The Dallas Cowboys' Week 13 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts was a tense, nail-biter… for three quarters. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys absolutely exploded, putting up 33 points and turning the game from a 21-19 contest to a 54-19 laugher. After the incredible late-game outburst in this Cowboys-Colts game, let’s take a look at some Week 13 Cowboys grades.
Passing offense:
The Cowboys' Week 13 grade for the passing offense takes some hits simply because the team didn’t need this aspect of their game all that much. Dak Prescott was an efficient 20-of-30 for 170 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
CeeDee Lamb also gets kudos here for his five grabs for 71 yards and a TD. Lamb gets a ton of credit for a heads-up play on the touchdown, but it was a little lucky he didn’t hit the ground on the Colts' tackle and was able to keep running for the end zone.
CeeDee keeps running for the TD! @_CeeDeeThree
📺: #INDvsDAL on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/l6eZ8mVvcp pic.twitter.com/oHNv0aERHN— NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2022
Overall, the passing game was fine, but in the end, if you don’t pass for at least 200 yards, you can’t get into the “A” category.
Grade: B+
Rushing offense:
In the 2022 Cowboys season, the team will ultimately go as far as Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard will carry them. The duo is the best 1-2 punch in the NFL, and they abused the defense in the Cowboys-Colts blowout.
As per usual, Pollard was the better, more dangerous back, rushing for 91 yards and two TDs on just 12 carries. However, Elliott played his role to perfection, too. His 77 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries wore down the defense and moved the chains on short yardage.
This was Tony Pollard's fifth touchdown this season of 30 or more yards. pic.twitter.com/82VQ4TX1cU
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) December 5, 2022
When a team’s overall rushing line is 34 carries, 220 yards, and four touchdowns on the ground, there is no way not to give an incredibly high mark, which is why the Cowboys' grade for rushing offense is as high as it gets.
Grade: A+
Passing defense:
Like with most of these Cowboys grades, you could give one grade for the first three quarters and another (most likely an A+) for the fourth quarter. Since we’re just giving one grade, though, we’ll give the pass defense a solid A.
There were some issues. Rookie Alec Pierce has a nice 86-yard and a touchdown day and Ashton Dulin found himself wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. All that said, the Cowboys' pass defense did what the Cowboys' pass defense does. They pressured the passer, sacking Matt Ryan three times, and got big plays from the secondary, picking off the QB three times, and returning a fumble for a touchdown.
MALIK HOOKER SCOOP N' SCORE
The Cowboys blow the game wide-open 👀pic.twitter.com/NYIo0v9p9X
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 5, 2022
With those types of big-play numbers, the strip and fumble return by Malik Hooker, and holding Ryan to 233 yards, the pass D gets an A.
Grade: A
Rushing defense:
The 2022 version of Jonathan Taylor and the Colts' offensive line pales in comparison to the 2021 models. However, the line is still solid and Taylor is still a beat when he gets rolling. However, the Cowboys’ rush defense held him to 82 yards on 21 carries, which is under 4 yards per attempt. And if you take out Taylor’s one 21-yard run, you’re looking at 61 yards on 20 carries, or 2.8 yards per attempt.
Once the Dallas floodgates opened in the fourth, the Colts had to move away from the run and drop back on nearly every play, so the Cowboys’ rushing D didn’t get to flex its muscles much at the end of the game. Still, it was an excellent effort vs. a quality back.
Grade: A
Special teams:
The lowest Cowboys grade in Week 13 goes to the special teams. They weren’t bad by any means, but they weren’t elite like the rest of the team on Sunday night.
Kicker Brett Maher missed the fifth of his seven extra-point attempts, which isn’t great. Maybe his leg got tired, though, after so many XPAs. And the kickoff coverage wasn’t all that great either. The team gave up six returns for 150 yards to Dallis Flowers (25.0 yards per return) and 62 yards on two attempts to Isaiah Rogers (31.0 yards per return).
The bright side here is that it’s always nice for the coaching staff to have a unit to tighten up after a blowout like Cowboys-Colts.
Grade: B-
Coaching:
On the offensive side, Kellen Moore stuck to the run and pounded the Colts’ defense into submission, and strategically called some great passing plays. On defense, Dan Quinn slowed down Jonathan Taylor and dialed up the pressure on Matt Ryan when necessary.
Plus, as the Cowboys' Week 13 blowout unfolded in the fourth quarter, it meant Mike McCarthy wouldn’t have to make any late-game clock management decisions, which is always a plus.
Grade: A
Overall Cowboys grade: A
Although the 2007 Detroit Lions once did it slightly better, scoring 34 points in the final frame against the Chicago Bears, and the 1925 Chicago Cardinals once put up a 33 spot on the Milwaukee Badgers, the Cowboys' outburst on Sunday was epic and historic. And that gets an A for sure.