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Dallas — Three Performances of Note
Run Fits
Quite simply the Cowboys don’t win this game without the play of Sean Lee (+2.3) and Bruce Carter (+3.6). It felt like they were in every single hole all day long. They had to be, though, because the defensive line couldn’t seem to shed blocks. Lee was exceptional working off of fullback Jerome Felton and shutting down Peterson at the point of attack. The middle linebacker had an impressive six stops and a run defense grade of +3.4. Carter made a living getting to the point of attack before lineman had a chance to even lay hands on him. On multiple occasions he was just too quick for lineman responsible for sealing him out at the second level and he made three stops in just nine run snaps. One has to wonder if Carter should be seeing snaps in base defense after another poor game from Ernie Sims (-3.3).
Overmatched
Doug Free looked like the best right tackle in football through the first six weeks of the season. He hadn’t had a game graded below +2.0. The last three weeks he has reverted back to the old inconsistent tackle Cowboys fans knew all too well the last two seasons. On Sunday he was beaten repeatedly by Brian Robison, allowing nine total pressures, the most we’ve ever seen from him. Inside, outside, spin, bull, you name it, he was beaten by it. By the end of the game he finished with a grade of -3.7, his worst on the season.
Coming From Nowhere
If you were watching one of the Cowboy’s division rivals this preseason you may not have been surprised by what you saw on Sunday. Everette Brown played in 94 snaps with the Eagles this preseason and delivered the highest pass rushing grade of any edge rusher at +6.3. His four sacks, one hit, and five hurries in just 35 pass rushes surprisingly weren’t enough to earn him a spot on the Eagles, or any team for that matter. That is until he was signed by the Cowboys just last week. Brown, who hadn’t played in a game since 2011, dominated Matt Kalil. He recorded a sack, a hit, and four pressures as well as a forced fumble on the last drive that almost ended the game. He did all that in just 20 pass rushes. The Cowboys may have very well found the answer to what they were looking for since DeMarcus Ware went down
Game Notes
- Dez Bryant(-4.2) finished with the lowest grade in the game thanks to two huge drops and two penalties.
- The Vikings missed eight tackles in coverage while the Cowboys missed seven.
- Christian Ponder went 20-22 on throws inside 10 yards and just 5-13 on throws over 10 yards.
PFF Game Ball
If it weren’t for the missed tackles in coverage this would likely go to Sean Lee. With no negatives on the day though, this goes to Bruce Carter who was a game changer when he got on the field against both the run and pass.
Run Fits
Quite simply the Cowboys don’t win this game without the play of Sean Lee (+2.3) and Bruce Carter (+3.6). It felt like they were in every single hole all day long. They had to be, though, because the defensive line couldn’t seem to shed blocks. Lee was exceptional working off of fullback Jerome Felton and shutting down Peterson at the point of attack. The middle linebacker had an impressive six stops and a run defense grade of +3.4. Carter made a living getting to the point of attack before lineman had a chance to even lay hands on him. On multiple occasions he was just too quick for lineman responsible for sealing him out at the second level and he made three stops in just nine run snaps. One has to wonder if Carter should be seeing snaps in base defense after another poor game from Ernie Sims (-3.3).
Overmatched
Doug Free looked like the best right tackle in football through the first six weeks of the season. He hadn’t had a game graded below +2.0. The last three weeks he has reverted back to the old inconsistent tackle Cowboys fans knew all too well the last two seasons. On Sunday he was beaten repeatedly by Brian Robison, allowing nine total pressures, the most we’ve ever seen from him. Inside, outside, spin, bull, you name it, he was beaten by it. By the end of the game he finished with a grade of -3.7, his worst on the season.
Coming From Nowhere
If you were watching one of the Cowboy’s division rivals this preseason you may not have been surprised by what you saw on Sunday. Everette Brown played in 94 snaps with the Eagles this preseason and delivered the highest pass rushing grade of any edge rusher at +6.3. His four sacks, one hit, and five hurries in just 35 pass rushes surprisingly weren’t enough to earn him a spot on the Eagles, or any team for that matter. That is until he was signed by the Cowboys just last week. Brown, who hadn’t played in a game since 2011, dominated Matt Kalil. He recorded a sack, a hit, and four pressures as well as a forced fumble on the last drive that almost ended the game. He did all that in just 20 pass rushes. The Cowboys may have very well found the answer to what they were looking for since DeMarcus Ware went down
Game Notes
- Dez Bryant(-4.2) finished with the lowest grade in the game thanks to two huge drops and two penalties.
- The Vikings missed eight tackles in coverage while the Cowboys missed seven.
- Christian Ponder went 20-22 on throws inside 10 yards and just 5-13 on throws over 10 yards.
PFF Game Ball
If it weren’t for the missed tackles in coverage this would likely go to Sean Lee. With no negatives on the day though, this goes to Bruce Carter who was a game changer when he got on the field against both the run and pass.
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