Dallas Cowboys Week 10 Report Card: Grades For Each Position
Back in Dallas, Jason Garrett's sigh of relief could be heard all the way back in Dallas. In his first game as Dallas Cowboys head coach, Garrett led the Cowboys to their second victory of the season.
More importantly, the game was not just against any old competition. This was a game against their biggest rival the New York Giants. The 6-2 Giants were leading the NFC East. They had embarrassed the Cowboys in Dallas and sent Tony Romo to the sidelines for at least two months.
This was a statement by the Dallas Cowboys.
The playoffs may be out of reach down in Dallas, but the Cowboys are not giving up on the season. There was intensity demonstrated by the Cowboys players that just wasn't seen earlier this season under Wade Phillips.
Here is the Dallas Cowboys report card for Week 10 against the New York Giants:
Quarterback Jon Kitna
1 of 7
Kitna had his best game by a longshot. In his previous three games, Kitna had four touchdowns and six interceptions. Against the fourth ranked Giants pass defense, Kitna was able to spread the field for 327 yards and three touchdowns to just one interception.
Kitna spread the ball throughout the field. Completing passes to seven different receivers, the Dallas quarterback relied on the big play rather than check downs.
While Kitna only completed 13 passes, his average yards per completion was 14.9 yards. Three of Kitna's passes were for 44 yards or more and he did not complete more than three passes to any one receiver.
Kitna's statistics may be impressive at first glance, and they are not all bad; however, 13 completions, even against a staunch Giants defense, is not going to blow most teams out of the water.
Grade: B+
Wide Receivers
2 of 7
Dez Bryant was able to eclipse 100 yards on just three touchdowns. Miles Austin also added a touchdown on 68 yards with two catches. Roy Williams has essentially become the third option, and he showed it with just 33 yards on two catches.
The receivers have to be given some credit. They were able to spread the field vertically in a way that opened the middle of the field for the running game. Specifically, the long passes completed by Jon Kitna led to two long touchdowns by Dez Bryant and Miles Austin.
Bryant made a particularly impressive acrobatic catch in the end zone that was originally ruled incomplete but later reversed by a Jason Garrett challenge.
Grade: A-
Running Backs
3 of 7
The Dallas Cowboys running game has been absolutely abysmal this season. Felix Jones and Marion Barber have not lived up to expectations.
Consequently, Dallas has featured the 31st ranked rushing attack which averages just 78.7 rushing yards per game.
Barber and Jones looked somewhat different against the New York Giants who have been third in the league against the run.
Barber and Jones combined for 98 yards on 22 carries. Jones was more impressive as a receiver catching three passes out of the backfield for 85 yards and a touchdown including a 71 yards breakout reception. Jones displayed some of the speed and quickness that made him a first round draft pick in 2008 out of Arkansas.
It was not always pretty, but the running backs got the job done.
Grade: B+
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 7
The New York Giants pass rush had been striking fear into the hearts of opposing offensive linemen and more importantly the opposing quarterbacks. Certainly, Jon Kitna and the offensive line had fresh memories of how Tony Romo was knocked around a few weeks earlier in Dallas against the Giants.
The Dallas offensive line was up to the task. Against the tough Giants pass rush featuring Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka, the Cowboys offensive line gave up just one sack.
Jon Kitna had plenty of time in the backfield to look down the field for his receivers. Forget about sacks, Kitna was rarely pressured or even hurried despite several Giants blitz packages.
Grade: A+
Defensive Line / Linebackers
5 of 7
The Cowboys may not have been able to get to Eli Manning for a sack, but the run defense held strong against the Giants. Ahmad Bradshaw was held to just 73 yards and 3.7 yards per carry.
The biggest factor was the game changing plays. On an important fourth and inches, the Cowboys were able to halt Brandon Jacobs from getting the first down. When a bad snap forced Eli Manning to fumble in the pocket, the Cowboys were quick to jump on him and recover the fumble in a play that essentially iced the game.
The defensive line still struggled to get at Eli Manning. Manning was comfortable in the pocket and had time to throw all over the field. Still, this was an improvement for a Cowboys defense that ranks in the bottom third in the league in both passing defense and rushing defense.
Grade: B+
The Secondary
6 of 7
The Dallas Cowboys secondary essentially won the game for Jason Garrett.
As the Giants were threatening to score in the middle of the second quarter, Bryann McCann stepped in front of Hakeem Nicks in the end zone to pick off an Eli Manning pass. McCann returned the interception to the house for 101 yards giving the Cowboys a 13 point and a big swing in momentum.
Another interception by Alan Ball, which he returned for 27 yards, as well as four pass deflections prevented Eli Manning from having an even bigger performance.
While Manning still passed for 373 yards, it was more a consequence of ample time in the pocket rather than a fault within the Cowboys secondary. Still, Dallas has a lot more work to do to improve holes at the cornerback and safety positions.
The big plays do deserve a lot of credit in the final grade.
Grade: A-
Coaching
7 of 7
The Dallas Cowboys are an inferior team to the New York Giants. At almost every position the Giants have an advantage in talent.
However, Jason Garrett deserves a ton of credit for motivating this team. The Cowboys had much less to play for than the Giants. A 1-7 team, the Cowboys were out of playoff contention on the season and were coming off a 38 point loss.
Yet, Garrett had this team ready to show up on the road. In a tough atmosphere, the Cowboys were prepared from the get go and demonstrated it by scoring 19 out of the first 22 points of the game. Garrett's intensity was on constant display on the sidelines. He ran up and down the field encouraging players, screaming and smiling.
Garrett even won his first challenge as an NFL head coach on a play where Dez Bryant scored a touchdown that was previously ruled an incompletion.
Only time will tell if Garrett can turn around this Dallas Cowboys team. For now, he can enjoy the road win against the rival Giants.
Grade: A
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
