Grading the Cowboys: Dallas saves season, for now, with improbable last-second win

Here are Jean-Jacques Taylor’s grades from the Cowboys’ 20-17 win over Cincinnati at AT&T Stadium:

Run offense

The commitment was there and they made some plays, but it never got to the point where the Cowboys dominated the line of scrimmage. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 53 yards with a long of 11, while Pollard added 43 with a long of 17. The 27 carries showed commitment.

GRADE: C

Pass offense

Cooper Rush did a solid job running the offense, but they didn’t score a touchdown after the game’s first two drives. He passed for 235 yards with a 95.5 passer rating. CeeDee Lamb caught seven passes and made plays in the fourth quarter, while Noah Brown had a career-high 91 yards and a touchdown.

GRADE: B

Run defense

The Cowboys did a good job on Joe Mixon, limiting him to 57 yards. He did not have a run longer than 10 yards. Safety Donovan Wilson was a force against the run for Dallas, which allowed just 3.6 yards per carry.

GRADE: B

Pass defense

Joe Burrow, sacked six times, found a rhythm late and made several excellent throws into tight coverage as the Bengals rallied. Ja’Marr Chase caught five passes for 54 yards. The Cowboys did not allow a completion of more than 20 yards. Trevon Diggs’ open-field tackle late positioned Dallas to win it.

GRADE: B+

Special teams

Brett Maher drilled a 50-yard field goal as time expired — his second 50-plus yard kick of day — to give Dallas the win. KaVontae Turpin had a 20-yard punt return and the coverage units were solid, though they did yield a 20-yard punt return.

GRADE: A

Coaching

Coach Mike McCarthy made an aggressive move going for it on fourth down in Dallas territory on the game’s first drive, and it’s clear he impacted the game plan. Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn were masterful on their final drives of the game.

GRADE: A

Overall

The Cowboys saved their season, for now, with an improbable last-second win led by Rush. The Cowboys showed they can win without Dak Prescott, if they play a certain way. Rush is 2-0 as a starter, and they haven’t been fluky.

GRADE: B

Jean-Jacques Taylor, a former SportsDay columnist, is the host of JaM Session Podcast which can be heard Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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