Grades for the Cowboys in Week 4 win over the Giants

Welcome back to the win column, Cowboys fans! It may not have looked pretty, but a win is a win is a win. And there were at least some parts of the team that played fairly well in this game, so let’s hand out some kudos via grades.

Quarterback

For future reference: when trying to get Dak Prescott in a rhythm, simply have him face the Giants. This was the first time this season that Prescott truly looked like himself, and the quarterback was surgical from start to finish.

He completed 81.5% of his passes with two touchdowns and 221 passing yards. Prescott also had two big time throws, paired with zero turnovers or turnover worthy plays. If the Cowboys get this kind of game from Prescott every week moving forward, things should be just fine in Dallas.

Grade: A+

Running backs

For the first time this season, the Cowboys played in a game that was relatively close all throughout. And for the first time this season, the running backs played well. Rico Dowdle carried the ball 11 times for 46 yards, with Ezekiel Elliott getting five carries for 19 yards. Hunter Luepke was very efficient, with eight yards on two carries and both times getting a first down.

Dowdle once again showed his ability, breaking three tackles on the night. Both he and Zeke averaged 3+ yards after contact per attempt. It wasn’t a banner night for this group, but it definitely showed that this running back committee isn’t as abysmal as some thought they might be.

Grade: B

Pass catchers

CeeDee Lamb had quite the bounce-back game from last week, and the Cowboys got him involved early on. He caught all but one of his eight targets for 98 yards and a score, with 46 of those yards coming after the catch. Jake Ferguson had another big night, catching all seven of his targets for 49 yards. Hunter Luepke once again made his presence felt in the passing game, catching both targets for 14 yards.

The group’s grade ultimately is getting dragged down because of Brandin Cooks. The veteran has struggled to get involved in this offense, and that continued in this game. He had one nice catch that went for 16 yards, but Cooks was unable to bring in his other three targets on the day. Two of those were contested catches where Cooks allowed the defender to gain position and knock the ball away. The Cowboys need more from Cooks to avoid their offense grinding to a halt on days where Lamb can’t get going.

Grade: B+

Offensive line

This game seemed destined to be a tough one for the offensive line, facing a defense that features three big names on the defensive line and was in the top 10 in pressure rate through three games. All things considered, the line held up well enough, though it was far from perfect. They allowed six pressures in total and only one sack, and had some really good moments blocking in the run game.

Tyler Guyton, though, had a very tough game. He was responsible for three of those six pressures and was seemingly getting beat every other play, even if it didn’t result in a pressure. Guyton also got flagged three times, one of them negating a big pass on a free play. The rookie has looked solid so far in his career, but this was an early instance of growing pains for him. Cooper Beebe, on the other hand, yielded zero pressures despite facing Dexter Lawrence most of the game.

Grade: C+

Pass rush

After two straight games where the opponent’s quarterback had fewer than 20 dropbacks, the Cowboys pass rush saw 41 dropbacks on Thursday night. The result was a much better pass rush, though still not up to par for this unit. Dallas totaled 16 pressures on the night, with Osa Odighizuwa leading the team at five.

That, along with the fact that Carl Lawson and Chauncey Golston both tallied two pressures apiece, should be of some comfort after both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence left the game with injuries that are believed to keep them out for a few weeks. Still, though, the pass rush is leaving some meat on the bone right now.

Grade: C+

Run defense

Now that’s more like it. After getting bulldozed in the run game by two different teams with very different schemes, the Cowboys finally showed something positive against the run. And by something positive, I mean they shut down the running game: the Giants averaged just 1.1 yards per carry on the night.

Mazi Smith, in particular, had a career game. He routinely reset the line of scrimmage and disrupted several running plays, and he earned the best grade from Pro Football Focus of any player, offense or defense, in this game. Just three running plays went for a first down in this game, a truly spectacular performance for this run defense. If they can carry this game over into future weeks, the Cowboys’ odds of having a good year will go up significantly.

Grade: A+

Pass coverage

The Cowboys came into this game looking very thin at cornerback. Caelen Carson, who was already starting in place of the injured DaRon Bland, was inactive with an injury. Andrew Booth Jr. got the start, but he was pulled at halftime and replaced by Amani Oruwariye, who was elevated from the practice squad. Oruwariye ended up making the game-sealing interception.

All in all, this was a very good night for the secondary. Daniel Jones managed to complete 72.5% of his passes, but the defense never allowed him to really get hot. Most importantly, rookie sensation Malik Nabers was bottled up for the most part. Outside of one big catch against Booth early on, Nabers finished with 11 receptions for 76 yards. Specifically when Nabers was covered by Trevon Diggs, he caught just two of his four targets for 16 yards. That’s a winning strategy given what Nabers has done to opposing defenses this year.

Grade: A-

Special teams

As it turns out, Brandon Aubrey is, indeed, a human being. The kicker had his first miss of the year, and it very nearly could’ve been disastrous for the Cowboys given the game situation and field position. That’s more on coaching, though, but Aubrey’s miss did tarnish an otherwise perfect night from the star kicker.

The special teams unit also missed an opportunity for a big play right at the start of the second half. Juanyeh Thomas forced a fumble on the kick return, but the Giants managed to recover the ball safely. Those missed opportunities are just enough to drop their grade ever so slightly.

Grade: A-

Coaching

The coaching performance in this one is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, Mike Zimmer deserves some love for making several adjustments following last week’s game. The run defense improvements were noticeable, and Dallas even played the read option better this week.

That said, the litany of penalties once again reared its head, with most of them coming on the defense. The lack of discipline is frustrating, especially with how frequently that had been cited as a feature of Zimmer’s scheme. Mike McCarthy also had a less-than-stellar handling of the clock on the final offensive possession that handed the Giants one last chance to try and win the game.

Grade: B