bbgun

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Here are Jean-Jacques Taylor’s grades from the Cowboys' 37-34 win over the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on Sunday...

Run offense​

Ezekiel Elliott understood he was going to have a bigger role with Dak Prescott out, and he ran with a fury in the second half. He ripped through several arm tackles on his 12-yard touchdown run after Prescott was injured and threw up four fingers. He gained a season-high 91 yards on 19 carries, the first time since Week 2 he’s had more than 14 carries. Elliott carried nine times for 38 yards 10 times on a key touchdown drive in the second quarter that pulled Dallas within 17-10.

GRADE: B+


Pass offense​

You have to give Andy Dalton credit for coming into a game under the most difficult of circumstances — Prescott left with a broken ankle — and completing 9 of 11 passes for 111 yards to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. He completed a couple of beautiful passes to Michael Gallup for gains of 19 and 38 yards, respectively, on the final drive. Those plays made us forget the interception returned for a touchdown Prescott threw in the first quarter.

GRADE: B+

Run defense​

The Cowboys did a solid job against the run, holding New York to 89 yards on 27 carries. Only one run went more than 10 yards. Devonta Freeman finished with 60 yards on 17 carries. Jaylon Smith, maligned much of the season, had his best game of the season with 14 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.

GRADE: B

Pass defense​

It’s amazing what happens when you play with a lead for one of just a few times this season. The Cowboys actually managed to create a consistent pass rush on New York quarterback Daniel Jones, sacking him twice and harassing him often. He passed for 222 yards but did not throw a TD pass. It was hardly a perfect performance but the Cowboys limited the big plays and that kept the Giants from scoring even more points.

GRADE: C-


Coaching

The defense had a few good moments, especially in the fourth quarter, but defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s unit remains shady. There were still busted coverages and poor penalties and they allowed the Giants to convert 7 of 13 third downs, but they stopped New York when it mattered most. Play caller Kellen Moore did a nice job of getting Elliott involved on a 14-play touchdown drive in the second quarter and he didn’t get conservative when Andy Dalton replaced Prescott. And don’t forget, the Cedrick Wilson touchdown pass to Prescott.

GRADE: C

Overall​

The Cowboys have won two games — and it feels like they should’ve lost each one. They fell behind as usual, this time by 14 points in the second quarter, but as usual they fought back. They committed a pair of turnovers, they’re the worst in the league at giving the ball away, and they failed to get any turnovers. Again. Still, they found a way to win and that’s hard to do in the NFL.

GRADE: C
 

bbgun

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ARLINGTON – He was sitting on the field clutching his right leg. You kept looking, thinking something was wrong with the calf. But the longer you looked, the more it became clear that Dak Prescott’s right foot was not right. His ankle was situated in a way that’s not normal. And when a crying Prescott was carted off the field, his right leg in a cast, you knew the entire 2020 Cowboys season had changed.
The Cowboys survived the loss of Prescott with a dramatic 37-34 victory on Sunday at AT&T Stadium when Greg Zuerlein made a 34-yard field goal as time expired. Prescott is done for the season after suffering the right ankle compound fracture and dislocation. He was scheduled to have surgery Sunday night.

Andy Dalton doesn’t get the win, but two great throws to Michael Gallup on the game-winning drive set everything up. It was Dalton’s first game-winning drive since 2015. He will now take over as QB1 for the Cowboys. The last time Dalton had a winning record as a quarterback was 2015 with the Bengals. Since that time, Dalton is 20-35-1 as a starter.

The Dak Prescott injury​

Prescott suffered a terrible ankle injury as he was tackled during a run in the late stages of the third quarter. Prescott’s right ankle got twisted as he was tackled by free safety Logan Ryan. Prescott was carted off the field in tears as fans and players from both teams offered him encouragement. The immediacy of the news is Dalton will take over for Prescott in 2020. The long-term ramifications are uncertain. Prescott doesn’t have a contract for 2021, and the Cowboys could possibly franchise him for $37.6 million or try to extend him for a much lower contract. Of course, these are decisions that won’t occur until the offseason. For now, Prescott, the leader of this Cowboys team, a respected player on and off the field, is gone for the 2020 season.

The weak NFC East​

The Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East. If it means anything right now. Dallas is 2-3 and is followed by a division that’s just 2-12-1 after five weeks of the regular season. The Giants are now 0-5 with no hope in sight of catching the Cowboys. With Prescott out for the season, it appears this division remains wide open. The Cowboys might have fallen back to the pack with Prescott out.

Safety and cornerback moves​

The Cowboys mixed and matched their secondary and at times utilized three safeties on the field. The Cowboys had combinations of Daryl Worley and Trevon Diggs at corner. Then Worley was paired with Anthony Brown, who scored after scooping up a fumble on a strip-sack by DeMarcus Lawrence. The Cowboys also placed Donovan Wilson on the bench and utilized Steven Parker at safety with Xavier Woods. There was another combination of Darian Thompson, Parker and Woods on the field in a nickel defense. It seems the Cowboys don’t have a set defensive lineup in the secondary and a rotation is probably the best way to move forward.

Another slow start​

What can you say about these slow starts? The Cowboys trailed 17-3 after a 53-yard field goal by Graham Gano. The Cowboys just can’t get out of their own way sometimes. Prescott threw a Pick 6, Giants linebacker Kyler Fackrell picked off a high throw to Ezekiel Elliott and returned it 46 yards for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead. Prescott’s offense was booed off the field on the ensuing possession when they went three-and-out. The Giants completed a 12-play drive with Gano’s field goal to give themselves some cushion. But the Cowboys rallied back to take a 24-20 lead at halftime.

The return of Jason Garrett​

Jason Garrett is now the Giants offensive coordinator and he returned to AT&T Stadium with an offense averaging a NFL-worst 11.8 points per game. But Garrett’s offense scored a season-high 34 points in the loss. Before the game, Garrett hugged Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones and held a nice chat with them. Of course, Garrett also hugged Prescott before the game. Say what you will about his tenure in Dallas, Garrett was a well-respected within the Cowboys organization.
 

Number1

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hard to be complementary of this D, but our LBs showed signs of life

Jaylon Smith 14 TKL - 0.5 Sack - 3 TFL,
Joe Thomas is more than depth, 7 TKL - 0 Sacks - 1 TFL
 

dbair1967

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hard to be complementary of this D, but our LBs showed signs of life
I cant compliment a defense that gave up so many pts and 3rd down conversions to the worst offense in football.

This defense is going to get severely butchered next Monday night vs Arizona.
 

bbgun

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Two Giant TDs wiped out by penalties, one of which was very picky. That helped our cause immensely.
 

MrB

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I wonder if they will sign another vet QB to backup Dalton? Or if they are going to roll with DeNucci. Dalton is not as mobile as Dak and our OL is still really shitty.


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dbair1967

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I wonder if they will sign another vet QB to backup Dalton? Or if they are going to roll with DeNucci. Dalton is not as mobile as Dak and our OL is still really shitty.


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ARLINGTON – He was sitting on the field clutching his right leg. You kept looking, thinking something was wrong with the calf. But the longer you looked, the more it became clear that Dak Prescott’s right foot was not right. His ankle was situated in a way that’s not normal. And when a crying Prescott was carted off the field, his right leg in a cast, you knew the entire 2020 Cowboys season had changed.
The Cowboys survived the loss of Prescott with a dramatic 37-34 victory on Sunday at AT&T Stadium when Greg Zuerlein made a 34-yard field goal as time expired. Prescott is done for the season after suffering the right ankle compound fracture and dislocation. He was scheduled to have surgery Sunday night.

Andy Dalton doesn’t get the win, but two great throws to Michael Gallup on the game-winning drive set everything up. It was Dalton’s first game-winning drive since 2015. He will now take over as QB1 for the Cowboys. The last time Dalton had a winning record as a quarterback was 2015 with the Bengals. Since that time, Dalton is 20-35-1 as a starter.

The Dak Prescott injury​

Prescott suffered a terrible ankle injury as he was tackled during a run in the late stages of the third quarter. Prescott’s right ankle got twisted as he was tackled by free safety Logan Ryan. Prescott was carted off the field in tears as fans and players from both teams offered him encouragement. The immediacy of the news is Dalton will take over for Prescott in 2020. The long-term ramifications are uncertain. Prescott doesn’t have a contract for 2021, and the Cowboys could possibly franchise him for $37.6 million or try to extend him for a much lower contract. Of course, these are decisions that won’t occur until the offseason. For now, Prescott, the leader of this Cowboys team, a respected player on and off the field, is gone for the 2020 season.

The weak NFC East​

The Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East. If it means anything right now. Dallas is 2-3 and is followed by a division that’s just 2-12-1 after five weeks of the regular season. The Giants are now 0-5 with no hope in sight of catching the Cowboys. With Prescott out for the season, it appears this division remains wide open. The Cowboys might have fallen back to the pack with Prescott out.

Safety and cornerback moves​

The Cowboys mixed and matched their secondary and at times utilized three safeties on the field. The Cowboys had combinations of Daryl Worley and Trevon Diggs at corner. Then Worley was paired with Anthony Brown, who scored after scooping up a fumble on a strip-sack by DeMarcus Lawrence. The Cowboys also placed Donovan Wilson on the bench and utilized Steven Parker at safety with Xavier Woods. There was another combination of Darian Thompson, Parker and Woods on the field in a nickel defense. It seems the Cowboys don’t have a set defensive lineup in the secondary and a rotation is probably the best way to move forward.

Another slow start​

What can you say about these slow starts? The Cowboys trailed 17-3 after a 53-yard field goal by Graham Gano. The Cowboys just can’t get out of their own way sometimes. Prescott threw a Pick 6, Giants linebacker Kyler Fackrell picked off a high throw to Ezekiel Elliott and returned it 46 yards for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead. Prescott’s offense was booed off the field on the ensuing possession when they went three-and-out. The Giants completed a 12-play drive with Gano’s field goal to give themselves some cushion. But the Cowboys rallied back to take a 24-20 lead at halftime.

The return of Jason Garrett​

Jason Garrett is now the Giants offensive coordinator and he returned to AT&T Stadium with an offense averaging a NFL-worst 11.8 points per game. But Garrett’s offense scored a season-high 34 points in the loss. Before the game, Garrett hugged Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones and held a nice chat with them. Of course, Garrett also hugged Prescott before the game. Say what you will about his tenure in Dallas, Garrett was a well-respected within the Cowboys organization.

How do you give the Cowboys defense a C grade when they gave up 34 points to the worst offense in the league? They Giants scored 3 TDs in their first 4 games! The defensive grade is an F. If they allowed the Giants to get half the points they scored it would be a C.
 

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If Dalton goes down you say fuck it and start watching Trevor Lawrence film each week
 

Scot

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Here is the next set of questions

What if Dalton starts to really take off and play well?
What if we start winning with Dalton?
What if our offense doesn't really skip a beat and stays at the top of the league with Dalton at the helm?
What if any competent QB can play well with this group of WR's?
What happens to Dak when/if he's healthy again?

and last question....

how well is Ben Dinucci going to play once Dalton goes down to injury because we are fielding a makeshift mash unit of an O-line that won't be able to protect him for long?
 

MrB

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If Dalton goes down you say fuck it and start watching Trevor Lawrence film each week

The problem is even as bad as the Cowboys are they’re not worse than the Jets or Football Team. Washington will definitely be in the market for a QB. Word is also that if the Jets get the #1 pick they would draft Lawrence. If that happens the Cowboys could swing a trade for Darnold (which I would be perfectly ok with). I don’t see anyway they could get that #1 pick though.


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MrB

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Here is the next set of questions

What if Dalton starts to really take off and play well?
What if we start winning with Dalton?
What if our offense doesn't really skip a beat and stays at the top of the league with Dalton at the helm?
What if any competent QB can play well with this group of WR's?
What happens to Dak when/if he's healthy again?

and last question....

how well is Ben Dinucci going to play once Dalton goes down to injury because we are fielding a makeshift mash unit of an O-line that won't be able to protect him for long?

If that happens then Jerry likely resigns Dalton to a 3 year deal at about $15M-$20M/per. The most Dalton has ever made is $16M/per.

I could even see him offering Dak a low ball deal for 2 years to see if he can get back to what he was.

As for Nooch (that’s just what I call him), it’s a good thing he’s got some wheels on him. If he has to start both him and this team are in trouble.


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theoneandonly

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I saw DTs getting blown off the LOS and the defense getting gashed on the run. Not sure what they are looking at. C seems pretty generous.
 

Doomsday

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The Cowboys did a solid job against the run, holding New York to 89 yards on 27 carries. Only one run went more than 10 yards. Devonta Freeman finished with 60 yards on 17 carries.

I saw DTs getting blown off the LOS and the defense getting gashed on the run. Not sure what they are looking at. C seems pretty generous.
The above quote explains it. Where was the "gashing" when we gave up only one run over 10 yards?

At least one dude here predicted 200 yds for Freeman.

27 for 89 is pretty darned acceptable run defense. I'd take that every week without hesitation or exception.
 

dbair1967

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Here is the next set of questions

What if Dalton starts to really take off and play well?
What if we start winning with Dalton?
What if our offense doesn't really skip a beat and stays at the top of the league with Dalton at the helm?
What if any competent QB can play well with this group of WR's?
What happens to Dak when/if he's healthy again?

and last question....

how well is Ben Dinucci going to play once Dalton goes down to injury because we are fielding a makeshift mash unit of an O-line that won't be able to protect him for long?
So Dalton playing QB is going to somehow turn that shitpile defense and special teams into quality units?
 

dbair1967

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The problem is even as bad as the Cowboys are they’re not worse than the Jets or Football Team. Washington will definitely be in the market for a QB. Word is also that if the Jets get the #1 pick they would draft Lawrence. If that happens the Cowboys could swing a trade for Darnold (which I would be perfectly ok with). I don’t see anyway they could get that #1 pick though.


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Darnold is a downgrade from Prescott
 

MrB

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Darnold is a downgrade from Prescott

Maybe right now he is. You have to factor in where he’s been playing and who’s coaching him. Their locker room is a mess and they have arguably the worst HC in the NFL. He was picked high for a reason and still has the talent to be a very good QB.


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dbair1967

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Maybe right now he is. You have to factor in where he’s been playing and who’s coaching him. Their locker room is a mess and they have arguably the worst HC in the NFL. He was picked high for a reason and still has the talent to be a very good QB.


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Jemarcus Russell is available, lets check him out.
 

MrB

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Jemarcus Russell is available, lets check him out.

Why the hell would you want Jemarcus Russell? He’s never been good at any point in his pro career, Dalton has.


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