Jets vs. Cowboys: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys had yet another quarterback change in Week 15, as midway through the second quarter of the Cowboys' 19-16 loss to the New York Jets, Kellen Moore took over under center for a faltering Matt Cassel.
The offense ran more smoothly with Moore at quarterback than it had in recent weeks, but the team still managed only one touchdown, turned the ball over a total of four times and converted a measly 18 percent on third down.
With the game tied 16-16 and about one minute left in the fourth quarter, Byron Jones and J.J. Wilcox combined on a coverage mistake that would result in a 43-yard catch and run by Kenbrell Thompkins to put the Jets in position to kick the game-winning field goal and officially eliminate the Cowboys from playoff contention.
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 | C |
RB | A |
WR | C |
TE | C |
OL | A |
DL | B |
LB | C |
DB | C |
Special Teams | B |
Coaching | B |
Quarterback: Matt Cassel looked bad early in the game and was replaced by Kellen Moore, who looked like a physically limited quarterback who hadn’t been in an NFL game in four years. Moore finished a pedestrian 15-of-25 for 158 yards one touchdown and three interceptions.
Running Back: Darren McFadden looked better in this one than in prior weeks, breaking a 33-yard run and averaging 6.3 yards per carry on his way to 100 yards on 16 carries. Robert Turbin got only three carries and managed to squeeze out a single yard.
Wide Receiver: Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams and Brice Butler each made plays in the passing game, as Bryant, Beasley and Williams each made short underneath catches and quality runs after the catch to help the offense move in important situation. Lucky Whitehead contributed a 33-yard run on a reverse to help set up the Cowboys' opening field goal.
Tight End: Jason Witten led the team in catches with five, and James Hanna added a 15-yard reception early in the game, but as is typical, the story at the tight end position was all Witten.
Offensive Line: The offensive line protected the quarterbacks well and opened up consistent lanes in the running game. The game wasn’t perfect, but the O-line's play enabled the offense to at least function consistently.
Defensive Line: The defensive line was disruptive on the night, as the unit generated two sacks, six tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. Tyrone Crawford and DeMarcus Lawrence each put up a sack, and Lawrence led the defensive line in total tackles with seven and tackles for loss with four.
Linebackers: Anthony Hitchens led the team with 10 combined tackles, and Sean Lee added eight of his own. The linebacker duo didn’t produce many “splash” plays, but it was solid throughout the game against the run and pass.
Defensive Backs: The defensive backs were finally able to break through with an impact play when newly signed Terrance Mitchell made his presence known with the first interception by a Cowboys cornerback this year. Barry Church and Brandon Carr had seven tackles apiece, while Byron Jones added six of his own. Unfortunately for Jones, it was his error, compounded by J.J. Wilcox being out of position, that resulted in the Jets being in field-goal range at the end of the game to kick the winning kick.
Special Teams: Dan Bailey was top-notch, as usual, and Chris Jones punted the ball well. Whitehead had a couple of nice kick returns but wasn’t able to break the big one.
Coaching: The coaching staff made the call to move from Cassel to Moore at quarterback, as well as swap Tyler Patmon for Terrance Mitchell at slot cornerback. Both of these decisions had at least short-term positive outcomes and resulted in the Cowboys having a chance to win.
Important Note: Eliminated from Playoff Contention
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Throughout the season, despite their struggles to win games without Tony Romo on the field, the Cowboys have remained at least mathematically in contention in the NFC East. Mostly because of the struggles of the rest of the division, even losing seven games in a row wasn’t enough to eliminate them from contention early in the year. However, after losing their 10th game of the year, they are finally mathematically eliminated.
This could mean we see some changes in how the team approaches the game. Whether that means playing some younger players for more snaps or deciding to shut down some injured players to accelerate their rehabilitation, this is a position a Jason Garrett-coached team hasn’t been in since 2010, and it will be interesting to observe how the team responds.
Quote No. 1: Jerry Jones on Being Eliminated Early
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Jerry Jones said, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News:
"The reality after two weeks, we'll play Buffalo and Washington here, that next weekend is when that old cold, hard light of day hits you that you're not getting to play anymore. Then we'll start up and have all your assets for coming years. We have to, we have to turn immediately and not dismiss and ignore your problems but you have to turn it up for the positives here. And we've got to take advantage of this, the entire system, it's like throwing downfield, the rules call for you to throw downfield, you'll miss a huge advantage if you don't get some of those interferences and get some of those long plays.
"
Jones is the ultimate optimist, so of course he’s looking forward to the fact that the failures this season will result in the Cowboys having the opportunity to “throw downfield” in the offseason in hopes of taking advantage of the high selection they’ll have in the NFL draft.
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Quote No. 2: Jason Garrett on the Team and the Season
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"I'm proud to be part of this football team. Unfortunately tonight and a lot of the games this year, it hasn't worked out,” Jason Garrett said after the game, per DallasCowboys.com.
The way the entire 2015 season for the Cowboys has played out can best be described as unfortunate. It is clear that the head coach is proud of his players and the way the team continued to fight throughout the year. His message over the next two weeks will be tailored to setting the team in the right direction and mindset to prepare for 2016, and that will have a lot to do with his long-term success as the Cowboys head coach.
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