2017 Season Grades so Far at Dallas Cowboys' Bye Week
After a 2-3 start, the Dallas Cowboys are heading into their Week 6 bye wondering how they lost back-to-back games at home with leads in the fourth quarter.
Not only did they blow big leads, they also lost their third straight game at home in which they scored 30 or more points.
Unlike last season, Dallas has been unable to win these close matchups as their defense has struggled to stop teams when it really mattered.
While it's been a disappointing start to the season, it hasn't been all bad. In the past few weeks, the offense has rebounded and the team's pass rush has become the most reliable part of their defense this season. The rushing attack seems to be improving each week, and the team has a few young, exciting defenders in their secondary.
In order to recap the Cowboys' season to date, here are the season grades for the team heading into their bye week.
Passing Game
1 of 7
Grade: B
After starting the season slowly, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offense has caught fire in the past three weeks after scoring at least 28 points in all three games.
Despite some offensive line struggles and an inconsistent running game, Prescott has been able to pick up the slack. In the team's past three games, he has scored a total of 10 touchdowns and accounted for 764 yards of offense.
As a passer, Prescott has been asked to do a lot every week. He's been asked to not only put up a ton of points but also manage the clock to ensure the defense doesn't get exposed.
It's been a tough task for Prescott, but it's clear last year's performance wasn't a fluke. Every week, he has proved his name belongs among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.
There are only two reasons why this passing attack doesn't have a higher grade. The first reason is because of the turnovers. In 2016, Prescott threw just four interceptions, but through five games in 2017, he has already matched that number.
While two weren't his fault as they bounced off receivers' hands, Prescott has had a few that should have been intercepted. Dallas needs to take better care of the ball in the upcoming weeks if they want to start on any sort of run.
The other reason is Dallas still doesn't have the high-ceiling passing attack other teams have. Prescott has failed to throw for 300 yards in any game this season and hasn't done so in his last 11 regular-season games.
As Prescott grows as a passer, they will surely come. Now, though, Dallas has more of a high-efficiency passing attack rather than one that has a ton of volume.
Rushing Game
2 of 7
Grade: C+
If you were grading the Cowboys' rushing attack compared to the expectations it had heading into the season, it would be fair to give them a failing grade. However, when compared to the rest of the league, Dallas is slightly above average.
Through five weeks, Dallas has averaged 124 yards rushing per game (150 in their last three), which is good enough for 10th in the league.
However, Dallas has had trouble establishing Ezekiel Elliott. He's averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and has yet to have one massive performance.
Teams are stacking the box on first down, daring the Cowboys to pass the ball. In order to protect their defense and run time off of the clock, though, Dallas is running into loaded boxes at the expense of Elliott's stats.
Luckily for Dallas, they've been able to survive on the ground with the combination of Prescott and Alfred Morris spelling him on certain situations. As a team, they are still averaging 4.7 yards per carry and that's allowing them to pick up some of the slack left by Elliott.
As the Cowboys' offensive line jells and recovers after the team's bye week, expect the rushing attack to take the next step as they begin to wear on teams.
It's still a good unit that has faced some of the best rush defenses in the NFL. They are just too talented not to improve on their performance after the first five games.
Offensive Line
3 of 7
Grade: C+
Average. That's not something that has been said about the Cowboys' offensive line in some years. But that is the truth in 2017.
While they haven't been bad, they've just been in the middle of the pack—and it shows. According to Pro Football Focus, Dallas has allowed the 15th most pressure (51) and hurries (38) in the NFL.
As a group, they have struggled. But individually, each has been significantly worse than they were in the previous season.
Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin have all taken massive steps backward compared to where they were last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
In 2016, Smith allowed just two sacks and three quarterback hits. But in 2017, he's already allowed two sacks and two quarterback hits through five games. He hasn't been able to practice much as he is dealing with "tightness" in his back, per SportsDay. But one thing is for sure, he doesn't look like the same player we have seen in previous years.
As for Frederick and Martin, each has struggled to play at the same level as they did in 2016, partially due to new players playing next to them.
Chaz Green, Jonathan Cooper and La'el Collins are all fairly young players who need experience and those lack of reps are keeping the Cowboys from dominating in the trenches this season.
However, as the weeks have gone by, Dallas' offensive line looks to be improving. This bye week could be useful as many on the offensive line could use the week off to get healthy and work through some of the kinks. Expect this line to figure it out in the second half of the season and return to their elite status.
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Run Defense
4 of 7
Grade: F
In 2016, the Cowboys had the league's best rush defense. They allowed just over 83 yards rushing per game and allowed under four yards per carry.
In 2017, though, Dallas' run defense has been gashed. Through five games, they have allowed 590 yards on the ground along with a 4.6 yards per carry average. They have suddenly become one of the worst teams at stopping the run in the league.
A big reason why they have struggled to stop the run is because of the absence of Sean Lee. In the past two games alone in which Lee has not played, the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers have combined to rush for 328 yards on 51 carries (5.85 average). Without Lee, linebackers Jaylon Smith and Justin Durant just haven't been able to hold down the fort.
The hope is Lee can return after the bye to 100 percent and help stop some of the bleeding. But if he can't return back to form or stay on the field, Dallas is in big trouble. Their pass defense is so young and inexperienced that they are forced to keep their safeties deep to prevent big plays, and that is killing their run defense.
If this unit doesn't get better in a hurry, it won't matter how well the offense plays. The Cowboys' run defense might be their Achilles' heel for the season.
Pass Rush
5 of 7
Grade: B
The Cowboys' defense has been anything but impressive in the first five weeks of the season. And for the most part, the entire defense can take at least part of the blame for their struggles. However, the team's pass rush has been the least of their worries.
Led by stud DeMarcus Lawrence, the defense has tallied 16 sacks so far. And with the addition of David Irving back into the lineup, Dallas has the potential for a fairly solid defensive line unit.
Lawrence has been the star of the defense, racking up an insane 8.5 sacks in the team's first five games. As long as he is on the field, the Cowboys' defensive line will continue to prosper.
As for the rest of the unit, Dallas would like to see more production from rookie Taco Charlton. According to Pro Football Focus, he has recorded just four pressures on 64 pass-rushing snaps. Dallas would love to see that number grow in the second half of the season.
Ultimately, Dallas' defensive line isn't the biggest problem on the defense and should only improve as young players such as Irving, Charlton and Maliek Collins improve. Time will tell how good this unit can be, but they are off to a good start in 2017.
Pass Defense
6 of 7
Grade: C-
The only reason this grade isn't lower is because of a number of injuries and young players the team has been forced to play this season.
Through five games, cornerbacks Nolan Carroll, Orlando Scandrick and Chidobe Awuzie have all missed significant time. Dallas has also had to play guys who have battled injuries while playing, such as Byron Jones and Jourdan Lewis. As some of these players get healthier, Dallas' pass defense should improve.
But as of right now, they are struggling. Through five games, quarterbacks have a passer rating of 97.4. What's even more concerning is the touchdown to interception ratio. Teams have thrown 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions while completing over 65 percent of their passes, according to Pro Football Reference.
As a team, the Cowboys have just four takeaways this season and only five teams have less. Not only is Dallas allowing teams to move the ball up and down the field on them, but they are also failing to take the ball away.
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli's group prides itself on being a "bend-but-don't-break" defense that creates turnovers at a high rate, but they are failing to do that once again this season.
Everything works together as a defense, but if the young corners don't quickly step up their play, the rest of the defense will continue to suffer.
There's a good chance this unit improves drastically as they get healthier and gain experience, but as of now, they are in trouble. It's been the difference in the team as they could/should be 4-1 rather than 2-3.
Dallas needs this group to quickly accelerate around the learning curve if they want to make it to the playoffs in 2017.
Special Teams
7 of 7
Grade: B-
Outside of kicker Dan Bailey (7-7 on field goals and 14 of 14 on extra points) and punter Chris Jones, Dallas' special teams unit has been far from magical in 2017.
Fourth-round pick Ryan Switzer was brought in to be a return specialist, but he has failed to return a kick past the 25-yard line this season and has a muffed punt that completely changed momentum in Week 4. He just hasn't been able to provide any sort of spark to a return unit that hasn't returned a kick for a score since 2013.
Dallas gets exposed every week in the return game, and costly penalties (eight total through five games, according to NFL Penalty Tracker) have changed the field position multiple times.
If not for Bailey especially, this would be considered one of the worst special teams units in the NFL when you combine the lack of return potency and the big plays this team has surrendered in the return game.
With the Cowboys having one of the worst defenses in the league, they can't afford to lose the special teams phase of the game every week.
Unfortunately, though, special teams is a weakness and that needs to change quickly if this team wants to bounce back from their rough start to the season.
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