- Messages
- 15,169
- Reaction score
- 2,355
OFFENSE - C - Despite a tremendous start with 185 yards on the first three drives, the offense stalled at the end of each possession. On all three occasions, the Cowboys settled for a field goal. That was far better than the rest of the afternoon, when they accounted for only 143 yards on the final seven possessions. Little was accomplished on the ground, and while Dak Prescott stayed out of trouble and showed promise, the passing game was inefficient and did not get Dez Bryant involved enough. The offensive line did not dominate, and one touchdown is not enough.
DEFENSE - C - It certainly wasn't all bad from the defense, as a vital takeaway set up the lone Cowboys touchdown. There were also spots where a pass rush was apparent. But the general takeaway from the defense will be that when they needed a fourth-quarter stop to preserve the lead or get the ball back, they allowed five different runs of nine yards or more and two additional big passes. This all happened in the final 10 minutes of the game. Add to that a concession of three touchdowns on three Giants red-zone entries, and the defense wasn't good enough.
COACHING - D - Any team that works on end-of-game situations as much as the Cowboys do should have a clear list of objectives when they are without timeouts. Terrance Williams (and Lance Dunbar a few plays before) simply cannot get tackled in bounds with so little time left, so to see a veteran player in his fourth season make the decision to head back inside indicates he was not thinking clearly. Could Dan Bailey have made a 60- or 63-yarder if Williams gets out? Now, we will never know. Decision-making that directly affects the outcome reflects quite poorly on the coaching staff.
OVERALL - C-minus - We knew the game would come down to the final few minutes and that it will likely affect the outcome of the NFC East. Dallas showed they have some interesting pieces and will be plenty competitive, but in this league, competitive is just half of the battle. Making plays when they matter most is what puts games like this in the win column, and in the fourth quarter of a divisional home game, the Giants made all of the plays to secure victory. Dallas must rebound quickly for a trip to Washington.
