Dallas Cowboys Team Grades: Cowboys Lose In Overtime To Redskins
By Shawn Lealos
One of the marquee Monday Night Football matchups in this history of the NFL is the Dallas Cowboys against the Washington Redskins. It never seems to matter which team is better when these two teams play, and most of the time, the game is magical. This week was no different as the Redskins beat the Cowboys in overtime, 20-17. Here is a look at the Dallas Cowboys team grades for the big Monday Night Football Game.
Offense
DeMarco Murray had an amazing game, which should come as no surprise this season. However, things fell apart in the second half when Tony Romo went down with a back injury. After that, Dallas kept up until Romo made his way back to the field and convinced his coaches to let him return to the game. Despite his guts and determination, it wasn’t enough.
Murray finished the game with 141 rushing yards on 19 carries and led the team with 80 receiving yards on four receptions. That gave him total 221 yards in the game, 56 percent of the Cowboys’ total yards in the game. That is where the problem lies. Yes, Dallas needed to run the ball a lot more than last year, and that is why they are winning this season, but in this game, the passing game fell apart at the end.
Tony Romo finished the game completing 17-of-28 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown. It was a solid game with an impressive 95.7 rating. However, after Romo was hurt, Brandon Weeden came in to replace him. Weeden completed four of six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown pass to Jason Witten. He had Dallas finally clicking and led Dallas to 10 of their 17 points. Then, Romo returned and demanded to be let back into the game with the score tied 17-17.
Weeden sparked the Cowboys to get them back into the game. Yes, Romo wanted to lead Dallas to the win and the Cowboys coaches need to stand by their quarterback, but they pulled the man who kept them in the game and replaced him with someone who was ineffective in the first half. Not only that, but the Redskins blitzed Romo on almost every play when he returned and that kept him ducking and running. It is why Dallas lost the game.
DeMarco Murray and Joseph Randle also each lost a fumble in the game. Brandon Weeden and Tony Romo also each fumbled, but the Cowboys recovered both of those balls and Romo threw an interception that Terrance Williams ripped out of the defender’s hands to reverse it.
Grade: C-
Defense
The Dallas Cowboys brought their surprising defense into the game against a third string quarterback who hasn’t started in three years in Colt McCoy. By the end of the game, Colt McCoy completed 25 of 30 passes for 299 yards. He only threw five incompletions and one interception in the game, but he moved the chains throughout the contest and it was his legs that won the game for the Redskins. McCoy also ran the ball seven times for 16 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Alfred Morris only ran for 73 yards, but the important thing here is that he picked up the first downs when needed. It didn’t look like a lot of rushing yards, but the yards Morris gained drove the stake into the Cowboys’ heart. DeSean Jackson was the true star of the game for Washington, with six receptions for 136 yards, averaging 22.7 yards per reception. Dallas couldn't stop Washington when the game really mattered.
Justin Durant also left the game with an injury after leading the team with 10 tackles and the healthy linebacker corps might have ended after one week. On the positive side, Jeremy Mincey sacked McCoy once and Henry Melton recorded two sacks while J.J. Wilcox recorded the interception.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
Dwayne Harris returned two punts for 18 yards and two kickoffs for 45 yards. Dan Bailey hit his only field goal attempt of the game while Chris Jones averaged 51.5 yards per punt. In the other side, Andre Roberts returned two punts for 39 yards while their kicker hit both his field goals and punter Tress Way pinned Dallas inside their 20 three times in the game.
Grade: C+
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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.
