is to escape without injury. Luckily enough for the Cowboys, there were no significant injuries sustained in the game.
Linebacker Keith Smith was given a “cognitive evaluation” as part of the NFL’s concussion protocol following a collision on the opening kickoff, and defensive end Lavar Edwards was evaluated for a knee injury in the first half, according to Cowboys Sideline reporter Kristi Scales.
"Only 2 cowboys w/medical attention in 1st half,both returned to action. LB Keith smith w/cognitive evaluation; DE Lavar Edwards left knee.
— KristiCowboySideline (@KristiCowboy) September 4, 2015"
Important Note No. 2: No Jameill Showers
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The thought going into the game was that both Dustin Vaughan and Jameill Showers would have the chance to showcase themselves in their pursuit of the third quarterback role, with hopes of one of them solidifying their spot on the 53-man roster. However, Vaughan took every offensive snap on the night, while Showers played only in his special teams roles.
While no one can be exactly sure of the reasoning for not playing Showers, former NFL Scout Bryan Broaddus, now of DallasCowboys.com, believes the Cowboys are likely trying to avoid giving other teams an opportunity to evaluate Showers, hoping they will be able to retain him as a practice squad player if he is released this weekend. Broaddus' colleague David Helman agrees.
"They don't want to give other teams a chance to evaluate him. Presumably bc they want to sign him to their p. squad. https://t.co/tvG86x6jGG
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) September 4, 2015"
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Quote No. 1: Jason Garrett on Chris Jones’ Kick
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"Chris Jones pinned them on the 1-yard line with really one of the great kicks that I’ve seen in a long, long time." — Jason Garrett, postgame
Punter Chris Jones has received his fair share of well-earned criticism in his time with the Cowboys. Those were mainly due to his inconsistencies as well as his inability to be a weapon for the team, routinely allowing opponents to start at the 15- to 20-yard lines as opposed to closer to the goal line.
However, Jones’ performance has improved this preseason and was capped by a 46.6 yard average on five kicks Thursday night, including a 54-yard kick that went out of bounds at the one-yard line early in the third quarter.
Quote No. 2: Dez Bryant on the Cowboys Goals for 2015
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“That goal is to be in Santa Clara at the beginning of February. We want to touch that Super Bowl. I feel like we work extremely hard and we’re prepared.” — Dez Bryant
The Cowboys came within a controversial instant replay review of playing for the right to go to Super Bowl 49 last season, and it is clear that Dez Bryant and his teammates will refuse to rest on that performance.
This is the type of message that coaches and executives will hesitate to send to the media or others outside the organization, although every team seeks a Super Bowl every year. But a guy like Bryant had no qualms about sharing his vision for the team in 2015 with the broadcast crew during an in-game interview.
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