The Cowboys may have only lost to the 49ers by six, but those who watched this game know that it was hardly anything to write home about. The game was not entirely without its positives for Dallas, but there was definitely more bad than good. Let’s take a look at some of the best and worst, according to Pro Football Focus.
A few cheers
There was not a whole lot to talk about positively in this game. In fact, there were just five players who posted a grade above 70, which is the borderline for positive play. These are the five who made the cut and deserve some praise.
WR CeeDee Lamb – 90.3
CeeDee Lamb had easily his best game of the year, catching 13 of his 16 targets for 146 yards and two touchdowns. More than half of his receptions went for either a first down or a touchdown, and his 44 yards after the catch led the team.
iDL Osa Odighizuwa – 78.7
It wasn’t an amazing day for Osa Odighizuwa, but he was one of the few Cowboys defenders who played well from start to finish. He generated two stops against the run and posted an 18.5% pass rush win rate, best among Cowboys defensive linemen in this game.
C Cooper Beebe – 77.3
Cooper Beebe had yet another really encouraging game, giving up just one pressure all night and not allowing a single sack or hit on the quarterback. Beebe was also pretty solid in the run game. Additionally, his endless hustle came in clutch when Beebe recovered a fumble to keep the ball with the offense.
LT Tyler Guyton – 73.7
Both rookie linemen had positive performances, though Tyler Guyton struggled a bit more. That’s to be expected going against Nick Bosa some of the time, and it makes Guyton’s four pressures allowed easier to stomach. While he did allow two hits on Dak Prescott, Guyton did not yield a single sack. That’s a good step forward for the rookie.
WR Jalen Tolbert – 70.4
This wasn’t Jalen Tolbert’s best game this year, but it was yet another solid outing for him. That’s been the theme for Tolbert all year: reliability. In this one, he caught all three targets for 44 yards. In a bit of a surprise, Prescott actually had a slightly better passer rating when looking Tolbert’s way than Lamb.
Mostly jeers
There were plenty of poor performances in this game, which means lots of bad grades to go around. Dak Prescott’s 62.1 grade is bad, but it still pales in comparison to these five players.
RT Terence Steele – 49.1
Terence Steele continues to struggle in pass protection. While he gave up as many pressures as Tyler Guyton, Steele’s four pressures allowed resulted in a sack and an interception. Steele actually posted a worse run blocking grade than pass blocking, which is especially concerning given that run blocking is supposed to be his best trait.
RB Dalvin Cook – 53.6
For all the hype around Dalvin Cook being called up from the practice squad, he didn’t really do much. Cook tallied 12 rushing yards on six carries and failed to break any tackles or run for 10+ yards. His longest run was just four yards. Not an impressive night for Cook.
WR KaVontae Turpin – 40.1
The Cowboys clearly felt that KaVontae Turpin could be a factor in this game, as he saw four targets in the passing game with an average depth of target of 25.3 yards. Yet, Turpin only managed to catch one pass for 16 yards, which he then fumbled. One of Turpin’s targets resulted in an interception, while another was a drop on the Cowboys’ final offensive possession. This was not his best night.
S Donovan Wilson – 43.2
Donovan Wilson has quietly been struggling this season, and he popped in this game for all the wrong reasons. The usually stout tackler missed two tackles in this game and allowed receptions on all four of his targets for a total of 102 yards.
EDGE Tyrus Wheat – 34.2
Tyrus Wheat has been forced into a larger role than anyone anticipated because of injuries. Wheat was on the field for 14 pass rush reps in this game and posted a 0.0 pass rush win rate. He’s not the only defensive lineman who did that in this game, though the three who did – Mazi Smith, K.J. Henry, and Linval Joseph – all had fewer reps than him. Either way, this was a bad night for Wheat.
