Dallas Cowboys Week 8 Grades: Pound The Rock and Dominate

The Dallas Cowboys pulled a Red Wedding on the Chicago Bears at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas this Sunday Afternoon on Fox TV.

Except for a hiccup or two that made it seem more competitive than it really was, the game was beautiful to watch. Everyone knew who was the better football team.

Tony Pollard was fantastic right out the gates. Kellen Moore continues his evolution as a smart play caller, resisting the urge to be needlessly cute.

Dallas Cowboys Week 8 Grades: Run Offense

The Dallas Cowboys set the tone of the game early. Tony Pollard came storming out the gates and never let up. He was physical, explosive, and precise. He finished the day with 131 yards on the ground and TD runs of 7, 18 and 54 yards.

Dak Prescott joined the rush party with two big runs, including his own 7-yard score. The Dallas Cowboys rushed for an even 200 yards and a 6.9 yards per carry for 4 TDs.

Grade: A

Dallas Cowboys pass offense

Dak Prescott was firing on all cylinders. He was in a grove and never lost it. Prescott completed 21-27 for 250 yards with two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 114.5.

The interception before the half was big. It allowed the Chicago Bears to capture some momentum, providing a spark of hope for a team that was outmatched.

Prescott’s 30-yard completion to Dalton Schultz was his longest pass play.

Grade: A

Dallas Cowboys run defense

The Chicago Bears run game is nasty. It is punishing, manipulative and fits the talents of Justin Fields as he continues to develop as a passer. This was the Bears third straight game rushing for over 200 yards. They gained 240 yards with a 5.6 average per carry, and 2 touchdowns.

The defensive ends had a rough day and DeMarcus Lawrence, in particular, failed to defend outside containment. He would continue to defend the running back and quarterback on every read-option play. The Eagles are taking notes, so Dan Quinn’s unit will have to clean it up.

Grade: D

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Dallas Cowboys pass defense

The Cowboys yielded little through the air. They continue to stuff the sack sheet with four sacks and they would have doubled that if not for Justin Fields’ uncanny ability to escape danger.
Fields created his share of big plays with his arm. Tossing two touchdowns, too.

The highlight of the day was the Micah Parsons fumble return for a touchdown. A fumble caused by the strip tackle by Leighton Vander Esch, who continues to play good football no matter what Cowboys Twitter might think.

Grade: B

Dallas Cowboys special teams

Brett Maher remained money but the special teams were quiet today because the Cowboys were sensational on 3rd down today.

GRADE: B

Dallas Cowboys coaching

Mike McCarthy continues to show why he’s the man for this job. His team plays hard for him. When was the last time the Dallas Cowboys won under adverse conditions? When was the last time Dallas Cowboys had actual player development beyond the 1st two rounds? Mike McCarthy continues to do an incredible job as the undisputed leader of this football team.

Today, Kellen Moore called his best game as the offensive coordinator as the Cowboys scored on their first four drives. It was like stealing. Moore was fantastic, mixing run and pass. He had the Bears on their heels right from the first series.

Dan Quinn’s unit had some issues in the running game. I did like what I saw from big boy Johnathan Hankins. He can take a lot of space.

GRADE: B

Overall

The Dallas Cowboys were as kind as House Frey today. At the end of the first half, the momentum shifted.  In the second half, Dallas put the Chicago Bears in their place. Letting them know who was the better team. The Dallas Cowboys are in great shape, heading into their bye week. They can rest, heal up, and reset.