Matt Cassel made some awful throws against the Giants on Sunday, no question. His second interception was a lame lob to the goal line easily snagged by safety Brandon Meriweather. The third was another stab deep downfield intercepted by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie just after the Cowboys entered Giants territory. To that point, Cassel had thrown seven interceptions since his last touchdown, going back to 2013.
The Cowboys still don’t have a quarterback
The Cowboys’ quarterback situation was in bad shape even before they benched Brandon Weeden for Matt Cassel. After a loss to the Giants, things may be even worse.
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But Cassel’s aggressiveness is, in part, the reason why Dallas switched to him at quarterback, and he helped keep the team in the game with a strong touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter. The Cowboys defense had been doing a good job limiting the Giants so that Cassel’s turnovers didn’t sink the team (Cassel’s first interception was returned for a touchdown). He repaid their efforts by hitting passes of 13, 21 and, finally, 25 yards to tie the game, 20-20, and briefly give Dallas hope.
So it's easy to see the reasoning behind he Cowboys' coaches decision. But Cassel wasn't the reason the Cowboys were able to stay in the game. Much more credit should go to the defense and the running game -- Darren McFadden finished with 152 yards, topping 100 yards for the first time since Week 2 of 2013.
If the question is whether Cassel is better than Weeden, then there is no answer yet. Cassel threw more picks against the Giants than Weeden did in four appearances this season, and Weeden also threw for two scores, completed 72.4 percent of his passes and posted a 92.2 quarterback rating.
Cowboys owner general manager Jerry Jones said after the game that he’s sticking with Cassel, but even he’s unsure of himself.
More Jerry Jones: "If you’re asking me if I’m confident that Cassel can help us win several of the next ballgames, I don’t know that."
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) October 26, 2015 Weeden has the stench of losses in his last 11 starts, the last a 30-6 loss to the Patriots. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they have to decide between two unsavory options, and the decision isn't easy. They haven't won a game this season without Tony Romo at quarterback. Sunday's loss to the Giants was proof that they haven't found a solution yet, however, and at 2-4 after a fourth straight loss with the season approaching its midway mark, they're quickly running out of time to do the right thing.
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