Cowboys vs. Bills: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes

Kellen Moore made his first start at quarterback for Dallas in Week 16, as the Cowboys matched up Sunday with the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. For the Cowboys offense, it was a new quarterback, but more of the same in many areas—mainly the inability to score touchdowns, which inevitably cost the Cowboys, losing 16-6.

For the Cowboys defense it was also a familiar story in Week 16, as it played extremely hard and got stop after stop for most of the game. It was able to generate two turnovers, as rookie corner Deji Olatoye intercepted Tyrod Taylor just before halftime and Barry Church forced a Karlos Williams fumble that Brandon Carr recovered.

However, with the Bills leading 9-6 with about a two-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys' run defense lost its containment and Buffalo running back Mike Gillislee sprinted around the corner 55 yards for a touchdown to help push the lead to 16-6. 

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	A
WR	B
TE	C
OL	A
DL	B
LB	B
DB	B
Special Teams	B
Coaching	B

Quarterback:  The Cowboys had a different name and jersey number at the quarterback position in Week 16, but the results were the same as the team struggled to move the ball with any consistency and failed to score a touchdown in their lone trip into the red zone.

Moore’s calling card as a quarterback is supposed to be his accuracy, but even that was inconsistent on Sunday as he missed his spot badly rather often. On the day, Moore finished 13-of-31 for 186 yards and one interception.

Running Back: Darren McFadden put together his second consecutive good game, as he broke a 28-yard run and averaged 5.2 yards per carry on his way to 99 yards on 19 carries. Robert Turbin had only five carries but was able to muster 23 yards.    

Wide Receiver: Terrance Williams was targeted 10 times, and Brice Butler was targeted nine times; they tied for the team lead in catches with four each. Williams, Butler and Cole Beasley each made plays in the passing game catching underneath and intermediate throws from Moore and extending the play with runs after the catch.       

Tight End: For the first time in recent memory, Jason Witten did not lead the Cowboys tight ends in targets, as he was targeted twice compared to James Hanna’s four times. They wound up with one catch each and totaled 22 yards.

Offensive Line: The offensive line gave Kellen Moore time to operate and cleared lanes for McFadden and Turbin to run through, giving the offense the chance to operate efficiently.  

Defensive Line: The defensive line was disruptive in the game, although the stats show only one-and-a-half sacks, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. Playing against a quarterback as mobile as Taylor will limit a pass-rush stat line, as he can make rushers miss and turn negative plays into positives.

Linebackers: Sean Lee led the team with 15 total tackles and added a half-sack and two tackles for loss, Rolando McClain started off with some struggles, but he was able to add five combined tackles—to finish fifth on the team—a sack and a tackle for loss.

Defensive Backs: The defensive backs once again registered an interception from a low-profile player as Olatoye picked off a Taylor pass intended for Kevin Hogan in the end zone just before halftime.

Barry Church registered seven tackles, a quarterback hit, and a forced fumble. Brandon Carr had a pass defensed and a fumble recovery to go with his six tackles. Olatoye added six tackles to his interception and one pass defensed. Byron Jones made five combined tackles, and Terrance Mitchell had a pass defensed and four tackles of his own.  

Special Teams: Dan Bailey had only his second missed field goal of the year, as he came up short on a 50-yard try into stiff wind, but he was also able to convert his other two opportunities, thus putting up the team's only points of the day.

Chris Jones punted four times, putting three of them inside the 20, and didn’t allow a single return yard. Lucky Whitehead committed a critical error as he fumbled the ball away on a kickoff return with about two minutes left in the game.

Coaching: The coaching staff did little to hurt the team. It put some younger players in position to prove themselves, specifically in the defensive secondary, which could prove to be valuable for the team's long-term future plans.

Important Note: Another Young Corner Steps Up

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For 13 games in 2015, the Cowboys cornerbacks, including a former top-10 draft pick and a player on a $50 million contract, failed to register a single interception. That makes it extremely fitting that in the last two weeks, a former seventh-round pick and an undrafted free agent, each recently called up from the practice squad, have been able to make interceptions in consecutive games. 

It remains to be seen whether Terrance Mitchell or Deji Olatoye is part of the Cowboys' long-term plans for the cornerback position, but they have been a breath of fresh playmaking air in the lost season of 2015.

Quote: Sean Lee on the Idea of Improving Draft Status

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“There’s great players throughout the entire draft; I understand that we haven’t won, and they want a winning team—they want to draft a higher position. I understand that to an extent, but we’re going to play as hard as we can to get wins, no matter what. That’s our focus.”—Sean Lee of DallasCowboys.com

At this point in the year, much of the Cowboys fanbase has moved its focus toward the offseason and is considering these games as opportunities to improve the Cowboys’ drafting position. However, as Lee indicates, the team is retaining one sole focus, and that is finding a way to win each game.