Cowboys Offense Struggles In Opening Loss To 49ers
By Shawn Lealos
When the Dallas Cowboys came into the 2014 NFL season, the thought was that their defense would struggle and be one of the worst in the NFL, while the offense would fight to keep up with their opponents. However, when their opening game against the San Francisco 49ers ended, it was the defense that was trying to keep up with an offense that couldn't seem to hold on to the ball. San Francisco won 28-17 in a game that could have been a lot closer.
Quarterback
There are always questions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback, Tony Romo. The thought was that he had a rough year in 2013 before his herniated disc sidelined him for the final game of the season. However, he had a great year in 2013, throwing 31 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions while throwing for 3,828 yards.
However, Romo might be off to the worst start of his NFL career after his performance on Sunday. While Romo threw for 281 yards and tossed a late touchdown to Terrance Williams, it was his mistakes that set the tempo for the game. Romo threw three interceptions, and under threw receivers while having a lot of problems reading the 49ers defense, not seeing lot of open receivers throughout the game. Tony Romo was the big reason that Dallas lost this game. Grade: F
Offense
The first drive of the game ended with DeMarco Murray fumbling the ball, and Chris Culliver returning it 25 yards for the touchdown. Tony Romo threw three interceptions. The first was returned to the two yard line to set up the 49ers third touchdown of the game. After the first half ended, the Cowboys turnover problems stopped, but they still couldn't move the ball well.
The one thing to take out of the performance is that, if not for the turnovers and poor quarterback play, the Cowboys' offense looked like they are heading in the right direction. While Dallas won't be as explosive as last year, they are more balanced. The Cowboys threw the ball 37 times and ran it 23 times. DeMarco Murray gained 118 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground and Dallas did not give up running the ball, regardless of the score. This was a bad start to the season, but there were promising glimpses at the future. Grade: D+
Defense
Who would have thought that the Dallas Cowboys defense would be the positive note in the game? The Cowboys defense held Colin Kaepernick to only 201 passing yards and two touchdowns, although one of those scores was only from two yards out after an interception. San Francisco scored four touchdowns, but only two were on offense.
The Dallas defense still blew a lot of coverage in the passing game, but they tackled well and played hard the entire time. Frank Gore only gained 63 yards on the ground. Despite losing the game, Dallas actually outgained San Francisco, 382-216 yards. It was a solid performance by the maligned defense. They even had an interception in the game that was called back because of a penalty. Grade: B-
Special Teams
There wasn't much to say about the Dallas Cowboys special teams in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Dan Bailey hit his only field goal from 29 yards out. Dwayne Harris had two punt returns for 29 yards. Punter Chris Jones averaged 46 yards on two punts with a long of 56. It was average but Dallas didn't use them enough for the special teams to matter. Grade: B
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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.
