Grading the Cowboys: Strong second half, rushing attack pushes Dallas past New York

Here are Jean-Jacques Taylor’s grades from the Cowboys’ 28-20 win over the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium:

Run offense

Ezekiel Elliott had his most productive game of the season with 92 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys rushed for 169 yards and 4.3 per carry. Tony Pollard gained 60 yards on 18 carries, but the Giants did a good job of keeping him from getting the explosive runs that have been his signature this season. Rookie tight end Peyton Hendershot ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

GRADE: A

Pass offense

It took Dak Prescott a minute to find a rhythm but once he did, he sliced apart the Giants’ secondary. He passed for 261 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. CeeDee Lamb, who caught six passes for 106 yards, did much of the damage beating Darnay Holmes out of the slot. The early interceptions by Prescott ruined an otherwise strong performance.

GRADE: B

Run defense

Saquon Barkley gained just 39 yards on 11 carries as the Cowboys continue to fix their run defense. They also limited quarterback Daniel Jones, who’s actually a big part of the New York running game, to only 14 yards. They used Donovan Wilson as an occasional spy. Leighton Vander Esch had a strong game with eight tackles.

GRADE: A

Pass defense

When it mattered most, the pass rush took over and shut down Jones, who passed for 228 yards. Jones missed a wide-open Barkley on fourth-and-one in the third quarter and the game changed after that. Micah Parsons had two sacks for the Cowboys. The sixth time he’s done it this season.

GRADE: B+

Special teams

Brett Maher had a rare miss this season, when he pushed a 46-yard attempt wide right late in the fourth quarter. His kickoffs were excellent and none were returned.

GRADE: B

Coaching

Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense had another excellent overall performance. They saved the offense early, when Mike McCarthy’s fourth-down gamble on the first series didn’t work, by holding the Giants to a field goal. The run defense has been improved the last two weeks. Play-caller Kellen Moore had his usual adventurous day. The jet sweep to Hendershot for a touchdown was outstanding. The offense played much better in the second half than the first.

GRADE: B

Overall

Mike McCarthy’s team has rebounded well from the loss to Green Bay with a pair of wins. There were too many penalties, but they overcame their sloppiness and put together a quality second half. The schedule is now set up for the Cowboys to make a run with the next two games at home.

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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