(Editor's Note: Who doesn't love lists? Throughout the season, 'High 5' will provide a top five list for many of the critical topics surrounding the 草莓视频下载入口 2025 season.)
There are several ways for grade-school students to receive a report card over the course of a school year. For some school systems, a six-week report card is provided to present a benchmark for students to gauge their performance before the end of a semester.
Well, the 草莓视频下载入口 have come to the end of their first six weeks of class and have an overall grade of 2-3-1. Not exactly the best start to the semester for head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but also one that has some positives to build on.
Let's split the offense and defense in two, separating the grades by rushing and passing. Then, the special teams unit will receive an overall grade to give us five important elements to this year's team. Here are the five graded elements of the Cowboys 2025 team through the first six weeks of the season:
5. Passing Defense 鈥 F
There should be no surprise here. Dallas has struggled mightily to defend passing attacks from several different offenses. Looking at the film, the Cowboys have allowed career days to quarterbacks like Caleb Williams, Russell Wilson, Jordan Love, and Bryce Young. Then when you turn to the numbers, they rank dead last in passing yards per game allowed (269.5) and next-to-last in yards per pass (7.6).
Many things can be given blame for the poor start, but the lack of pass rush and lack of takeaways are two of the key contributors. Dallas has registered only 11 sacks on the season, which ranks bottom 10 in the league. Plus, they've only accounted for four takeaways on the year, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Find some more success in those two categories and the grade can certainly improve.
4. Rushing Defense 鈥 D+
Though it started with some promise to begin the year, the last few weeks have shown that the run defense hasn't been solved entirely. New York's Breece Hall ran for 113 yards and 8.1 yards per carry, while Carolina's Rico Dowdle ran for 183 yards at 6.1 yards per tote.
Entering Week 7, Dallas ranks 29th in rushing yards per game allowed (142.2) and 24th in yards per carry on average (4.7). Last season Dallas ranked 29th in run defense and 30th in yards per carry. So, despite an encouraging start to the year, the overall performance in stopping the run has left much to be desired.
3. Rushing Offense 鈥 B-
It's hard to tell the story of the Cowboys 2025 season without mentioning Javonte Williams and his early impact. He's come in and done a marvelous job of taking most of the running back workload. His five rushing touchdowns is tied for third in the league with James Cook and Cam Skattebo, two other great stories from this season.
However, there is still room to grow, especially after being held to 31 yards rushing in Week 6 against the Panthers. Dallas has rarely found success with anyone outside of Williams running the football. With Miles Sanders out for the rest of the season, the Cowboys' next three rushing leaders are Dak Prescott (49), Ryan Flournoy (25) and KaVontae Turpin (23).
2. Special Teams 鈥 B+
Over the past few seasons, Dallas has boasted the best special teams unit in football with Brandon Aubrey, KaVontae Turpin, and Bryan Anger all making headlines. They've had a great start to the year, especially in the place-kicking category. Aubrey has continued his dominance from everywhere on the field and is 12-for-12 on field goal attempts, including four makes from beyond 50 yards.
Anger currently ranks 17th in punting yards, and his longest punt of the year is 60 yards, which ranks 24th in the NFL this year. With Turpin missing time, and a middle-of-the-pack year from Anger so far, it's hard to put this group in the 'A' category, but they aren't very far off either.
1. Passing Offense 鈥 A
Prior to the season, it would be unfathomable that the Cowboys' passing attack has become as productive as they are. Envisioning a revolving door on the offensive line and CeeDee Lamb missing nearly four full games with an injury, there probably wouldn't be a ton of hope around this offense carrying the load.
However, the performance of Dak Prescott, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson has elevated the unit to an elite level, even with injuries to the depth of the offense around. Schottenheimer deserves a lot of credit too. His play calling has elevated his quarterback's style of play and given the Cowboys a chance to remain alive in the playoff push. Only reason it's not an A+, is they're second in passing yards per game, and could get even better with CeeDee Lamb's eventual return.
