The Dallas Cowboys hopes of making the playoffs faded dramatically this week after the loss at home against Minnesota. In a game where trench warfare became all too easy for the Vikings, the final result was forged along the lines. How did the rookie class for Dallas perform during the Week 15 clash? Let’s dive in and find out.
OG Tyler Booker
(Game stats- Snaps: 71, Pass Blocks: 41, Pressures: 2, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 0)
Booker’s night against the Vikings came in the middle of a rough outing for the Cowboys’ offense
as a whole, but he again looked like one of the steadier pieces up front. Dallas gave up 19 total pressures and two sacks as a unit. Within that, Booker put up a 65.7 offensive grade for the game, one of the better marks on the Cowboys’ offense and looking more in control than the issues both offensive tackles had during the game.
In pass protection, the story was less about Booker repeatedly losing one-on-one and more about the Vikings’ pressure looks overwhelming Dallas collectively. None of the sacks allowed came from Bookers assignment and individually he allowed only two pressures during the game. With Prescott hurried 14 times on the night, there were inevitably a few snaps where the right side was part of crowded pockets, even if Booker wasn’t the primary culprit on the worst breakdowns.
In the run game, the Cowboys did most of their early damage downhill, and the interior trio of Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe and Booker helped get Javonte Williams and Malik Davis into the end zone from tight red-zone situations before the offense bogged down into field-goal mode. There were no high-profile penalties tied to Booker, which fits his general profile as a relatively clean rookie technician rather than a grabby, boom-or-bust mauler. Taken in total, this was a solid in a bad night performance. The Cowboys’ line was overwhelmed by a defense that generated pressure consistently, but Booker held up reasonably well, continuing to look like a long-term answer at right guard even as the rest of the offense faltered around him, most notably the guy to the right of him.
DE Donovan Ezeiruaku
(Game stats- Snaps: 39, Total Tackles: 2, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)
Ezeiruaku’s night against Minnesota was more about steady work than splash, and it played out against the backdrop of a defense that never really got McCarthy uncomfortable. He logged 39 defensive snaps, one of the heavier workloads on the Dallas front, but finished with just two tackles, one tackle for loss, and no sacks. That tackle for loss came late, when he knifed in to stone Jordan Mason for no gain on a third-quarter run, one of the few snaps where the edge really dented Minnesota’s ground game.
The problem was what happened on all the other downs. As a unit, Dallas produced zero sacks and only ten total pressures on J.J. McCarthy, while allowing him to average 10.4 yards per attempt and post a 108.0 passer rating on a clean jersey, giving the young quarterback a career day. With no direct hits or sacks credited to Ezeiruaku, his impact as a pass rusher was non existent. When Dallas’ team pressure numbers are that low to end a game, it’s hard for any edge to come out of it looking dominant, and the Cowboys’ performance failed to affect the quarterback at all.
In the bigger picture, this game was a big dip in production. Against Detroit and Philadelphia he’d flashed more disruption, but here he was more of a role-player being somewhat sound on edges, one nice stop in the run game, yet swallowed up by a collective pass-rush no-show. The fairest verdict is that Ezeiruaku was competent but largely quiet in a game where Dallas desperately needed their best defensive rookie to effect the field, but Eberflus never really gave him the platform to do it.
CB Shavon Revel Jr.
(Game stats- Snaps: 62, Total Tackles: 6, PBU: 1, INT: 0, TD Allowed: 1, RTG Allowed: 118.3)
Revel played what was probably his most grown-up game so far against Minnesota, even if the night will be remembered more for the defense’s collapse than for anything he did individually. He featured on defense for 54 snaps, matching DaRon Bland for the most on defense for Dallas and effectively making him a full-time outside starter with Trevon Diggs still out. On the stat sheet he finished with five total tackles, plus one recorded run stop, but no interceptions or pass breakups. That came in a game where J.J. McCarthy threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns with a 108.0 rating. With Dallas failing to record a single sack and managed just one quarterback hit, the corners were asked to hold up in coverage for a long time with very little help from the rush.
Revel’s work one the night was steady, but not without issues. With Bland on one side and the rookie on the other, the Cowboys played more man than usual, and the plan against Jefferson largely worked. The Vikings’ star was held to just two catches on eight targets for 22 yards, well under his usual production. Revel had a key third-down moment where he drove on a route, wrapped up short of the sticks and forced a punt, the kind of routine, technically sound play that coaches love from an outside corner.
It wasn’t completely clean from Revel. Revel, along with other corners, got flagged for big penalties during the game, a reflection of how frustrated the entire secondary became once Minnesota started attacking downfield. For a rookie coming off an ACL tear and playing every down in a high-leverage game, the fair verdict is that he played generally well in his primary matchup, even while his penalty and the defense’s overall collapse keep the night from reading as a clean breakout.
LB Shemar James
(Game stats- Snaps: 22, Total Tackles: 2)
*Snap count are all special team snaps*
James didn’t play a single snap on defense against Minnesota, so there isn’t a real defensive sample to evaluate from this game. All of his work came on special teams, where he logged a full workload and produced two stops in coverage. It was exactly the kind of quietly efficient third-phase outing you want from a depth linebacker with no penalties, no glaring mistakes, and a couple of solid finishes in space to help control field position.
DB Alijah Clark
(Game stats- Snaps: 17, Total Tackles: 1)
*Snap count are all special team snaps*
Clark’s night against Minnesota was another pure special-teams shift. He didn’t log any snaps on defense, but he did what he’s on the game-day roster to do by running downfield quickly, making the tackle and staying clean in the third phase. On his full special-teams workload he was credited with one tackle in coverage, a solid open-field finish that helped prevent a longer return.
CB Trikweze Bridges
(Game stats- Snaps: 8, Total Tackles: 0)
*Snap count are all special team snaps*
Bridges’ role against Minnesota was also entirely in the third phase, working as a core special teamer rather than part of the cornerback rotation. On kicks and punts he did the dirty jobs by sprinting as a gunner, squeezing lanes, and helping set the edge on long fields. On a night where Dallas’ issues were mostly about red-zone offense and a defense that couldn’t get off the field, Bridges’ contribution was that of a quiet, assignment-sound special teamer keeping his spot in the game by doing the unglamorous work.
RB Jaydon Blue
Inactive
OT Ajani Cornelius
Inactive
DT Jay Toia
Inactive
RB Phil Mafah
Injured reserve
WR Traeshon Holden
Practice squad
TE Rivaldo Fairweather
Practice squad
LB Justin Barron
Practice squad
