Cowboys vs. Eagles: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Dallas Cowboys followed up one costly win with another Sunday afternoon, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 20-10, but losing quarterback Tony Romo for several weeks due to a fractured left clavicle suffered early in the second half.
Both offenses struggled early in the contest, and neither really established much rhythm as the game wore on. Dallas gained 359 total yards, but consistently shot themselves in the foot, committing 18 penalties on the night.
The Philadelphia offense on the other hand, was stifled all day by the swarming Cowboys defense. Sean Lee led Dallas with 14 total tackles (two for loss) and added two passes defended and an interception. The Eagles were held to a grand total of seven yards rushing, as DeMarco Murray carried 13 times for a total of two yards.
Sam Bradford completed 23 of 37 passes for 224 yards, was sacked once and threw two interceptions in the losing effort, although about 80 of those yards came in the last four minutes of the game, with the Cowboys ahead by 17 points.
The biggest play of the game came courtesy of the Cowboys’ special teams, as Danny McCray blocked a Donnie Jones punt, which Kyle Wilber picked up and ran in from 26 yards out for a touchdown.
Read on for all the Cowboys grades, notes and quotes you need for the game.
Position Grades for the Dallas Cowboys
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Position | Grade |
QB | A- |
RB | B |
WR | C |
TE | B |
OL | B- |
DL | A |
LB | A+ |
DB | A |
Special Teams | A+ |
Coaching | B- |
Quarterback: Tony Romo played relatively well prior to his injury early in the third quarter, completing 18 of 27 for 195 yards. After the injury to Romo, the Cowboys' game plan was very conservative, but Brandon Weeden delivered when his number was called going 7-of-7 for 73 yards and a touchdown to seal the game with just over four minutes left.
Running Back: There was no doubt that running the ball against the Eagles defense would be a tall task, and the numbers proved it. The Cowboys ran for 109 yards, but they took 33 carries to do so and got 19 yards from their quarterbacks on scrambles.
Joseph Randle averaged 2.8 yards per carry on his 18 carries, and Darren McFadden averaged 3.1 yards per carry on 10 carries. The running backs were major contributors in the passing game again in Week 2, hauling in a total of six catches on eight targets for 80 yards.
Wide Receiver: Overall the wide receivers were fairly quiet for Dallas in this game. With the exception of Terrance Williams 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the fourth quarter, the receiver group didn’t produce much. Williams finished with 84 yards on four catches, Devin Street caught one of two targets for 18 yards and Cole Beasley had four catches for 14 yards.
Tight End: The tight ends caught a total of 10 balls for 72 yards, led by Jason Witten’s 7-of-56. Gavin Escobar came within inches of opening the scoring with a touchdown but was called down inside the one. Escobar also fumbled the ball away after making a catch from Weeden in the fourth quarter. Geoff Swaim saw his first NFL action and caught one ball for zero yards.
Offensive Line: The offensive line was without left guard Ronald Leary and rotated backup Mackenzy Bernadeau and rookie La’el Collins in his place. Bernadeau seemed to struggle, specifically with the power of guys like Fletcher Cox.
Collins played just OK but made one of the underrated plays of the game, chasing down Malcom Jenkins and pushing him out of bounds after Jenkins had recovered Gavin Escobar’s fumble. Penalties marred the line’s efforts and slowed the offense as a whole. There weren’t many gaping holes to run through, but that is almost always the case against this Eagles team.
Defensive Line: The defensive line had a very good day, although the pass-rushing stat line won’t necessarily reflect that. They didn’t get a sack, but they put consistent pressure on Sam Bradford and made an impact on several throws.
In addition to the pass rush, they were an integral part in the dominant effort against the run. Defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Jeremy Mincey had three tackles each, and both registered one tackle for loss. Nose tackle Nick Hayden added two tackles and recovered a fumble to contribute to the win.
Linebackers: Sean Lee was the best payer on the field Sunday afternoon, and the stat sheet reflects his performance, leading the game in tackles, tackles for loss and passes defensed. Anthony Hitchens played next to Lee and contributed five total tackles, including a sack of Sam Bradford for a five-yard loss.
Defensive Backs: For the second week in a row, the Cowboys secondary played very well. The coverage was good throughout the game, as Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr both won their matchups, and Tyler Patmon played well against Jordan Matthews in the slot.
Rookie Byron Jones matched up against Zach Ertz early and often, and made some big plays, including a deflection that led to the J.J. Wilcox interception that ended the Eagles' last real threat.
Special Teams: Chris Jones averaged 52.5 yards per punt, allowing only one total return yard, Dan Bailey kicked off four times, putting three balls out of the back of the end zone, and both Cowboys specialists rendered Darren Sproles helpless in Week 2.
Early in the third quarter, on what would be one of the defining plays of the game, Danny McCray knifed through the Eagles' punt protection and blocked Donnie Jones’ kick. The ball fell to Kyle Wilber who picked it up and ran it 26 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Dan Bailey was what Dan Bailey is, going perfect on two field goals and two extra-point tries.
Coaching: Jason Garrett managed his team very well, as the Cowboys never seemed dejected or out of sorts, despite being on the road against a division rival with your starting quarterback out. The team did commit a franchise-record 18 penalties, many of which were mental mistakes made by veteran players, which doesn’t reflect kindly on the coach.
Important Note No. 1: The Injury
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The only injury that matters coming out of this game is the injury to quarterback Tony Romo. After fumbling the ball while attempting to escape the pass rush, Romo was driven into the ground by rookie inside linebacker Jordan Hicks, fracturing his left clavicle.
This is the same injury that cost Romo the final 10 games of the 2010 season, although other quarterbacks have experienced different timelines for recovery. Scout.com's Mike Fisher has the story with all the background information and the outlook for the future.
While the timeline for his return is difficult to pin down exactly, the Cowboys' season likely hangs in the balance of Monday's evaluation.
Important Note No. 2: Defensive Dominance
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The Cowboys defense has now allowed an average of 257.5 total yards per game, good enough for third in the NFL, and only 53 rushing yards per game, which leads the league.
Considering the injuries that have plagued the offense through the first two weeks of the season, it has been crucial that the defense step up the way it has. Rarely over the last several years has this Cowboys team been able to lean on the defense to get a win, and Sunday it was able to do just that.
The most encouraging aspect of this is that the defense is in position to do nothing but get better, as impact players Randy Gregory, Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain are set to return to the lineup over the next few weeks. Seeing the defense play this well this early should give everyone associated with the Cowboys hope for what they could be by the end of this season.
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Quote No. 1: Jason Witten on Losing Tony Romo
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"It’s a tough blow, I mean you hate it for him, and you hate it for our football team. Tony’s a special guy, you know how I feel about him. ... He’ll fight his tail off and get back as soon as he can.—Jason Witten
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Few people have more respect for Tony Romo on and off the field than Jason Witten, and that showed in his postgame interview. But Witten went on to express the need to move forward and keep going, which will surely be a point of emphasis for Jason Garrett this week as well.
Quote No. 2: Danny McCray on His Punt Block
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"We had ran that scheme the punt before, and they didn’t block me – but I started a little too far over. So I came over to the sideline and let Coach Rich know that it was wide open. ... It was big – I think it changed the game a little bit. It was a big play for our team, and it was a big play for us as a special teams unit.—Danny McCray
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As a veteran special teamer, McCray knows the impact a blocked kick can have on a game, especially one in which the offense is struggling to figure out how to finish drives without its biggest playmaker.
McCray admitted it was the first blocked punt of his life, and it came at a great time for his team against a division rival. For a player many people struggled to see making the final roster, McCray’s impact has been felt.
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