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

Joey IckesNov 26, 2015

After Tony Romo missed seven games due to a collarbone injury suffered in Week 2 and returned last week, the Dallas Cowboys were depending on him to help them win the last seven games of the season in order to make a run at the NFC East title and the playoffs. The mountain in front of the team was tall, but belief in Romo’s ability made it seem possible.

After pulling off a victory in Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins, the Cowboys hosted the undefeated Carolina Panthers in the Cowboys' annual Thanksgiving Day contest. The final score wasn't pretty, as Carolina trounced Dallas 33-14.

The margin of error for Romo was razor-thin, and against the Panthers’ stingy defense, he wasn’t able to meet the standard necessary to compete. Things started poorly on the third play from scrimmage when Romo misread the coverage and hit safety Kurt Coleman right in the numbers over the middle of the field. Coleman returned the ball 36 yards for a touchdown, and everything went downhill from there.

The struggle continued as Romo threw two more interceptions to Luke Kuechly on back-to-back second-quarter throws—one went for another Panthers touchdown, and the other led to a Graham Gano field goal.

Romo’s nightmare day concluded when he landed hard on his left shoulder while being sacked by Thomas Davis on the last play of the third quarter. Romo immediately rolled over and grabbed his left collarbone, the same bone that was broken in September, and he would not return to the game.

Read on for all the grades, notes and quotes from the game.

Position Grades for the Dallas Cowboys

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Position

Grade

QB

F

RB

D

WR

D

TE

D

OL

D

DL

C-

LB

A+

DB

C-

Special Teams

B+

Coaching

C

Quarterback:  Tony Romo’s play wasn't good enough for Dallas to win this game. It started with the early interception and never got much better. He missed open guys down the field and threw too many poor balls. The injury to his collarbone will likely cost him the rest of the season, but it made little difference in this game. He finished 11-of-21 for 106 yards and three interceptions. Matt Cassel came into the game in the fourth quarter in relief of the injured Romo and went 13-of-19 for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Running Back: The Cowboys fell behind early in the game and never were able to recover and make a contest out of it. Because of the deficit on the scoreboard and the stoutness of the Carolina front, the Cowboys’ running game never factored into the game. Darren McFadden and Robert Turbin combined for just 22 yards on 12 carries and posted 46 receiving yards on five catches.

Wide Receiver: The Cowboys wide receivers didn't convert on some early opportunities down the field that could have been difference-making plays while the game was still competitive, and the Panthers’ Josh Norman largely shut down Dez Bryant. Cole Beasley made a couple of early plays to convert third downs and move the ball on the one successful drive the Cowboys had in the first half, but for the most part, the wide receivers were not as effective as in prior weeks.

Tight End: Jason Witten caught only four balls for 36 yards, and Gavin Escobar’s only target was a mysterious smoke screen on third down that lost two yards. There were almost no big plays for the Cowboys tight ends or the offense in general.

Offensive Line: The offensive line faced off with what might be the best front seven in the NFL and had more than its share of struggles. The Cowboys weren’t able to generate push in the run game and gave up consistent pressure in the passing game as the Panthers flexed their defensive muscle.

Defensive Line: The defensive line generated one sack on Cam Newton when Tyrone Crawford brought him down for an 18-yard loss early in the third quarter, and Randy Gregory was active and disruptive at times, but overall the defensive line didn’t do much to stand out positively or negatively.

Linebackers: Sean Lee and Rolando McClain were the lone bright spots for the Cowboys on either side of the ball. The duo combined for 23 total tackles and two passes defensed, while McClain added three tackles for loss. The two really played all over the field and kept the Panthers from doing too much on the ground.

Defensive Backs: The Cowboys played more zone coverage than they had in any game this season, and this left more open windows for Newton to make throws into. The defensive backs were never far out of place, but it always seemed like on third down or in important situations, Newton was able to fit the throw in and convert. The secondary was in position to contest several balls but didn't finish enough plays to make an impact.

Special Teams: For the most part the special teams were reliable, as Dan Bailey made his field goals and Chris Jones averaged 47 yards per punt. The Cowboys blocked a field-goal attempt late in the game after the score was out of hand, but they also got a big penalty on Byron Jones as he attempted to leap to block another field goal, which led to the Panthers' only offensive touchdown drive.

Coaching: In a game in which your quarterback gives up 17 points almost single-handedly and your defense allows only one drive of more than 60 yards, it is difficult to place too much blame on the coaches. There could be some questions about the timeliness of certain play calls, but overall, this was a player problem that was led by the most important position on the field.

Important Note No. 1: Romo’s Season Is Over

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Tony Romo struggled throughout the first three quarters and left the game with another collarbone injury at the end of the third. While the team didn't confirm anything after the game, ESPN’s Ed Werder reported Romo’s season is done.

That means he will likely go on injured reserve in the next few days and possibly have the surgery on the injury that he chose not to have after the first injury in September. If losing their eighth game of the year wasn’t enough for the Cowboys to consider 2015 a lost year, losing their franchise quarterback for the five remaining games of the year should be.

Important Note No. 2: The Defense Fights Through

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The Panthers offense generated only 16 points, netted just 294 yards of total offense and had only one drive of more than 60 yards. The Cowboys defense wasn’t able to generate the type of game-changing plays that its counterpart from Carolina did and didn’t get any true three-and-out stops, but it did keep the Panthers out of the end zone on seven of their eight true possessions.

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Quote No. 1: Tony Romo on His Struggles

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“Some of the poor decisions that were made were just uncharacteristic and very frustrating. It cost our team today and put us in a big hole. You can’t do that against good football teams and I am disappointed that I couldn’t play better,” Romo said after the game, per DallasCowboys.com.

Romo knows how important that he plays well, and he is shouldering the blame for hurting his team Thursday. He likely knows his season is over and has to feel discouraged that a year that began with such hope will end with such great disappointment.

Quote No. 2: Sean Lee on Tony Romo Injuring His Collarbone Again

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"You're obviously devastated. The guy is the leader of our team. He's a great teammate and a great friend and to see that it's extremely tough. We're just hoping he's going to be all right," Sean Lee said, according to SportsDay DFW.

If anyone on the Cowboys roster can sympathize with Romo regarding recurring injuries and missing extended time, it’s Lee. However, any player on the team would feel the same way after seeing the quarterback go down again.

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