Grading the Cowboys: Dallas fails because offense had to trust flailing defense

The debate rages on.

Should the Dallas Cowboys have tried to take even more time off the clock on the final drive Sunday to potentially stop quarterback Aaron Rodgers from doing the inevitable in a 35-31 Green Bay Packers victory?

Down 28-24, the Cowboys had second-and-2 from the 11 with 1: 24 remaining.

You can second-guess a pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to Dez Bryant that fell incomplete, forcing the clock to stop. But remember, the Cowboys were down by four and the goal was to score a touchdown by any means necessary.

On third-and-2, Prescott scored on an 11-yard run. Some think he should have stopped at the 1 to milk more time off the clock.

But you can never assume a touchdown.

So Coach Jason Garrett agreed that Prescott did the right thing by scoring.

Here are the Cowboys’ grades vs. the Packers:

Run offense: B Ezekiel Elliott had 29 tough carries for 116 yards, including 85 in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys converted three fourth downs by running the ball. Prescott had four carries for 37 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, coming on a zone read against a defense focused on stopping Elliott.

Pass offense: B The only real mistake in the passing game was a critical drop by receiver Terrance Williams that turned into an interception return for a touchdown. Otherwise, Prescott was seemingly flawless, completing 25 of 36 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, which matched a career high. Cole Beasley got into to the act with two touchdown receptions. Prescott threw passes to eight receivers.

Run defense: F The Packers rushed 25 times for 160 yards with a backup running back. Little-known Aaron Jones rushed 19 times for 125 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Rodgers chipped in four carries 32 yards, including a crucial 18-yard scramble on the game-winning scoring drive.

Pass defense: F The Cowboy sacked Aaron Rodgers four times (two by David Irving and once each by DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford). But they had little impact on the game or Rodgers. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 221 yards with three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 11 seconds left. Cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown were targeted the most. Lewis was burned for the game- winner by Devonte Adams.

Special teams: B Dan Bailey had five touchbacks. Chris Jones downed his only punt inside the 20. Ryan Switzer was smart on his returns but had a strong kickoff return negated on a holding call. The Cowboys were penalized for too many men on the field on a punt return. Geoff Swaim was also called for holding on a punt return.

Coaching: D For the second straight week, the Cowboys lost after holding a double-digit lead, saw the game turn with a poor third quarter and scored more than 30 points on offense and still lost. Somebody has to be held accountable for the lack of halftime adjustments and a lack of focus that permeates this team when it has success.

This story was originally published October 9, 2017 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Grading the Cowboys: Dallas fails because offense had to trust flailing defense."