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MacMahon: Report card
Report card: Cowboys fail to carry momentum
September, 16, 2012
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com
RUSHING OFFENSE - F
The Cowboys had a grand total of four rushing attempts in the second half, so Jason Garrett is going to get criticized for abandoning the run. But that's what happens when a team has to come back from a multi-score deficit, especially when there isn't any room to run anyway. DeMarco Murray had to earn every one of his 44 yards on 12 carries. The Seattle front seven whipped the Cowboys on a consistent basis. Oh, Felix Jones got his first carry of the season. He gained a whopping 1 yard.
PASSING OFFENSE - D-
Did the Seahawks slip in the infamous K ball while the Cowboys' offense was on the field? How else to explain the drop-fest from the usually sure-handed Jason Witten and Dez Bryant? Bryant was a total bust (three catches, 17 yards). Week 1 hero Kevin Ogletree had one catch for 26 yards. Tony Romo's numbers (23 of 40 for 251 yards and one touchdown with one interception) weren't awful, but the big, tough Seattle secondary won its matchup with Dallas' receivers, with Miles Austin's TD catch being the exception. And Romo's interception came on a bad decision to kill a drive in the red zone. Unlike last week, Romo couldn't overcome protection that was poor on a regular basis.
RUSHING DEFENSE - F
The good news: The Cowboys held Marshawn Lynch to 22 yards on 10 carries in the first half. The bad news: Lynch dominated the second half, gaining 100 yards on 16 carries as the Seahawks buried the Cowboys. Lynch busted a 36-yard run to set up Seattle's touchdown in the third quarter, which made it a two-touchdown game. He had seven carries for 32 yards and a TD on the dagger drive, when the Seahawks marched 88 yards on 12 plays to go up by 20 points. The Dallas defense was simply dominated physically after halftime.
PASSING DEFENSE - F
Rob Ryan and Co. made it easy for rookie QB Russell Wilson to play a poised, mistake-free game, completing 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards and a TD with no turnovers. The Cowboys rarely blitzed despite the undersized Wilson's struggles against pressure in Seattle's Week 1 loss. (According to ESPN Stats and Information, Wilson was 6-of-18 for 47 yards and was sacked three times when the Cardinals rushed five or more men.) Anthony Spencer got two sacks, but that was it for the Dallas pass rush despite the Seahawks playing with two backup offensive linemen. Perennial Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware didn't exploit his matchup against a second-string left tackle.
SPECIAL TEAMS - F
What is it with epic special teams disasters for the Cowboys in Seattle? It started off as poorly as possible with Felix Jones gift-wrapping a field goal for the Seahawks by losing a fumble on the opening kickoff. It got even worse soon, with backup linebacker Dan Connor getting beat to allow Seattle's Malcolm Smith to block a punt. Jeron Johnson scooped and scored. Just like that, Joe DeCamillis' guys handed the Seahawks a 10-point head start. Dez Bryant gained a grand total of two yards on two punt returns and was fortunate not to commit a turnover just before halftime. Punter Chris Jones had another strong performance, but special teams killed the Cowboys.
COACHING - F
The head coach gets a big share of the blame when his team lays an egg like that after 11 days to prepare. It's also fair to question whether Jason Garrett's constant messages about mental toughness are really getting through after the Cowboys roll over like they did in the fourth quarter, when the Dallas offense had a couple of three-and-out series while the Seahawks ran 25 offensive plays. And defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's game plan was puzzling, to put it politely. Why play soft against a rookie quarterback who struggled badly when blitzed last week?
Report card: Cowboys fail to carry momentum
September, 16, 2012
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com
RUSHING OFFENSE - F
The Cowboys had a grand total of four rushing attempts in the second half, so Jason Garrett is going to get criticized for abandoning the run. But that's what happens when a team has to come back from a multi-score deficit, especially when there isn't any room to run anyway. DeMarco Murray had to earn every one of his 44 yards on 12 carries. The Seattle front seven whipped the Cowboys on a consistent basis. Oh, Felix Jones got his first carry of the season. He gained a whopping 1 yard.
PASSING OFFENSE - D-
Did the Seahawks slip in the infamous K ball while the Cowboys' offense was on the field? How else to explain the drop-fest from the usually sure-handed Jason Witten and Dez Bryant? Bryant was a total bust (three catches, 17 yards). Week 1 hero Kevin Ogletree had one catch for 26 yards. Tony Romo's numbers (23 of 40 for 251 yards and one touchdown with one interception) weren't awful, but the big, tough Seattle secondary won its matchup with Dallas' receivers, with Miles Austin's TD catch being the exception. And Romo's interception came on a bad decision to kill a drive in the red zone. Unlike last week, Romo couldn't overcome protection that was poor on a regular basis.
RUSHING DEFENSE - F
The good news: The Cowboys held Marshawn Lynch to 22 yards on 10 carries in the first half. The bad news: Lynch dominated the second half, gaining 100 yards on 16 carries as the Seahawks buried the Cowboys. Lynch busted a 36-yard run to set up Seattle's touchdown in the third quarter, which made it a two-touchdown game. He had seven carries for 32 yards and a TD on the dagger drive, when the Seahawks marched 88 yards on 12 plays to go up by 20 points. The Dallas defense was simply dominated physically after halftime.
PASSING DEFENSE - F
Rob Ryan and Co. made it easy for rookie QB Russell Wilson to play a poised, mistake-free game, completing 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards and a TD with no turnovers. The Cowboys rarely blitzed despite the undersized Wilson's struggles against pressure in Seattle's Week 1 loss. (According to ESPN Stats and Information, Wilson was 6-of-18 for 47 yards and was sacked three times when the Cardinals rushed five or more men.) Anthony Spencer got two sacks, but that was it for the Dallas pass rush despite the Seahawks playing with two backup offensive linemen. Perennial Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware didn't exploit his matchup against a second-string left tackle.
SPECIAL TEAMS - F
What is it with epic special teams disasters for the Cowboys in Seattle? It started off as poorly as possible with Felix Jones gift-wrapping a field goal for the Seahawks by losing a fumble on the opening kickoff. It got even worse soon, with backup linebacker Dan Connor getting beat to allow Seattle's Malcolm Smith to block a punt. Jeron Johnson scooped and scored. Just like that, Joe DeCamillis' guys handed the Seahawks a 10-point head start. Dez Bryant gained a grand total of two yards on two punt returns and was fortunate not to commit a turnover just before halftime. Punter Chris Jones had another strong performance, but special teams killed the Cowboys.
COACHING - F
The head coach gets a big share of the blame when his team lays an egg like that after 11 days to prepare. It's also fair to question whether Jason Garrett's constant messages about mental toughness are really getting through after the Cowboys roll over like they did in the fourth quarter, when the Dallas offense had a couple of three-and-out series while the Seahawks ran 25 offensive plays. And defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's game plan was puzzling, to put it politely. Why play soft against a rookie quarterback who struggled badly when blitzed last week?