Cowboys vs. Packers: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Dallas Cowboys have appeared incompetent on the offensive side of the ball several times in 2015 with quarterback Tony Romo sidelined due to injury. That trend continued Sunday afternoon in Green Bay, as for the fifth time in the last nine games, the Cowboys failed to score more than one touchdown in a game. The Matt Cassel-led offense mustered only two drives longer than 20 yards on Sunday, and those drives were buoyed by explosive runs from running backs Darren McFadden and Robert Turbin.
The Cowboys defense kept the team in the game after looking like it would be overmatched on the first few Green Bay drives. But after the offense failed to sustain anything, the defense had played 60 plays in three quarters. Its will was finally broken in the fourth quarter, as Green Bay mounted a 12-play, 84-yard drive to extend the lead to 21-7 before pushing it even further to the final score of 28-7 on the following possession.
Read on for all the grades, notes and quotes from the game.
Position Grades for the Dallas Cowboys
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Position | Grade |
QB | D |
RB | B |
WR | D |
TE | C |
OL | B |
DL | B |
LB | C |
DB | C |
Special Teams | C |
Coaching | C |
Quarterback: Matt Cassel looked uncomfortable from the first throw of the game and sprayed throws all over the place throughout the game. He finished a measly 13-of-29 for 114 yards and one interception.
Running Back: The Cowboys running game was inconsistent on the day, but the three biggest plays of the game came on the ground. Darren McFadden had runs of 50 and 45 yards, accounting for 95 of his 111 yards. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, he wasn’t able to finish either of those runs for touchdowns as he was run down from behind by Green Bay defenders on both plays. Backup Robert Turbin added his own explosive run with a 22-yard gain immediately after McFadden’s 45-yard run and punched the ball into the end zone on a seven-yard run to put up the only points of the day for Dallas. McFadden gained his 111 yards on nine carries, and Turbin added a total of 51 on seven carries.
Wide Receiver: Dez Bryant seemed to be haunted by the ghosts of Lambeau past, as he had multiple throws hit him in the hands and fall to the ground. Bryant made what initially appeared to be an acrobatic catch for an important first down, but it was correctly overturned when the Packers challenged the call. Terrance Williams made the biggest play in the passing game, a whopping 19-yard gain, and Cole Beasley got involved by making three catches for 25 yards.
Tight End: Jason Witten was the only tight end that got involved in the passing game, as he led the team in catches with five and yards with 40. Backups James Hanna and Gavin Escobar got involved blocking in the run game, but neither made a notable impact on the game.
Offensive Line: The offensive line protected Cassel relatively well, giving him time to operate, and it opened up massive holes on each of the explosive runs by McFadden. For the most part, the line was good enough on the day, although not dominant in a couple of short-yardage situations that could have made a difference in the performance of the offense and maybe the team as a whole.
Defensive Line: The defensive line was disruptive on the night, as it generated two sacks, six tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Defensive ends Greg Hardy and DeMarcus Lawrence each put up a sack, and Hardy along with defensive tackle Nick Hayden led the defensive line with six total tackles each.
Linebackers: Sean Lee and Rolando McClain were part of a three-way tie with safety Barry Church for the team lead in combined tackles with 11 each, but if you ask them, they would probably express disappointment in the way they played. Between the two of them, there was only one impact play, and that was a single tackle for loss by Lee. Other than that, they weren’t able to shoot gaps, fill holes or pressure the quarterback as they have in the last few weeks, and they didn't make the plays on the ball in the pass game that they have at times this year.
Defensive Backs: The story holds pretty consistent across the team as a whole; it played OK at times but just didn’t make impactful plays. Cornerback Brandon Carr made a nice play on the ball to knock a pass away and force a punt on the first drive of the game, but after that, the defensive backs were nothing special. Church tied for the team lead with 11 total tackles, but he and safety J.J. Wilcox also struggled to tackle the Packers running backs in space at times.
Special Teams: The special teams didn’t have much of a chance to make a big impact on the game. Part of that was the inability of Carr and Church to contain Jeff Janis, who was constantly in Lucky Whitehead’s face on punt returns, but the special teams were not a liability on the day either.
Coaching: The Cowboys feature a coaching staff that usually does great work from Monday through Saturday in preparation and motivation, but it is rarely a major difference-maker on game day, and this was the case in Green Bay. There were a few questionable play calls, as is the case for every team every week, but for the most part, the fault for this game lies on the players.
Important Note No. 1: Dez Has a Case of the Drops
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Throughout the season, there have been situations where Dez Bryant has struggled catching the ball. But no single game highlighted this more than Sunday's against Green Bay. Dez was targeted six times on the game, most of which hit him in the hands, but he was only able to come down with one catch for nine yards.
To be fair, the balls that he failed to catch weren’t necessarily perfectly thrown, but most of them were plays that Bryant typically makes with ease, and they are plays that a quarterback like Matt Cassel needs him to make for this offense to succeed.
Important Note No. 2: A Young Bright Spot on Defense?
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DeMarcus Lawrence logged a sack on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, his sixth of the season and fifth in his last five games. With the injury he suffered in training camp of his rookie year, it took Lawrence nine games of 2015 to reach 16 regular-season games played in his career.
The struggles of rookie pass-rushers are well documented, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see Lawrence register just one sack in his first eight games in 2015. But in the six games since, Lawrence has been Dallas’ most consistent and impactful defensive lineman. If there is something on defense that points to a bright future, it might be the play of Lawrence.
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Quote No. 1: Jerry Jones on the State of the Team
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“I don’t have the heart to put us with those clubs [Packers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, etc], right now. Because we have more work to do than just getting Romo healthy" – Jerry Jones, via dallascowboys.com
The ever-optimistic Jerry Jones acknowledged what many fans and media members have been saying for weeks; that since Tony Romo went down, this Cowboys team has been exposed as lacking in playmakers on both sides of the ball. There is some hope on defense with guys like defensive back Byron Jones and DeMarcus Lawrence playing well, but Jerry knows this team needs help.
Quote No. 2: Jason Garrett on the Quarterback
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"We believe in Matt Cassel, we believe he can win games for us. We will evaluate the tape before we talk about anything regarding personnel. Matt battles. He competes. Unfortunately, we didn’t do enough offensively to win this ballgame.” – Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, via the Fort Worth Star Telegram
It is virtually impossible to win games in the NFL with inept play from the quarterback position, especially when the opponent’s offense features maybe the best quarterback in the league. The Cowboys are realizing that in almost every way possible in 2015, and the season is lost because of it.
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