NFL News & Analysis

DAL-GB grades: Aaron Rodgers earns poor grade in loss to Cowboys

at Lambeau Field on October 16, 2016 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Dallas Cowboys 30, Green Bay Packers 16

Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from the Dallas Cowboys' 30-16 Week 6 road win over the Green Bay Packers:

 

Dallas Cowboys

Quarterback grade: Dak Prescott, 66.4

Prescott’s production came to his right side

Dak Prescott played well overall against Green Bay, but his performance dipped noticeably under pressure. With a clean pocket, Prescott’s QB rating was 137.5, but it fell to 51.0 when he was pressured. Interestingly, Prescott targeted nine throws outside the right numbers against the Packers, and he completed all nine of them for 134 yards and all three of his touchdowns. That included 2 deep passes targeted beyond 20 yards downfield.

dak-prescott-under-pressureTop offensive grades:

RB Ezekiel Elliott, 85.3

WR Cole Beasley, 81.9

C Travis Frederick, 80.7

OT Tyron Smith, 80.3

TE Jason Witten, 79.4

Elliott keeps the Cowboys ground game productive yet again

Ezekiel Elliott had yet another productive rushing performance for the Cowboys. Elliott is fortunate to run behind a good offensive line, but he is also creating plays himself. Elliott forced four missed tackles and had 98 rushing yards after contact against the Packers. Slot receiver Cole Beasley literally caught everything thrown his way against Packers. Beasley was targeted six times and caught all six. Beasley was also getting it done with his legs, as 59 of his 65 receiving yards came after the catch.

Top defensive grades:

ED David Irving, 87.9

S Barry Church, 86.1

S Byron Jones, 78.9

CB Morris Claiborne, 78.0

LB Justin Durant, 77.9

Cowboys' defensive performance pivotal in pulling out road win

David Irving was the highest graded Cowboys’ defender even though he played only played 19 snaps for the game. Irving made a huge impact in those 19 snaps, as he batted one pass and nabbed two sacks of Aaron Rodgers. Cornerback Morris Claiborne was thrown at four times by Aaron Rodgers, and he allowed two catches for 22 yards and only gave up three yards after the catch.

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback grade: Aaron Rodgers, 37.8

Aaron Rodgers earns Green Bay’s lowest offensive grade

Aaron Rodgers was the Packers' lowest-graded offensive player against the Cowboys. On the stat sheet, Rodgers' numbers don’t look all that bad, as he completed an impressive 31 of 42 passes, had one TD and one INT, and his QB rating of 90.7 wasn’t terrible. However, Rodgers had a pretty rough stretch of play that featured a bad interception, a fumble in the pocket and also a missed thrown on what would have been a wide-open touchdown.

Top offensive grades:

T Bryan Bulaga, 83.3

T David Bakhtiari, 81.7

T Jason Spriggs, 76.0

FB Aaron Ripowski, 75.3

G Lane Taylor, 74.4

Packers' playmakers struggle to score against the Cowboys

Running back Eddie Lacy forced an impressive four missed tackles on 17 carries, and 39 of his 65 yards came after contact. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson caught six of eight targets for 80 yards, but only seven yards came after the catch. Ty Montgomery is the wideout the Packers offense turned to in order to generate yards after the catch, as 76 of his 98 receiving yards came after he secured the pass.

Top defensive grades:

ED Julius Peppers, 82.6

S Morgan Burnett, 81.1

ED Datone Jones, 79.5

LB Blake Martinez, 76.9

DI Mike Daniels, 75.7

Peppers is still a disruptive presence

Julius Peppers was the Packers' most productive pass-rusher against the Cowboys. Peppers generated one sack and two hurries on only 18 pass-rush snaps. Datone Jones contributed two QB hurries on 13 rushes, and also added four run stops.

PFF Game-Ball Winner: Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys

PFF’s player grading process includes multiple reviews, which may change the grade initially published in order to increase its accuracy. Learn more about how we grade and access grades for every player through each week of the NFL season by subscribing to Player Grades.

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