New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys were sloppy at times, but they got the job done in a 31-21 win over the New York Giants. This win improved the Cowboys' record to 6-1 as the Giants fell to 3-4 on the season.
Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray dominated this game late for Dallas. Bryant consistently made huge third-down receptions as Murray made the most out of every time he got the ball.
The Cowboys pounded the ball throughout the game on 35 carries for 156 yards and a touchdown. They did this despite the offensive line not getting as much push as many are accustomed to seeing.
The defense did a great job getting off the ball on third down as the Giants went 5-13 on third-down conversions. This defense bends but does not break as teams drive down the field.
The defensive line did a poor job of getting pressure on Eli Manning, but it was very stout against the Giants running game. The Cowboys sorely need some edge-rushers who can get constant pressure on the quarterback.
The secondary was competitive throughout the game and for the most part was able to stay with the Giants receivers and tight ends.
Now, the Cowboys look forward to a game against another division rival, the Washington Redskins.
Let’s take a look at how each position graded out in this Week 7 matchup.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Tony Romo was terrific all game against the New York Giants. He went 17-of-23 for 279 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Even the interception wasn't Romo's fault, as Dez Bryant fell down while running his route, which led to an easy interception. Romo did an extremely good job of attacking downfield with the opportunity presented itself.
Also, he was proficient in the way he spread the ball around to different receivers as he completed a pass to six different players.
The most impressive part of Romo's game was his ability to move in the pocket and create time for his receivers to get open. He consistently made subtle movements to give his receivers a little bit more time.
CowboysHQ.com's Jordan Ross highlighted an interesting stat for Romo:
"Tony Romo has had a 60+ completion % in 9 straight games. His career high is 17 straight games.
— Jordan Ross (@TheJordanRoss) October 19, 2014"
Romo is playing better than he has at any other time in his career, and it is leading to the Cowboys becoming a serious Super Bowl candidate.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
DeMarco Murray had a record-breaking day against the Giants. He rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries and became the first running back to ever run for at least 100 yards in the first seven games of a season.
Murray didn't get the type of holes that he is accustomed to seeing behind the Cowboys offensive line. However, he fought hard for every yard and made the most out of every carry.
Murray's performance led ESPN Dallas' Todd Archer to give him the game ball:
"When a player sets an NFL record with his seventh straight 100-yard game to open a season the game ball really can’t go to anybody else. DeMarco Murray finished with 128 yards on 28 carries and had a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give the Cowboys a 28-14 lead with 9:11 to play. In seven games, Murray has more carries than he had in the 2011 (164) and ’12 season (161). His set his career high with 217 last season. He could reach that mark next week and surpass 1,000 yards. He is looking to become the first Cowboy running back to lead the NFL in rushing since Emmitt Smith had 1,773 yards in 1995.
"
The Cowboys didn't get much from Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle against the Giants as they combined on five carries for 23 yards.
The running game helped the Cowboys hold the ball for nearly 34 minutes and allowed them to once again win the time-of-possession battle.
The Cowboys rushing attack continues to wear down opposing defenses, which has been the biggest reason the team is 6-1.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Dez Bryant had his best game of the year against the Giants. He finished up with nine catches for 151 yards and constantly made huge plays on third down.
Bryant was too much for the Giants' makeshift secondary, and he made it known throughout the game.
Terrance Williams continues to build Tony Romo's trust, as he had a beautiful 18-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter. The Cowboys' starting duo of wide receivers is showing that it is one of the best one-two punches in the league.
Gavin Escobar finally had the type of impact the Cowboys envisioned him having when they drafted him in the second round in the 2013 NFL draft. Escobar had three catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. At 6'6", 260 pounds, he is a huge target in the red zone, and the Cowboys finally utilized him in situations where he could use that size to his advantage.
Jason Witten had another quiet game in terms of receiving, but he once again proved how valuable he is as a blocker. You may start to see headlines of Witten in decline, but he is playing some of the best ball of his career as a run-blocker.
The Cowboys receivers and tight ends did an incredible job all game and helped the Cowboys improve to 6-1 on the season.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The stats may point to the offensive line having a good day, but that just wasn't the case. DeMarco Murray may have run for 128 yards, and Tony Romo was only sacked twice. But the line didn't do as good of a job as it has done in the past.
Tyron Smith didn't have a very good game, as Jason Pierre-Paul beat him on several occasions. Smith is arguably the Cowboys' best player on offense, so it was very surprising to see him struggle so much.
Jermey Parnell, who filled in for an injured Doug Free, also struggled mightily throughout the game.
The Cowboys were set back on several drives because of either penalties or blown blocks by the offensive lines.
Zack Martin was once again solid throughout the game for the Cowboys. He has been one of the best rookies in the NFL.
The Cowboys offensive line has been Dallas' best positional unit thus far this season, so it isn't too worrisome that it struggled a bit Sunday.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line was terrific in one aspect but extremely porous in another.
The defensive line did an incredible job against the run throughout the game. The players stuffed their gaps and got pressure to disrupt the times of the Giants' rushing attack.
However, the defensive line was just as poor in its ability to get to the quarterback. It failed to get much pressure on Eli Manning and allowed him way too much time to throw the ball.
The best player on the defensive line was defensive tackle Terrell McClain. He knifed through the line of scrimmage to make plays in the backfield on a couple occasions.
As good as Anthony Spencer was last week, he was nearly invisible this week. Spencer failed to take advantage of Justin Pugh throughout the game.
The Cowboys are in desperate need of a couple edge-rushers who can pressure the quarterback on a consistent basis. Even if DeMarcus Lawrence comes back from his injury and is effective, the Cowboys still need another player who can get pressure; however, that help doesn't appear like it will come until draft time.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Rolando McClain is the leader of this defense, plain and simple. He has been so amazing that it was shocking when he missed a tackle early in the game. McClain gets the defense in great positions and gives it a physical presence it hasn't had in many years.
Justin Durant had an average for his standards against the Giants. Durant made some plays, but he also struggled with some plays as well.
There were no big mistakes from the linebacker unit, which is incredible considering that it looked like the weakest positional unit on the team coming into the year.
Rolando McClain has this defense playing better than anyone could expect, and as long as he is healthy the defense will continue to perform.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
The Cowboys secondary wasn't as good as it was against the Seattle Seahawks, but it wasn't poor by any means either.
Sterling Moore was attacked early on in the game, but he bounced back for two pass deflections.
Orlando Scandrick continues to be the best player in the secondary with his constantly tight coverage. Scandrick may be the best slot cornerback in the NFL with the way he has performed this year.
Barry Church made a beautiful play to force a fumble, but he also made a couple mistakes in coverage.
J.J. Wilcox continues to struggle with his coverage, as he was called for pass interference on a play where he failed to turn his head around as the ball was coming toward him.
The secondary continues to be better than anyone thought it could be and shows it can match up well with almost any opposing receivers.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Coming off a terrible showing against the Seahawks, the special teams units were much-improved against the Giants.
They did allow an average of 29 yards per kickoff return but bottled up the Giants special teams outside that.
Dan Bailey made his only field-goal attempt from 49 yards out along with going 4-of-4 on extra points. The impact Bailey brings to the Cowboys cannot be understated.
Chris Jones had a good day as he averaged 46.3 yards per punt.
The Cowboys don't need their special teams to be fantastic to win, which is the opposite of prior seasons.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Jason Garrett and his coaching staff continue to do a great job with this team. However, this was the first time Garrett made some questionable decisions during the game.
First, he accepted a holding penalty on third down, which allowed the Giants to get another shot at a first down. They came up short but were close enough that they went for it and converted on fourth down.
Also, Jason Garrett opted to punt the ball when the Cowboys were at 4th-and-1 in the Giants' territory. When you have the best running game in the NFL, you give the other team a chance to put the game away in that type of situation.
Play-caller Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli put the Cowboys in position to succeed.
Grade: A-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | A |
| WR | A |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | C+ |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | A- |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
The Cowboys had some struggles Sunday, but they fought through them to get a team win against the Giants. Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant carried the Cowboys to the victory in a fashion that will make some hearken back to the famous triplets of the '90s.When you have three players as dominant as Romo, Murray and Bryant, your team will always be in contention.
The Cowboys now look forward to another game against a division rival, the Washington Redskins.
For more Cowboys opinion and analysis make sure you follow John on Twitter here.
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