The Dallas Cowboys Week 4 tie with the Green Bay Packers was, in a way, an exaggerated example of the Cowboys profound strength (their offense) and their debilitating weakness (their defense). But, like always, there were highs and lows on both sides of the ball. As a reminder, we’re looking at guys that played a minimum of 20 snaps. 

Top Graded Offensive Player: Dak Prescott, 84.6

There’s really not much left to say about Dak Prescott at this point. He’s been at or near the top of Dallas' offensive grades all year, and this week was no different. 

His 31 completions on 40 attempts for 319 yards, three touchdowns, and zero turnover night isn’t just the best grade on the team. It earned Prescott the second highest PFF grade at his position for the whole league this week, trailing Marcus Mariotta and his 90.4 grade. Of course, Prescott was asked to do much more than Mariotta was. 

The Cowboys defense is such that it’s hard to say the team is a true playoff contender. But, if they are going to perform a miracle and sneak into the postseason, it will be because of Prescott and what he does for the offense week in and week out. 

Lowest Graded Offensive Player: Tyler Guyton, 44.3

I promise this isn’t bullying. Much like Prescott and his high grades, Guyton’s low marks have landed him at or near the bottom of Dallas' offensive report card each week. 

For whatever it's worth, Guyton is making progress. Yes, this is a step back from his 66.7 Week 3 grade, but it’s still not his lowest mark of the season, that being the 39.6 he recorded in Week 2. 

Personally, I believe he’s passing the eye test more and more. His grade this week was likely influenced by Micah Parsons, his main assignment, recording ten pressures. While that’s still impactful, Guyton did prevent Parsons from logging a sack before leaving with a concussion late in the game. 

So, yes, it’s frustrating to see him featured in this article again. But I do personally believe that we’ve seen Guyton at his worst and that, whenever he returns from the aforementioned concussion, we’ll continue to see improvement from the second year player. 

Top Graded Defensive Player: James Houston, 89.3

Cowboy fans have been clamoring for Houston to get more run all year, and this game is a great example of why. While playing a season-high 22 snaps, Houston recorded not just a sack, but a forced fumble that gave Dallas the chance to miraculously enter halftime with a lead. 

Ever since recording eight sacks in seven games as a rookie with the Detroit Lions in 2022, Houston has struggled to stay healthy. Now that he seems fully recovered from a myriad of injuries, it seems like it’s time for the Cowboys to fully unleash the man that could be their best pure pass rusher. 

Lowest Graded Defensive Player: Marist Liufau, 37.2

Much like Houston, Dallas fans have been calling for Liufau to get more snaps. Unlike Houston, though, Liufau showed that he might not be quite ready for an expanded role. 

Yes, he had the spectacular hit on a Matthew Golden punt return. But, he also had a spectacularly late hit on Emmanuel Wilson later in the game that gave the Packers 15 yards and new life on a 4th quarter drive that turned 3rd-and-6 at the 44 to 1st-and-10 at the 29-yard line. 

That inexcusable lapse in judgement, combined with being credited for three missed tackles, shows that while Liufau is physically gifted, he’s simply not reliable enough to have a bigger role.