The day on the calendar was different, but somehow yesterday felt like the same ‘ol song and dance from the 2015 Dallas Cowboys.
After it was all said and done the scoreboard gave the Buffalo Bills the victory by a margin of 16-6, but it felt like 100-0.
The reason it felt like a hundred point shutout was because the offense of the Dallas Cowboys, shockingly, didn’t show up. Sure there were a few plays that perked our eyebrows and grabbed our attention, but they didn’t show up on the scoreboard and that’s where it matters most.
Offensive issues are no stranger to this team so it’s not like we were caught completely off guard. We’ve, sadly, come to expect very little from that side of the ball and they totally delivered on that expectation.
Come with me down Disgusting Avenue as we break down yesterday’s bleak offensive performance.
Kellen Moore Needed To Do More
The Cowboys turned to the services of Kellen Moore for the first time during last week’s loss at home against the New York Jets. Kellen came in and actually threw a touchdown to Dez Bryant, but he also threw three interceptions.
Moore has a little bit of razzle-dazzle to him that can be exciting to watch… either that or we’ve all just become so numb with quarterback pain after watching Matt Cassel for so long. Either way Moore came out in Buffalo as the starter and wasn’t afraid to throw the ball.
Altogether Kellen threw 31 passes while completing a shockingly low 13 of them for 186 yards. There were no touchdowns, but there was an interception (although it bounced off of the hands of Brice Butler so not 100% Kellen’s fault).
To be totally fair to Kellen you have to consider that Dez Bryant wasn’t out there, so that changes a lot of things. While he didn’t set the world, or the box score, on fire Kellen was unafraid to throw downfield. I like that quality about him.
Kellen also brought to life a certain wide receiver that Cowboys Nation has been pounding the table to see – Brice Butler.
Moore has done enough to earn some serious backup quarterback consideration in my eyes. I am in no way saying that this guy is the future of the Dallas Cowboys, but with the proper time and effort put into him he can be serviceable.
Overall Grade: C+
The Whole 99 Yards
If you read my Bold Predictions for the Bills game then you know that I called for Darren McFadden to have over 100 yards rushing. I was two yards shy!
Run DMC finished with 99 yards on the day off of 19 attempts, giving him a 5.2 yards per carry average.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again – Darren McFadden has been the most consistent piece of the 2015 Dallas Cowboys Offense.
This guy is money in the bank at this point. You can say it’s because of his own natural talent or give all the credit to his Offensive Line (which does feature three Pro Bowlers). At the end of the day Darren McFadden has been worth the move made to get him in every way.
What’s particularly impressive about McFadden’s accomplishments is that he’s doing so in the face of extreme predictability. He had 5.2 yards per carry with Kellen Moore as his quarterback! Everyone out there knows he’s getting the ball and, for whatever reason, he can’t be stopped.
Overall Grade: B+
The Butler Did It
I alluded to Brice Butler earlier, but it’s time to unveil something truly incredible about him concerning yesterday’s game.
Brice Butler led the Dallas Cowboys in receiving yards!
In my Bold Predictions I also called for Brice scoring on a pass of over 30 yards. He did have a 34 yard reception so I wasn’t too far off. I’ll take partial credit.
You know by now that Kellen Moore didn’t light the Bills up, so it’s not like the receivers did either. The biggest positive was Brice’s performance.
Terrance Williams tied Butler in receptions (4) and did go for 62 yards himself; however, it is becoming more and more apparent that Brice Butler is a better receiver than him and this game may have been the exclamation point on that.
Cole Beasley had a nice 25 yard reception that saved a one catch for four yards performance, and James Hanna even caught a pass!
The biggest pass was caught by Jason Witten. With his one catch for 12 yards, Witten caught a pass in his 118th consecutive game… giving him the longest streak in Dallas Cowboys History (he was previously tied with Michael Irvin at 117).
Jason Witten has had some personal highlights in a season that has been largely disappointing for the offense around him, so at least we’re able to celebrate something.
Overall Grade: B-
[signoff author=”rjochoa” source=”fancred”]
What did you think of the Dallas Cowboys Offense on Sunday? Let me know! Comment below, Email me at Roel.Ochoa.Jr@Gmail.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
Kellen Moore's 13 for 31 stats and 186 yards were not very good for a few reasons other than K Moore. There were three completions that were called back for penalties. There were two dropped passes. Kellen Moore threw the ball away about two or three times because of pressure or no one was open. Throwing the ball away can be a good play. There were two passes where the receiver went one way and the pass the other, obviously a miscommunication that I would say was probably the receiver's fault but the coaches will sort this out. Therefore K Moore could have easily been 18 or 20 for 31 and over 200 yards. He had one interception and no sacks. The biggest failure in K Moore's performance was he did not get a touchdown. He came close with a fade in the end zone where the receiver came down out of bounce and also there was another pass that would have set up a possible touchdown but the receiver who had beat the defender went inside and Kellen Moore threw outside. Considering it was K Moore's first start, that the weather conditions were bad, I believe K Moore did okay. He came close to having a good game and winning the game. As Kellen Moore said after the game there are not excuses, they should have scored more points. I think K Moore improved his game a little from the NY Jets game of which they also came close to having a good game and winning the game. K Moore should improve some more against the Redskins.
All of those things are part of the game of football. You can't expect your receivers will catch 100% of the balls, run the right routes 100% of the time, etc.
I expect Moore to be better against a Redskins team with nothing left to play for since they've already clinched the playoffs. His ceiling is still very low.