Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys (6-3) lost to the Arizona Cardinals (7-1), 28-17, at AT&T Stadium in a game where the Cowboys were hampered by poor quarterback play. The Cowboys offense was poor for most of the game, while the defense was stout for most of the contest.
The Cowboys severely missed Tony Romo as Brandon Weeden was horrible for most of the contest. He had a ton of errant throws and didn't give his weapons much of a chance to prosper.
Dallas couldn't get the running game going as it had in prior games, and that required the team to rely on Weeden to make a lot of plays, which he didn't.
The defense was great for most of the game, but it was gashed late because of how long the unit had been on the field. The defense's lapses were caused by the ineptitude of the offense.
The Cowboys also sustained some injuries to Tyrone Crawford and Rolando McClain during the game. The Cowboys defense cannot afford to sustain any more injuries to their key contributors.
Dallas sorely needs Romo to return so that the offense can become productive once again.
The Cowboys now look forward to their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Let’s take a look at how each position graded out in this Week 9 matchup.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The Cowboys really missed Romo against the Cardinals, as Weeden was terrible for the large majority of the contest.
Weeden went 18-of-33 passing for 183 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He routinely missed receivers and didn't get the Cowboys in good position to make plays throughout the game.
Weeden's biggest problem is his tendency to stare down receivers, which allows defenders to key on his eyes and jump routes.
Weeden didn't help this fact by being wildly inaccurate against the Cardinals. He rarely threw the ball in a place where his receivers were in a position to make a reception.
The Cowboys should be very worried if Weeden sees extended time at quarterback this season because he proved that he cannot handle the duties for a full game.
Grade: F
Running Back
2 of 10
DeMarco Murray's streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing games came to an end Sunday, but Murray didn't have a poor game.
He ended the day with 19 carries for 79 yards, which is a below-average day by Murray's standards. He didn't get many lanes to run through, but he did a good job of falling forward for yards.
One aspect that was troubling about Murray's performance was that he appeared to dance too much in the backfield. Murray needs to make one cut and get upfield; he doesn't have the type of lateral agility to dance.
Lance Dunbar saw some extended time against the Cardinals as he was utilized in the running and passing games. He was effective in the screen game when Weeden could get him the ball in good position.
The Cowboys running game is still the strength of this team, and the Cowboys need to stay committed to it.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Cowboys receivers and tight ends struggled Sunday, especially in the passing game.
Part of the problem was that Weeden was inaccurate, but another part was that the Cowboys receivers were failing to get open throughout the game.
Dez Bryant was held in check for most of the game despite Weeden's attempts to get him the ball. Bryant had a couple of uncharacteristic drops, and his frustration grew throughout the game.
Jason Witten was the most productive receiver in the game against Arizona. Witten had six catches for 62 yards, and he did a tremendous job of running down Patrick Peterson on the blocked field goal.
The Cowboys need much more production from their outside weapons, and that will likely return when Romo comes back.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Cowboys offensive line was missing two of its five opening-day starters, and it showed against the Cardinals.
The offensive line had trouble opening up running lanes for Murray, and it showed by the lack of a potent rushing attack.
Zack Martin appeared to have another good game as he did a great job passing off stunts, pulling on runs and getting out in the screen game. The fact that a rookie guard has been the best offensive lineman for the Cowboys this season is a testament to how well he has played.
While Martin appeared to perform well, Mackenzy Bernadeau seemed to struggle throughout the game. Calais Campbell feasted when he was matched up against Bernadeau Sunday.
The team's problems on the offensive line are due to the injuries; once the O-line gets healthy again, it should return to being one of the best units in the NFL.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Cowboys defensive line played well for most of the game, before fading late in the game. It was certainly not helped by the fact that the Cardinals controlled the clock throughout the contest.
The worst news coming out of the game was the apparent knee injury that Tyrone Crawford suffered late in the fourth quarter. He has been one of the best players on the Cowboys defense, and they can't afford to lose him for any extended period of time.
Henry Melton continued his high level of play as he came away with 1.5 sacks against the Cardinals. Melton appears to finally be healthy, and it shows in his stellar play.
Nick Hayden seemed to struggle throughout the game as the Cardinals had multiple running lanes in the interior of the defense.
The defensive line played about as well as you can expect when it is handcuffed by terrible play from the offense.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Cowboys linebackers were up and down Sunday.
Anthony Hitchens had his best game as a pro as he routinely knifed through the offense to make big stops. Hitchens was a fourth-round pick for Dallas, and he played much better than that against Arizona.
McClain went out with an apparent knee injury late in the game. If McClain is out for any significant amount of time, it would be a huge loss.
In the two games since Bruce Carter's return, he has made little impact. He hasn't done a good job of setting the edge in the running game or playing his zone or man in coverage. With Justin Durant out for the season, the Cowboys really need Carter to step up his play.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Brandon Carr had a very poor all-around day Sunday. He did a horrible job of wrapping up and making tackles, along with poor spatial awareness in coverage. Carr needed to have a big game against a team that, on paper, seemed to fit his strengths.
On the other side of the coin, Tyler Patmon appears to be another in the long line of undrafted free-agent finds for Dallas. In Patmon's first extended playing time of the season, he had an interception that was returned for a touchdown. It will be interesting to see how the team utilizes him moving forward.
Barry Church once again had trouble making technically sound tackles. Church prides himself as a sure tackler who doesn't make mistakes. However, he has repeatedly done a poor job in that department.
The Cowboys secondary wasn't terrible, but it didn't have the type of game that you would like to see against a team like the Cardinals.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
For the first time this season, the team's field-goal unit had a really bad play as Dan Bailey's field goal was blocked at the end of the first half. That play changed the landscape of the game and really deflated the Cowboys going into halftime.
Dwayne Harris had one of his better days returning as he had three punt returns for 76 yards. The Cowboys need Harris to continue playing like this because it has been sorely missed this season.
The Cowboys special teams had been poor in prior games; however, they did an adequate job against Arizona outside of one play.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
The Cowboys coaching staff didn't do as bad of a job as it did last week, but it wasn't great either.
It is tough to put a great deal of blame on the coaching staff as players like Weeden just didn't execute the game plan very well.
Head coach Jason Garrett could have been more aggressive at times, but there were no large gaffes like there were last week.
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli had his defense playing great for most of the game, but it couldn't sustain it as the offense kept putting the defense in vulnerable positions.
While the coaches shouldn't be absent of blame, this loss should be more on the players than on the coaches.
Grade: B-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | F |
| RB | B- |
| WR | C |
| OL | C- |
| DL | B- |
| LB | C |
| Secondary | C |
| Special Teams | B- |
| Coaching | B- |
| Cumulative Grade | C |
As evidenced by the cumulative grade, the Cowboys were as bad as the entire team as they were against the Washington Redskins, but they were severely hampered by one particular unit's play. If the Cowboys got even average quarterback play, then they would have been in a great position to win this game; however, they didn't.
The Cowboys look forward to their game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in a game where the Cowboys have to get on the right track before the bye.
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