Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys (1-1) beat the Tennessee Titans by a score of 26-10 Sunday. The story of the game was the Cowboys' rushing attack stout defense.
The Cowboys, led by DeMarco Murray, ran for 220 yards on 43 carries for 5.1 yards per carry and a touchdown. The Cowboys pounded the Titans and imposed their will since the first play of the game.
Tony Romo didn't look sharp for most of the afternoon, but he made the plays necessary to win. He connected with Dez Bryant 10 times for 103 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Rolando McClain had another productive game, punctuated by his amazing interception in the third quarter.
Barry Church also had a productive day for the Cowboys. He made a great interception and was active throughout the game. Church may be the player the Cowboys were looking for at the single-high safety position.
Dan Bailey showed once again why he is one of the two best kickers in the NFL as he went 4-4 on his field-goal attempts.
The Cowboys will now turn their attention to the St. Louis Rams in an attempt to go 2-1 on the season.
Let’s take a look at how each position graded out in this Week 2 matchup.
Quarterback
1 of 10
It wasn't perfect, but the Cowboys will take it. Tony Romo went 19-of-29 for 176 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
Romo wasn't sharp for most of the game, but he made the plays that were necessary to keep the game out of reach for the Titans, none bigger than the touchdown throw to Dez Bryant in the third quarter.
Through the first half, Romo looked off for the most part. Even when he completed passes, the ball was either very low or high and required a great catch from the receiver.
Former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus believes it is a physical issue for Romo:
"I didn't want to believe that there was something physically wrong with Romo and the way that he was throwing the ball, but there is. He took the early sacks in the game, and that might have effected him, but there were several throws where I have seen him complete those passes with his eyes closed, but he was badly off target here. He is really having to fight through these series, which is to his credit, but I am now concerned.
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He looked skittish in the pocket at times and couldn't find open receivers on a number of plays. The most troubling aspect of Romo's performance is he continues to not see open receivers on a regular basis.
During the second half, he started to find his rhythm and look a little bit like the Romo of old.
The Cowboys are going to need much more from Romo in the future; however, he did enough to get the win today.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
The highlight of the game for the Cowboys was their ability to run the ball and control the clock against the Titans.
DeMarco Murray once again had an early fumble, but once again, he rebounded nicely and ended up with 167 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.
Murray's performance led ESPN Dallas' Todd Archer to give him the game ball:
"DeMarco Murray fumbled in the first quarter for the second straight game, but he was able to get past his mistake with his second straight 100-yard game. He finished with 167 yards on 29 carries and scored the Cowboys’ first touchdown. He had 115 yards on 17 carries in the first half as the Cowboys' offensive line took the wind out of the Titans. This is the third time Murray has gone for more than 100 yards in consecutive games in his career and the first since Weeks 14 and 15 last year against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys lost both of those games, but were able to get the win Sunday.
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You may be watching an identity change for the Cowboys right before your eyes. The Cowboys may change from a team that relies on its passing to win game to a team that runs the ball and plays stout defense, a stark contrast from the Cowboys of the last few years.
The Cowboys running game allowed them to control the ball for 41 minutes against the Titans. If the Cowboys can continue that they will win a ton of games this year.
The Cowboys also got good performances from Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar in their limited opportunities.
The Cowboys running game should give fans a great deal of optimism looking forward to the rest of the season.
If it wasn't for Murray's fumble, this would have been an A+.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Because of how inaccurate Tony Romo was for much of the day, the wide receivers and tight ends didn't get much of a chance to make plays outside of Dez Bryant.
The Cowboys passing attack was put on Bryant's shoulders from the first drive of the game. It was evident Dallas wanted to get to Bryant early and often. He finished with 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown against the Titans, who doubled-teamed him for much of the game.
Dallascowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus was especially impressed with Bryant's play:
"Dez Bryant showed you why he is one of the top receivers in this league with his performance against the Titans. His ability to adjust to the ball, regardless of where it was thrown, bailed Tony Romo out several times. When Jason McCourty went out with a groin injury, Bryant was able to take advantage of those matchups, and when the offense needed a play, he was there to deliver.
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Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley and Jason Witten were quiet for much of the day outside of a few crucial third-down catches.
Witten had one blunder where he allowed defensive end Kamerion Wimbley to get around him for a sack on Tony Romo.
The Cowboys have yet to get Gavin Escobar involved in the offense this season, and that should be something to monitor going forward.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line was a mixed bag for the Cowboys against the Titans. On one hand, it dominated in run blocking, but on the other it struggled in pass protection.
The offensive line led the way for the Cowboys' 220 rushing yards, but at the same time allowed four sacks.
Dallascowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus said that their performances reminded him of another great Dallas offensive line: "The way the Cowboys offensive line played today in blocking for the running game reminded me of how this franchise won championships in the 1990s."
Jurrell Casey dominated Doug Free and Ronald Leary throughout the game when the Cowboys dropped back to pass. However, they took advantage of Casey's ability to get up the field by cutting behind him as he rushed up the field.
Tyron Smith had a very good day as a run- and pass-blocker. He opened up holes for DeMarco Murray and protected Romo's blind side for the majority of the game.
On the other end of the spectrum, Doug Free really struggled against the Titans. Free was no match for the quickness and strength of Casey, and it showed.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line had an average day for most of the game Sunday.
It was relentless in pursuit and played with a great deal of effort, but it just couldn't get penetration for much of the day.
Outside of the sack from Henry Melton and Kyle Wilber, the Cowboys failed to get pressure from the front four throughout the game.
Henry Melton was the most disruptive defensive lineman, but that isn't saying much. Nonetheless, it was very encouraging to see Melton get a large chunk of snaps and come out of it healthy.
Overall, the Cowboys didn't play horribly, but they didn't play great either. The Cowboys are going to need the front four to get more pressure in future games.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Rolando McClain has been the Cowboys' best defensive player throughout the first two games. He was once again their leader in tackles, while adding a sack and a beautiful interception.
McClain did a fantastic job filling against the run while also doing a great job in coverage. McClain has been the biggest surprise for the Cowboys so far this season.
This led the Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine's Kurt Daniels to state that McClain has been a steal for the Cowboys:
"Through two games so far, McClain has proven a steal for the Cowboys as he led the team in tackles against the Titans and had a sack in addition to the pick. Behind his effort, Dallas limited its opponent to 314 total yards for the afternoon, punctuating the defensive effort by keeping Tennessee out of the end zone on fourth-and goal from the Dallas 6-yard line with just more than six minutes remaining.
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Bruce Carter had another adequate game for the Cowboys. He did a good job blitzing off the edge and wasn't totally out of place in coverage.
Carter also did a great job of tipping a Titans punt early in the game. Carter is playing much better to start this year than he did last.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
The unit that made the biggest improvement from Week 1 was the secondary. It did a great job of keeping the Titans receivers in check for most of the game. It did a great job jamming the opposing receivers while giving them no space.
The best player in the secondary was nickel cornerback Sterling Moore. He did a fantastic job in man and zone coverage while displaying sound technique. He drove on the balls underneath him and accurately anticipated passes from the Titans.
Barry Church also did a great job for the Cowboys defense when asked to play single-high safety. He did a great job of playing instinctively against the pass and at filling against the run. Church's play may lead to the Cowboys to using him more as the deep safety and putting J.J. Wilcox as the box safety.
Hopefully the secondary can keep up this stellar play for the Cowboys' sake.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Dan Bailey was fantastic once again for the Cowboys. He went 4-for-4 with field goals with a long of 51 yards. He also did a solid job kicking the ball off and didn't give the Titans much of a chance to return kicks.
Chris Jones also had a good day, highlighted by a punt that was downed inside the Titans' 5-yard line in the second quarter.
Dwayne Harris didn't get much of a chance to return punts, but he had one return for 15 yards at the end of the second quarter to get the Cowboys in position for a field goal before halftime.
Special teams has been one of the strengths for the Cowboys, and there is no reason to believe it won't continue to be moving forward.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Jason Garrett once again didn't make any noticeable mistakes during the Titans game. He managed the clock well at the end of the first half, allowing the Cowboys to get in position to kick a field goal before the half was over.
Play-caller Scott Linehan made sound decisions for the Cowboys offense. He stuck with the run throughout the game and allowed the Cowboys to control the ball for 41 minutes.
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli mixed up the defense and played to the Cowboys' strengths.
Dallascowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus stated: "Rod Marinelli and his unit were able to keep Tennessee off balance the entire day with their ability to mix coverage, but also provide pressure with some timely blitzes and a four-man rush."
Appointing Marinelli as defensive coordinator may have been the biggest upgrade from last season for the Cowboys.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Quarterback | C+ |
| Running Back | A- |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | B |
| Offensive Line | B |
| Defensive Line | C+ |
| Linebacker | A |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | A |
| Team Grade | B+ |
The Cowboys, especially the defense, put out a solid effort as evidenced by the B+ team grade. The best units were the linebackers, secondary, running backs and special teams as they led the Cowboys to their dominant win over the Titans.
The Cowboys are going to need better performances from Tony Romo and the defensive line going forward if they hope to carry over the momentum they got from this game.
The Cowboys will now turn their attention toward the St. Louis Rams and their elite defensive line.
For more Cowboys opinion and analysis follow John on Twitter here.
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