A 44-30 loss at Detroit’s Ford Field is the Cowboys’ first loss since a home game to Arizona that feels like a lifetime ago. This one may have taken the life out of the Cowboys’ playoff hopes, but some of that remains up to the enigmatic Eagles.
A look at what Dallas did and mostly didn’t do Thursday night:
Offense
I know 417 feels like a lot of yards, but they came on an enormous 76 snaps. They came with three turnovers. They included five sacks for 50 yards in losses. But, worst of all, the Cowboys could do nothing but kick field goals for most of the night. The Detroit defense is nothing special, the Lions lost a backup safety filling in for another injured player on the second snap, and the Cowboys managed two touchdowns. That’s poor production.
Cowboys
Grade: C-minus
Defense
The Lions chalked up 7.2 yards per play, which sort of suggests the Cowboys didn’t really shut anything down Thursday night. Actually they did an excellent job against Jahmyr Gibbs on the ground (12 carries for 43 yards); they just couldn’t contain him in the passing game (7 for 77 yards). Shavon Revel got roughed up, but the Lions also put the much more praised (and highly paid) DaRon Bland into vulnerable spots (like trying to keep up with Jameson Williams) and made him pay. Not a good night overall when the opponent scores eight times.
Grade: C
Special teams
The grade should be a D for kick coverage. Who knew that Tom Kennedy was good for 40 yards every time he touched a kickoff? The Lions averaged 32.6 on their kick returns to Turpin’s 25.1. But we can’t give Dallas a failing ground on a night where Brandon Aubrey kicks 246 yards of field goals (5-for-5), can we?
Grade: C
Coaching
This team hasn’t looked flat much at all this season, but the way the offense stagnated early and the defense fell apart late, it wasn’t the Cowboys at their most inspired. I wouldn’t pin much of this loss on Brian Schottenheimer — it’s a players’ game. But he did lose his first challenge of the year, although it meant practically nothing by the time he threw the flag.
Grade: D
Overall
There’s nothing terrible about losing a shootout with the Lions in Ford Field. It’s just that Dallas looked like it should have had the upper hand early and kept finding ways to not score touchdowns. By then, the Lions’ offense had figured out all it needed to solve the Dallas defense and the points spree was on. At 6-6-1, the playoffs look like the longest of long shots now.
Grade: C-minus
Down and out? See photos from Cowboys’ late-season loss to Detroit Lions
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