Team Grades: Dallas Cowboys Lose To Buffalo Bills With Another Poor Finish
By Shawn S. Lealos
The Dallas Cowboys seemed to have a good chance to win this game, especially considering the injuries that the Buffalo Bills entered the week with. However, much like the rest of the season, Dallas kept things close until the very end when they let the game get away from them. With Buffalo holding a 9-6 lead, all the Cowboys had to do was make a stop and get the ball back to tie up the game; but Dallas couldn't stop the Bills and lost another tough game, 16-6. Here is a look at the Cowboys team grades for their latest loss.
Offense: C
In what was looking like a two-game tryout for next year's backup quarterback role, Kellen Moore did more than what Matt Cassel or Brandon Weeden did, and that involved him actually looking downfield before dumping off passes. However, he only completed 13 of 31 of his passes (41-percent) for 186 yards. He also threw one interception on a pass that was tipped into the air by a wide receiver. It wasn't a great showing, and it looks like Dallas will need to focus on finding a new backup quarterback for the 2016 NFL season, either through the NFL Draft or free agency.
It also doesn't help that it looks like the Cowboys have shut down Dez Bryant for the season, taking away Moore's best target. Terrance Williams has proven that he is barely capable of being a starter in the passing game and is nowhere near good enough to be a number one target. Today, he caught four passes for 62 yards, including a nice catch and run for a first down. However, he doesn't do enough. Brice Butler was the top receiver of the game, with four receptions for 74 yards. Cole Beasley is the only other Dallas player to catch more than one pass, two receptions for 29 yards.
The running game was solid once again. Darren McFadden ran the ball 19 times for 99 yards and would have had more if not for holding penalties. Robert Turbin added five carries for 23 yards. Maybe if Dallas had run the ball more than they threw it, they might have had a better chance.
Defense: C
It is hard to keep defending a defense that plays incredibly well for three quarters in a game and then falls apart in the last two minutes. The team limited Tyrod Taylor to only 172 passing yards and intercepted one pass. They also limited the Bills to one touchdown and a field goal in the first 57 minutes of the game. However, the Bills ran very well against Dallas, something that not many teams have done this year.
Mike Gillislee ran the ball nine times for a team leading 93 yards, with 50 of those yards coming on a 50 yards touchdown run at the end of the game to put the score out of reach. Karlos Williams was the workhorse, with 76 rushing yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. While Taylor wasn't expected to throw the ball a lot, he did run the ball 14 times for 67 yards. That was 40 carries for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys did sack Taylor three times in the game, with Rolando McClain and DeMarcus Lawrence each getting one sack, and Sean Lee splitting a sack with Greg Hardy. However, in the fourth quarter, on a third down, Dallas had Taylor pinned inside the five and he escaped three rushers who were on top of him to make the first down. That was the series that the Bills scored their final touchdown of the game. The interception came in the hands of Deji Olatoye in the end zone at the end of the first half.
Special Teams: C
The Dallas Cowboys special teams was off, with a big blunder at the end of the game. Dan Bailey, who is normally automatic, missed one of his three field goal attempts. It was a 50-yard attempt and it was short, something Bailey is not known for. Chris Jones, playing injured, punted the ball four times with an average of 45 yards per punt. He pinned three of them inside the 20.
On special teams, Lucky Whitehead was continuing to try to prove he is an NFL caliber special teams star. Hover, his only kick return was just for 15 yards and he returned two punts for an average of 16 yards per. His biggest blunder was the play that ended the game. He fumbled the final kickoff after Buffalo scored their final touchdown and the game was over, without Dallas getting a chance for one last run.
Coaching: D
The Dallas Cowboys had a young quarterback behind center and they decided to put the game on his shoulders, throwing the ball 31 times, while only running it 24 times. Instead of letting McFadden run the clock and using Turbin more, Jason Garrett assumed that Moore and Brice Butler could win the game for them.
On the final Cowboys' drive of the game, they had 11 minutes left in the game and were only down by three. They started the drive off with a pass and then followed up with a big McFadden run that was called back by holding. They then had Moore throw the ball, but were called for another holding. After a McFadden run on 2nd and 21, Moore completed a nice pass and run to Williams. In the next five plays, McFadden ran once while Moore threw the ball four times, three of them incompletions.
Buffalo got het ball back with seven minutes left, tried to throw the ball once, ran it seven times and took the clock all the way down almost to the two minute warning, scoring their final touchdown. Buffalo coached the game smartly and won.
Dallas has one game left this season, and it is against a Washington Redskins team that just clinched the NFC East and a playoff spot. The Redskins are the worst divisional winner, win or lose, and have nothing left to play for. Dallas, with four wins, could end up with a top five pick in the 2016 NFL Draft - unless they beat Washington. At this point, it is better for Dallas to lose than to win, and the way the season has gone, they might just win this last game to continue their comedy of errors.
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.