Rounding the corner of Week 6, the Dallas Cowboys are headed into a BYE week with a 5-1 record. In the latest victory over the Patriots, a few notable players shifted the momentum of the game with A-grade performances. On the other hand, twelve penalties resulting in -115 yards and Red Zone issues are not the typical concoction that result in a win. Plagued by penalties, there has to be some player accountability from even the 5 yard False start penalties, up to 15 yard Horse collar penalties. Here are my own player performance grades that positively or negatively affected this past Sunday’s W for the Dallas Cowboys.
A Grade
Starting off strong with the QB himself, Dak Prescott had 445 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. The Patriots had a good to above average run defense which forced the Cowboys to pass more. This appeared to be no problem for Dak: he showed great vision on the field and even set a record for passing yards against Coach Belichick. There was one instance of a ‘bad call’ during Dak’s missed touchdown and the consecutive play resulted in a fumble. Otherwise, I have one legitimate Dak critique on a funky pass to Cedrick Wilson. In a bad luck sequence, the football bounces off a defender’s shoulder into Kyle Dugger’s hands. Otherwise seamless performance from 4.
CeeDee Lamb has several A Grade performances thus far and has been a dependable target to make pivotal first down plays. This week was no exception: CeeDee Lamb is largely responsible for the Cowboys chance at an OT win. This game also added 2 touchdowns to Lamb’s stats including the winning touchdown in overtime.
Defensively, no other player brought the heat like Randy Gregory. Gregory brought the pass rush to new heights during the Patriots game with another 2-sack game. In the second quarter, Gregory sacked Mac Jones with a vengeance– forcing both a fumble and a dazed Mac Jones. Randy Gregory looks scary in October, accepting a heavier role in the defense considering Demarcus Lawrence has been on IR. This is arguably one of the primary defensive players the Cowboys possess right now : A+ performance.
In the absence of injured offensive starters, Dalton Schultz has shined as another dependable target this season. Schultz had his (second) 79 yard receiving game in a row and showed out in double coverage. Proving to be one of Prescott’s go-to receivers, Schultz and Blake Jarwin have been a TE duo that works with Kellen Moore’s offensive scheme. Dalton Schultz had an A grade performance in Week 6.
B Grade
Trevon Diggs controversially is at a B+ for this past weeks game performance. Diggs deserves recognition for making interceptions look like taking candy from a baby. Against the Patriots, Diggs had an impressive Pick 6, then almost immediately was involved in a blown coverage play where Mac Jones hit Kendrick Bourne on a long 75 yard TD. Trevon Diggs has an eye for making a play on the ball while almost baiting the quarterback– he also has at least one pick in every single NFL game he has played. The blown coverage is only a partial knock on Diggs performance as Damontae Kazee was also involved during this unfortunate play. The other overshadowed complaint was Diggs’ unnecessary roughness penalty. In terms of overall performance, Trevon Diggs has long disputed any claim about just being “lucky”, about 3 interceptions ago… B+ performance against the Patriots.
Continued B Grade performances on defense include Micah Parsons who had a notable but almost quiet game for himself. In the first 5 games of the season, Parsons always seems to be right near the action, and keeps himself involved in tackles. Parsons was flagged for one horse collar penalty that was well-deserved, but otherwise was efficient throughout the game…B Grade.
Grade C
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are the running back duo like peanut butter and jelly for the offense. As the duo has split the share of the run game, both players unironically averaged 4.1 yards per carry against the Pats. The Cowboys offense utilized more passing than rushing this week so collectively, this duo will receive a C+ for their game against the Patriots run defense.
Anthony Brown– big sigh. Brown is being gifted a C+ grade instead of anything higher thanks to a missed face mask penalty late in the game: This was one of the many missed calls during this game, but the Cowboys gave away so many yards in penalties it’s likely fair. Regardless, Brown was efficient and avoided a face mask penalty somehow… C+ performance.
Damontae Kazee has a C- Grade after this past week due to blown coverage and missed opportunities. Kazee was picked up by the Cowboys this offseason and has made some great plays to spur the defensive momentum, but this past Sunday was tough. On an unrelated note, heading into BYE week he was arrested Tuesday Morning for DWI. Excited to see more contribution from Kazee hopefully after BYE week (and possible suspension). Overall, C-
Grade D
In his defense, it seemed like Tyron Smith was playing through an ankle injury, but he played as if he were at a disadvantage. Smith did not play terribly when protecting Dak, however he was responsible for a holding call and illegal use of the hands- He played productively otherwise. Does it make a difference to give him a C- to a D+? Confident that Tyron Smith will heal up and come back at his full potential.
Connor Williams has made such strides to avoid these detrimental penalties that it was disappointing to see Williams owned 4 penalties outright. The untimely 3 penalties occurred in the last three and a half minutes prior to the Cowboys overtime. There’s always room to “what if” any given play, but this Sunday could have ended differently as earned yards were washed away by 2 offensive holding calls and one unsportsmanlike conduct call. Williams is so much better than these 4 penalties, just chalking it up to a high pressure game… D+ performance.
The Dallas Cowboys film room will be filled with penalty reparations until they return to play the Vikings on October 31st. This 5-1 record will have to hold up against the second half of the season which includes Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and the Denver Broncos amongst others.
”Always persevere, always have a great perspective, and always have great purpose in your life.
Russell Wilson
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