Cowboys vs. Giants: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys found themselves facing a virtual must-win in their Week 7 contest with the New York Giants. After losing three straight games going into their bye week, they came into Sunday’s game looking to reverse the trend and get back on the winning track against a division opponent.

The Cowboys dominated time of possession, racked up 460 total yards of offense and ran the ball for 233 yards. But three interceptions from quarterback Matt Cassel, including one returned for a touchdown, and a kickoff returned 100 yards for a touchdown by former Cowboy Dwayne Harris would waste an otherwise quality performance.

The Cowboys defense sacked Eli Manning twice and gave up only 13 points, but it was unable to generate a takeaway that could have turned the game in Dallas' favor. With under two minutes left in the game, the defense forced a three-and-out to give the offense a chance to drive down the field and tie the game.

On the ensuing punt, Cole Beasley missed the catch, and the ball bounced right into the waiting arms of Giants reserve wide receiver Myles White, who recovered it to ice the game and send the Cowboys to a 2-4 record and last place in the NFC East.

Read on for all the Cowboys grades, notes and quotes you need for the game.

Position Grades for Dallas Cowboys

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 27, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys guard La'el Collins (71) in action against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Position	Grade
QB	C-
RB	A
WR	C
TE	B
OL	A
DL	B+
LB	C
DB	B-
Special Teams	F
Coaching	A

Quarterback

The Cowboys made the switch to Matt Cassel as their starting quarterback with the hope it would create more explosive plays in the passing game. After struggling in this area with Brandon Weeden at the helm, the Dallas offense was able to generate five pass plays of more than 20 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Devin Street.

The downside of Cassel’s willingness to attack the deep and intermediate areas of the field was his three interceptions. Cassel showed no fear in attacking the Giants’ best corner, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and it came back to bite him, as he was intercepted twice while throwing at Rodgers-Cromartie, including a 58-yard pick-six. Cassel finished 17-of-27 for 227 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Running Back

The Cowboys opened the game running it well, and they continued doing so throughout the course of the game. Joseph Randle carried the ball twice on the opening drive and gained 24 yards on those carries before leaving the game with a strained back that would hold him out of the rest of the game.

Despite the narrative through the bye week that Christine Michael would be getting his opportunity to see increased carries, it was Darren McFadden who would see the workhorse load in Randle’s absence. Much credit is due to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who altered the Cowboys' typical mix of run calls to more closely match McFadden’s skill set, allowing the veteran to have the best game of any Cowboys back in 2015. 

McFadden ran 29 times for 152 yards and a touchdown and caught two balls for 10 yards, although he had a 31-yard touchdown reception called back on a questionable offensive pass interference call against Street. Michael carried it five times for 18 yards, including a 13-yard run, and he had a catch for two yards. 

Wide Receiver

For the first time since the injuries to Dez Bryant and Tony Romo, multiple Cowboys wide receivers stepped up and made plays in the passing game. Terrance Williams, Brice Butler and Street each made explosive plays on throws from Cassel.

Lucky Whitehead was finally put to use as a weapon on offense, carrying the ball on two jet sweeps, a reverse and a toss play from a running back alignment in a shotgun formation, averaging 8.8 yards per carry, as he was the team’s second-leading rusher.

Tight End

It seems it doesn’t matter whom the quarterback is for the Cowboys, Jason Witten is going to perform like Jason Witten. The veteran tight end led the team in targets, catches and yards, catching six of his eight targets for 73 yards. James Hanna returned from his injury and caught one ball for six yards, and Gavin Escobar was again unable to make any appearance on the stat sheet.

Offensive Line 

The Cowboys' vaunted offensive line finally looked like the unit it had been built up to be on Sunday. With rookie La’el Collins starting at left guard, the offensive line was dominant in the run game and played great in pass protection.

Defensive Line

The task of rushing Manning in this West Coast offense is a tall one, but the Cowboys group was able to make an impact on the game. The D-line sacked Manning twice on third downs and managed to hit him another three times. It needed better play from its defensive tackles at times, as Tyrone Crawford wasn’t the disruptive player the Cowboys need him to be.

Linebackers

The duo of Sean Lee and Rolando McClain combined for 13 total tackles, but they were not the type of impact players the Cowboys need them to be. Each looked out of position in his run fits at times, and neither managed to make the type of impact play he typically brings to the game.

Defensive Backs

Odell Beckham Jr. was held to four catches for 35 yards, and the Giants only registered three pass plays of over 20 yards, including a special one-handed catch by Rueben Randle for 44 yards. Byron Jones and Corey White continued to see expanded roles and played well in coverage and against the run.

Special Teams

The Cowboys likely could have overcome the turnovers by the offense if they had gotten solid special teams play. However, the kicking game failed them in this one. The shortcomings were widespread, with Chris Jones averaging only 33 yards on his two punts, Danny McCray getting washed out of his lane in kick coverage, resulting in a 100-yard return for a touchdown, and Beasley carelessly attempting to catch a punt with his hands rather than cradling it.

Coaching

Scott Linehan called a masterful game for his offense. Mixing up the running game more than any time this season, using misdirection and play action to control the backside to allow the blockers and runners to flourish. He dialed up enough downfield passes to make the Giants respect that area of the field, and he put his team in position to succeed.

There were some interesting decisions by defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, specifically sending a couple of blitzes in the exact third-down situations for which the team spent considerable resources building a formidable four-man pass rush.

Important Note No. 1: McFadden’s Emergence

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

All the noise around the team for two weeks was signaling a shift away from McFadden as the second man in the running back committee, but when Joseph Randle suffered an injury on his second carry of the game, it was McFadden who saw the lion’s share of the work at running back.

McFadden’s speed was finally able to show up, as the running game featured less outside zone runs, which require significant lateral agility, and more sweeps, dives and power runs, which allow McFadden to get rolling downhill and finish his runs. If the Cowboys continue calling plays the way they did against New York, McFadden becomes a viable option to be the workhorse back this team has been looking for.

Important Note No. 2: Cassel’s Performance

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The Cowboys made the switch to Cassel because of the need to put up more explosive plays on offense and the ability to manage the game mentally. Both aspects of the decision showed up on Sunday.

Cassel’s willingness to throw downfield resulted in five explosive plays from the passing game, including the touchdown to Street. However, this willingness also led to three interceptions on downfield throws.

The mental aspect of the game also showed up, as two of Cassel’s five best plays occurred on the drive immediately following the third interception. Cassel’s confidence wasn’t fazed, and he continued to take his shots, leading his team back down the field for the game-tying score.

Quote No. 1: Sean Lee on the Lack of Turnovers

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Sean Lee talked about the importance of finishing plays and making big plays, according to the Associated Press (via CBSDFW.com).

"We haven’t made a play when it was there all year, we’ve had it in our hands and we’ve dropped them," Lee said. "You can’t have big plays. For us, we have to have big plays, we have to finish plays and finish games. Last year, we did that well, but this year we haven’t done that as consistently."

The Cowboys defense has been in position to create multiple takeaways in each of the last four games. In any of those games, one or two of those plays going the Cowboys’ way could have changed the outcome of the entire game.

The defense knows that despite giving up only 13 points to the Giants, it has to do a better job of creating turnovers to put its team in position to succeed. Its willingness to do so over the next three games will have a lot to say about the team’s chances once Romo returns from injury.

Quote No. 2: Jason Witten on the State of the Team

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Witten gave his take on the team after the Week 7 loss, according to the Associated Press (via CBSDFW.com).

“This is a tight group and we’re not going to break," Witten said. "We give them credit. They made enough plays to win the game but we’re going to keep battling and we’ll learn from it. We’re still in the hunt. We’re going to get it turned around and get it fixed.”

Maintaining the psyche of the team is the biggest task of the head coach in any NFL city. This has been an area Jason Garrett has excelled in during his tenure as head coach. There have been clear indications through the last few weeks that this team continues to have a deep belief in its ability to win games, and Witten continues to exhibit that belief.