Cowboys vs. Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas
A lot was reported about this game. The Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins had combined for just one loss in about two months. This game was extremely important in the division, as a Cowboys loss would tighten the gap in the NFC East.
The Cowboys opened the game with a long touchdown drive that was capped off with a four-yard touchdown run from Ezekiel Elliott. In the following drive, the Redskins got in field-goal range. However, Washington was forced to call a timeout after the kicking unit had just 10 men on the field. Despite making his first attempt, Dustin Hopkins missed on the field goal that actually mattered.
Washington scored on its next offensive drive, but Dallas responded to that with a six-play, 55-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams. In the corner of the end zone, Williams barely got his feet in to extend the lead. Washington added a field goal toward the end of the half, and the Cowboys went into the locker room with a 17-6 lead.
In the second half, the Redskins failed to get anything going. After a Washington punt, the Cowboys, with a chance to seal the game, punted. The following five drives were all touchdown drives—two from the Cowboys and three from the Redskins.
Dallas was able to close out the game after Hopkins kicked the onside kick out of bounds. The Cowboys got the much-needed first down when Dak Prescott found Cole Beasley for a gain of eight that went for a first down. The Cowboys ended the game with two plays coming in the "Victory Formation" the kneel-down.
Read on for full grades and analysis from the Cowboys' 10th consecutive win of the season.
Passing Offense
1 of 6
It wasn't his prettiest performance of the season in terms of statistics, but looking at statistics to make evaluations is not the way to properly evaluate the play of someone. Dak Prescott completed 17 of 24 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one to Terrance Williams, and he ran for one after extending the play outside of the pocket.
Nevertheless, Prescott made a ton of great throws in this one. The throw that stood out to me was in the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-9. The pocket broke; Prescott rolled on and launched a 26-yard strike to Dez Bryant despite being on the run.
As he continues to play on a weekly basis, Prescott is proving he is the real deal. We have to remember that with more game film and more time for NFL coaches to find his flaws, Prescott could come down from cloud nine. However, it's becoming apparently clear why the Cowboys are opting to go with him over Tony Romo.
Grade: A
Rushing Offense
2 of 6
Going up against a less than decent run defense, there was an inclination Ezekiel Elliott was going to have a huge performance in this game. After 45 yards on the ground in the first drive, it looked like it too. However, the Redskins made some adjustments up front, and it shortened the rushing lanes Elliott had to work with.
The Cowboys finished with 163 yards on 30 attempts for three attempts. Elliott alone carried the football 20 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Despite struggling toward the end of the first half, the Cowboys got the rushing attack going again in the third quarter.
The key to stopping the Cowboys is eliminating Elliott from getting going. If the Cowboys can continue to create even small lanes at the line of scrimmage, it's going to keep meaning huge performances for Elliott. The rookie runner is proving he's playing beyond his years on a weekly basis.
Grade: A-
Passing Defense
3 of 6
Going back to my point on Prescott a few slides ago, depending on how you look at this game, your assumptions may be quite different. If you make your evaluations on box scores, the assessment will tell you the Cowboys secondary was horrendous in this game, and Kirk Cousins simply carved this bunch up. But if you watched the game, you could see this unit played with its typical mindset.
While they did give up one deep ball to DeSean Jackson, the Cowboys played a ton of zone defense, forcing the Redskins to slowly get down the field, which resulted in more time coming off the clock. Kirk Cousins looked lost in the red zone. Credit to the Cowboys defense.
Anthony Brown had his moments in this game, but he also gave up the big score. Brandon Carr and Byron Jones had excellent performances in this game as well. Jones didn't necessarily cover Jordan Reed well, but he made many plays in one-on-one coverage. He continues to be a huge asset to this secondary. This unit is only going to improve once Morris Claiborne and Barry Church return from injury.
Grade: B-
Rushing Defense
4 of 6
When the Cowboys score at will, it makes things extremely difficult for offenses to get in a groove with their rushing attack. There's a reason the Cowboys have yet to give up 100 rushing yards to a particular player. Robert Kelley finished this game with 14 carries for 37 yards. Those numbers are simply not good. Chris Thompson and Kirk Cousins added 19 yards on the ground on five attempts.
Sean Lee loves playing the Redskins. No really, he has had at least 10 tackles in five straight meetings against Washington. In this one, Lee recorded 14 total tackles and one tackle for a loss. Something to also notice here is that Damien Wilson put in yet another good performance. He could finally be proving himself to be a starter in this defense. Wilson had five total tackles in this game and saw extended playing time because of the injury to Justin Durant.
The interior trio of Cedric Thornton, Maliek Collins, and Terrell McClain made a nice impact in this game as well, providing pressure through the gaps and taking on double-teams to clog the interior of the line. Dallas is proving on a weekly basis that it's spectacular against the run.
Grade: A+
Special Teams
5 of 6
Dan Bailey is spectacular. He made his one field-goal attempt of 46 yards, and he was successful on all of his extra-point attempts. It's interesting that people made fun of the Cowboys for giving a kicker a lot of money. But Bailey is one of, if not, the best in the business. The Cowboys are a dangerous team even if they are down three points.
Chris Jones is also spectacular. He only had two punts in this game, but he accumulated 88 yards, 53 of which came on one boot that put the Redskins deep in their own territory.
The one gaff on special teams is Ezekiel Elliott's mishandling of the onside kick. The first thing is, Elliott shouldn't be out there in one of the vital spots on the "hands team." The second thing is, even if he is on the hands team, he should be better prepared for an onside attempt. Nevertheless, the Cowboys' special teams were excellent on Thanksgiving. Dan Bailey, we are very, very thankful for you.
Grade: A
Coaching
6 of 6
I usually knock on the Cowboys for coming out lethargic and unprepared, but that is exactly what the Cowboys weren't in this game. They came out looking to put the game away quickly, and it was apparent when the Cowboys drove 75 yards down the field for a touchdown to kick off the game.
I've said it once, and I'm going to say it again; Jason Garrett is the clear-cut candidate for Coach of the Year. Not much was made of this team at the beginning of the season, but the Cowboys have accumulated 10 straight victories. That's extremely impressive, and considering the Cowboys have dealt with key injuries along the way during this winning streak just proves how much credit Garrett deserves.
Grade: A
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL. I'm always willing to talk football.
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