Cowboys vs. 49ers: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas

On top of Tony Romo being out and Demarcus Lawrence being suspended, the Dallas Cowboys were without Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, La'el Collins, and Orlando Scandrick for Sunday's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Yet they were able to come out with a win in Week 4 on the road.

It started out real ugly for the Cowboys. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Cowboys had a nice drive down the field. However, the drive stalled, and the Cowboys were forced to kick a 47-yard field goal. All-Pro kicker Dan Bailey, who has been dealing with a back injury, pushed it left and gave the 49ers good field position to start their first offensive drive of the day.

The 49ers responded with a touchdown drive, and after the Cowboys offense stalled on the next drive, San Francisco scored again, meaning the score was 14-0 before anyone knew it. Dallas didn't get its offense going until around the seven-minute mark, when they took over. At 6:52, the score was 14-0 in favor of the 49ers. At halftime, the score was knotted up at 14 thanks in large part to two huge touchdown drives from quarterback Dak Prescott that ended respectively in touchdown passes to Terrance Williams and Brice Butler.

In the second half, the 49ers received the ball and came out with two big plays. However, the drive only ended in a field goal. Dallas' emphasis on running the football came into play after that effort, as the Cowboys scored near the end of the third quarter to make it 21-17.

A fourth-quarter Morris Claiborne interception led to the Cowboys taking complete control of the game. However, Dallas scored three rather than seven points, leaving around four minutes for the 49ers to go down the field to score a touchdown. On a 4th-and-six, SF signal-caller Blaine Gabbert rolled out and found Torrey Smith, but Claiborne pushed Smith out of bounds before the first-down marker and the Cowboys took over, finishing the game in victory formation en route to a 3-1 start to the 2016 season.

Read on for full grades and analysis from the Cowboys' third consecutive win of the season.

Pass Offense

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

While Prescott wasn't as sharp as we've been accustomed to over the past few weeks, he looked spectacular from the second quarter on. If there is one thing that has been impressive about Dak over the past few weeks, it is that he has not shown a weakness. There were some bad throws in Sunday's matchup, but Prescott shows tremendous reading ability as a rookie quarterback.

Dallas' coaching staff has been nothing short of spectacular with the Mississippi State product's development. As the weeks go by, Prescott looks increasingly comfortable in the pocket. And when you pair that with Ezekiel Elliott making defenses key in on stopping the running game, it leads to a dangerous offense that can score points with ease.

We saw some of that in Week 4, especially in the second half. Another week has gone by with Prescott continuing to prove himself.

Grade: A-

Rush Offense

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

If Week 3 was Elliott's coming-out party, then Sunday was the after-party. Elliott was once again given the keys to this offense in Week 4, and he was nothing short of spectacular. Elliott averaged seven yards per carry for most of the game. That's truly unheard of. But with the Cowboys offensive line opening up holes for Elliott to run through, it's a deadly combination. This combination has led to Elliott being the most productive running back in football. No, seriously—he now leads the league in rushing with 412 yards.

The thing about Elliott that is also so special is his ability to pick up blocks. It must be extremely reassuring for Prescott to know he basically has another lineman blocking for him in the backfield. Elliott is the epitome of a three-down back. He does it all, and now that he's adjusted to the game speed in the NFL—he had just nine carries in the preseason—Elliott is only going to continue to improve.

Let's also not forget about Alfred Morris, who will likely be used on every third series. As a spell back, Morris carried the football seven times for 34 yards. And again, the combination of Elliott and Morris is simply going to gas opponents late in the game. That happened Sunday.

Grade: A

Pass Defense

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Who's the MVP of the 2016 Dallas Cowboys defense? Claiborne. That's who. Continuing to improve on a weekly basis, Claiborne's confidence is at an all-time high. It's worth mentioning the 26-year-old has never had a season in which he's played in all 16 games. Hopefully, this campaign will change that, as Claiborne has proved he is by far and away the team's shutdown cornerback.

It feels as if Claiborne's play has radiated to Brandon Carr. Both of their burn rates have improved, and it's not because of the presence of the defensive line. The Cowboys secondary has been impressive despite the lack of pass rush up front.

Byron Jones has been impressive in the slot and at free safety. If the Cowboys can get this production out of Claiborne, Carr, and Jones on a week-to-week basis, it will be interesting to see where this defense can go once Lawrence returns in Week 5. Also, rookie Anthony Brown looked great in place of the injured Scandrick. Brown had two pass deflections on the day, and he proved he is deserving of more opportunities.

Grade: B+

Rush Defense

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The 49ers gained 106 yards on 29 carries. That's an average of just 3.7 yards per carry. This unit had not been bad over the first three weeks of the season, but it wasn't exactly good, either. Sunday's performance was good. Dallas shut down the 49ers on first downs, and that led to the Cowboys forcing Gabbert to beat them.

While the San Francisco QB beat up the Cowboys at the beginning of the game, it was Dallas who got the last laugh, restricting the 49ers offense to just 295 yards.

Sean Lee did Sean Lee things, with 10 total tackles including one tackle for loss. Barry Church has looked much better in 2016, and it was evident in this game as well, as he finished eight total tackles and two tackles for loss. Anthony Hitchens also had a bounce-back performance and his first productive showing of the season, recording six total tackles.

Grade: A

Special Teams

Associated Press

For those who thought that something has looked off with Bailey over the past two weeks, you're right. The kicker is dealing with a back injury, and that has led to 47-yard misses in back-to-back weeks. Whenever Bailey goes out for a kick, Cowboys fans expect him to make it. That's the type of talent he is, and that is the expectation he has built for himself over the past two years.

Until Bailey regains his form, the Cowboys can't expect him to be automatic every single kick.

On the other hand, punter Chris Jones was spectacular. He put together an average of 55.3 yards per punt, including one that went for 63 yards. Lucky Whitehead had two nice punt returns for an average of 12.5 yards per return. Special teams are important, and if Bailey can regain his form, this unit shouldn't be a problem for Dallas going forward.

Grade: B

Coaching

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Coaching, coaching, coaching. It is a part of the game many people seem to forget about. It is the reason the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been good for so long. Big media personnel continue to criticize head coach Jason Garrett, but the reality is that the Cowboys' staff has been dealt with a ton of drama so far in the 2016 season, and it has responded tremendously.

Dallas has been without players such as Romo, Bryant, Smith, Collins, Lawrence, Randy Gregory, and Scandrick. Yet the Cowboys continue to find ways to win. In this game, Dallas started out trailing 14-0, the team's biggest deficit all season. The 49ers offense was on fire, and the Cowboys had no answers.

However, the necessary adjustments were made, and the Cowboys finished the game on a 24-3 run. Garrett's staff has had its moments in 2016, but it has also looked quite impressive for the most part. As the weeks go by and the team gets back more of their stars, the Cowboys are only going to continue to improve.

Grade: A- 

Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL. I'm always willing to talk football.