Cowboys vs. Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas
Somehow, the Dallas Cowboys found a way to win for the sixth consecutive game. Since losing to the New York Giants, the Cowboys are 6-0.
Things started out sloppy, which was the story of the game, as Dallas finished with 11 penalties for 84 yards. Special teams mistakes from the get-go led to the rival Philadelphia Eagles taking a 3-0 lead.
Dallas responded with an easy five-play drive that went 75 yards, highlighted by a deep pass from Dak Prescott to Dez Bryant, who returned from injury. Prescott finished the drive with a short touchdown run.
After the Eagles punted on the following drive, the Cowboys drove down the field and got a field goal from Dan Bailey. A touchdown from the Eagles knotted the game toward the end of the first half. Dallas responded with a seven-play, 68-yard drive that brought the team near the end zone.
However, Dallas neglected the running game and instead opted for Prescott to try to thread the needle in the middle of the field. That led to an interception, which was Prescott's second in as many games. The Eagles responded with a field goal to take a 13-10 halftime lead.
In the second half, ugliness continued for the Cowboys. Philadelphia went up 10 and it looked like the Cowboys were down for the count. Dallas' offense looked lost, leading to the Cowboys facing a 4th-and-8 at their own 27-yard line.
Instead of punting, the Cowboys opted for a fake. Chris Jones carried the football down the sideline as life was inserted into the stadium. Dallas walked away from the drive with three points, but it was the first sign of desperation from the Cowboys.
An Eagles field goal on the following drive would put Philly's lead back at 10. In response, the Cowboys followed up a three-play drive that went for minus-five yards. On the first play of the Eagles' ensuing drive, Wendell Smallwood was stripped of the ball. Dallas recovered and answered with a field goal to make it 23-16.
With six minutes left in the fourth, Dallas, in need of a touchdown, had to go 90 yards. Despite playing the worst game of his career, Prescott looked collective on this drive. Dallas was able to cash in on an 11-play drive that finished with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Bryant.
After failed final-minute drives from both sides, the two NFC East teams went into overtime. Dallas won the toss and elected to receive. These two teams played in overtime against each other in Dallas last year, in which Philadelphia got the ball and scored six to put the game away. This time, Dallas put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a walk-off 5-yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten.
Read on for full grades and analysis from the Cowboys' sixth consecutive win of the season.
Pass Offense
1 of 6
In what was the worst game of Prescott's career, reality set in a bit. We shouldn't have expected Prescott to be incredible each week. Those expectations were quite unfair. The Eagles, the best defense Prescott has faced, made things difficult for the majority of the day.
Despite Prescott's limitations in this game, he still managed to captain two monumental touchdown drives to tie the game and win in overtime. Prescott obviously isn't a finished product, but he continues to show just how special he is in the clutch. That should be expected of a quarterback who started four years in the SEC at Mississippi State.
Prescott completed 19 of 39 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He also had an interception near the goal line and could have had a second had it not been for Terrance Williams' offensive pass interference. Prescott also added 38 yards with his legs on seven carries, including one that went for a touchdown. There are going to be growing pains with Prescott, but he overcame adversity and found a way to win.
Grade: B-
Rush Offense
2 of 6
It was a bit frustrating watching this game. Ezekiel Elliott and the offensive line had been winning throughout. However, the Cowboys failed to feed Elliott with consistency. And when they failed to get a rhythm on offense, that led to a prolonged period where Elliott wasn't involved. Nevertheless, Elliott finished with 148 yards on 26 touches. The scary thing is that it would have been more if it weren't for a holding call that brought back a 60-yard run toward the end of the fourth.
The amazing thing about Elliott is that he continues to show progress. Each week, he does something different that proves why the Cowboys used such a high draft pick on a running back. On Bryant's touchdown reception in the fourth, Elliott made a key block in pass protection that led to Prescott getting the extra second he needed.
With a playmaker like Elliott, you have to think that this offense is going to be good for quite some time. Regardless of who is at quarterback, Elliott is going to find a way to get his. Just imagine what he is going to do once Tony Romo comes back.
Grade: A
Pass Defense
3 of 6
While a lot of help came from the Eagles' receivers because of the amount of drops, this unit once again played exceptional. Morris Claiborne proved he not only is deserving of a trip to the Pro Bowl, but that he is a candidate for the unofficial Most Improved Player award.
Brandon Carr had a couple of nice plays, including a pass breakup that forced the Eagles to punt late in the fourth. With Orlando Scandrick returning from injury, it was possible that Anthony Brown's role was going to be limited. However, both Scandrick and Brown played ample time. Byron Jones and Barry Church looked good in the back end of the secondary.
Carson Wentz proved his label as "Mr. Checkdown," finishing with just 202 yards despite completing 32 passes. In case you don't want to do the math yourself, that is an average of 4.7 yards per completion.
Both Claiborne and Church left with injuries and did not return. The magnitude of their injuries will be closely monitored throughout the week. However, both have been revelations this year and any significant loss of time will hurt.
Grade: A-
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Rush Defense
4 of 6
While Darren Sproles did exploit some poor tackling in the second half, let's talk about the positives first. Sean Lee was simply everywhere in this game. When Lee is on the field, there aren't many more impactful defenders in all of football. The box score truly does not do Lee justice for this game, but the box score is also not how games are won.
Despite being picked up to be a rotational linebacker, Justin Durant had another great performance. Without a true "Mike" linebacker, the Cowboys have shown some flaws with their rush defense. But they've yet to give up 100 rushing yards to an opposing back all year.
On the defensive line, both Tyrone Crawford and Terrell McClain played like animals up front. In limited opportunities, David Irving was impactful. Something to note is that rookie Maliek Collins, who has played quite well, left with an injury.
Philadelphia finished with 97 yards on 24 carries for one touchdown. That's not great efficiency. Again, the Cowboys defense doesn't do anything special. But if you look past the box score, it's an impressive unit playing extremely well. A hat tip goes to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
Grade: A
Special Teams
5 of 6
Sorry, Dan Bailey and Chris Jones, but this slide is going to get ugly. For a unit that is usually clicking in all departments, Rich Bisaccia's bunch was simply outplayed. While the Eagles are known to have a dynamic special teams unit, the Cowboys shot themselves a bunch in this game.
Whether it was Lucky Whitehead taking a return he shouldn't have, a player running into a punter or a boneheaded block in the back, Dallas' special teams unit did not help the offense or the defense. And while special teams is important, the unit simply cannot do that in a divisional game.
However, this unit is consistently good so it's hard to harp. Games like this should not happen often. Let's not forget that Bailey was Bailey in this game and Jones had more rushing yards on one attempt than Eagles starting running back Ryan Mathews had on four attempts. This unit will make its adjustments and should be just fine.
Grade: C
Coaching
6 of 6
After weeks of support for this coaching staff, the first three quarters were quite difficult to watch. After their bye week, the Cowboys came out extremely flat. The team was coached as if it were playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Dallas didn't really get expansive offense, which led to a vanilla approach that didn't provide much of a potent attack late when the Cowboys needed to move down the field for a touchdown.
Here is what you need to know: Elliott had 40 rushing yards after the first quarter and just 52 at the half. If something is clicking, going away from it and trying to be cute is not something you should do. However, the Cowboys found a way to be in a game they should not have been in. While some of that is due to the ineffectiveness of the Eagles, you have to give credit to head coach Jason Garrett for getting this team in position to win this game.
Grade: C
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL. I'm always willing to talk football.
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