This was a game we all expected Dallas to comfortably win. Dallas has been rolling since the firing of Wade Phillips as head coach, and Arizona has bounced from one quarterback disaster to another. This should have been a straightforward win.
Things didn’t work out that way. The Cowboys dug themselves into a deep hole early on with turnovers that were returned for touchdowns, and they couldn’t quite climb out of it, with Arizona leaning on some excellent kicking work from Jay Feely to secure the win in the final minutes.
Hard to believe considering the talent on either sideline that both teams would be 5-10 heading into the season's final week.
Cowboys: Three performances of note
Much of the Cowboys offense played a good, solid game. The same can’t be said for right tackle Marc Colombo (-5.8) who was soundly abused all day for a constant stream of pressure on the Dallas quarterbacks. Colombo gave up a pair of sacks, a hit, and four more pressures on the day, and was beaten for some immediate pressure on occasions, and by multiple Cardinals defenders. Colombo won’t want to relive this game in the film room this week.
On the positive side for the Cowboys, tight end Jason Witten (+3.1) continues to show why he is arguably the best in the NFL at his position. Antonio Gates may be a better receiver, but Witten has no flaws in his game. He is an effective receiver, run blocker, and pass protector, and his game was summed up nicely by Joe Theismann in the booth during the broadcast: “Sometimes there are players that can’t run away from anybody, but you just can’t seem to cover. Witten is one of those guys.” Witten currently sits atop our TE rankings for 2010, looking to retain the top spot he earned in 2009.
Chris Gronkowski (-1.4), brother of Dan and Rob, had an interesting day. He actually graded well as a run blocker, but was dragged down by his score in pass protection, where he allowed a sack and an additional pair of pressures. On occasion this was largely due to who the Cowboys were expecting him to block from his fullback position, something that has come up repeatedly in recent weeks across the league (Danny Woodhead vs BJ Raji?!).
Cardinals: Three performances of note
There was a time where people would try to argue that Adrian Wilson (-4.8) was one of the best safeties in the NFL. Games like this would be exhibit A against any such claim. Wilson failed to score well in any area, registering zero pressure on fourteen blitzes, being run over in the run game on more than one occasion, and hurting his team with a pair of penalties in the game. A pair of missed tackles didn’t help his cause.
The more we see of linebacker Daryl Washington (+3.5), the more we think the Cardinals have found themselves a real player. Like all the best linebackers, Washington is active in coming downhill and knifing through the line and making stops on the right side of the line of scrimmage. He scored particularly well in coverage in this game, being targeted three times but allowing just two receptions for one yard. Throwing in the direction of Washington was not a successful enterprise in this game.
Early in the game it looked like corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (-1.8) had finally decided to turn up for a game, returning an interception for a touchdown and making a spectacular pass break up on a deep pass down the sideline. But his grade shows otherwise. Cromartie again displayed a shocking desire to avoid contact at times, and he missed three tackles on the occasions where he did attempt to stop the ball carrier. DRC’s season smacks of a player with all the talent in the world just mailing it in.
Rookie report
Nose tackle Josh Brent (-2.3) didn’t have a good game for Dallas, struggling to anchor at the point of attack when he was substituted in. Defensive end Clifton Geathers (-0.6) saw just three snaps at DE. Linebacker Sean Lee (-0.3) saw 13 snaps, and had a quiet game. Defensive backs Bryan McCann (-0.1) and Barry Church (0.0) combined for 18 snaps on D, and neither stood out either way.
For Arizona, quarterback John Skelton (+1.1) had an underwhelming, especially given that all of his positive grade came from scrambles for positive yardage. Receiver Andre Roberts (+0.5) saw 44 snaps on offense, and was thrown at nine times in the game. Max Komar (-1.9) saw 13 snaps, and his negative grade came on the back of a pair of penalties. On the defensive side of the ball NT Dan Williams (+0.5) had a reasonable day inside. O’Brien Schofield (-1.4) didn’t grade well, but his struggles were in the run game. As a pass rusher he notched a sack, a hit and another pressure on the passer.
Random note
Andre Roberts, noted for his chemistry with Skelton, played 44 snaps on offense, Steve Breaston played just 30.
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