NFL Week 7: Dallas Cowboys defeat New York Giants, 31-21

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) appeared to have some success against the Cowboys on Sunday.

(Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

EAST RUTHERFORD — Pro Football Focus isn't the end-all, be-all for professional football grades. But it provides a good reference point that often matches my original impressions. It's also a service used by NFL teams, so it has credibility.

This week, despite the Giants losing 31-21 on the road to the Dallas Cowboys and having almost no visible pass rush, PFF had Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul with a +7.9 grade.

On their grading system, that's an off-the-charts mark. This is the second time this season Pierre-Paul has posted a grade in that range. He received a +9.1 in the Giants' Week 5 win over Atlanta and is the second-ranked 4-3 defensive end this season.

After a +7.9 @PFF grade vs Dallas, Jason Pierre-Paul has the 2 highest single-game grades of any 4-3 DE this season. — Pete Damilatis (@PFF_Pete) October 20, 2014

Much like he has for most of the season, Pierre-Paul graded out well against the run. He was +6.3 against the rush on Sunday, and +1.4 against the pass. And he did it, mostly, against Cowboys Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith.

"He played hard and I thought he played well -- both run and pass," coach Tom Coughlin said. "He was very effective coming in from the backside on some of the runs. His energy level was high and he had outstanding endurance in the game. So if you were to find someone that gave the kind of effort you were looking for and played well, he would certainly be right at the top of the list."

The problem for the Giants appears to have been the rest of the defensive line, aside from tackle Johnathan Hankins (+2.0). Markus Kuhn (-2.8), Mathias Kiwanuka (-2.8), Cullen Jenkins (-2.4), Robert Ayers (-0.6), Damontre Moore (-0.6) and Mike Patterson (-1.6) all posted negative grades.

I'll be reviewing the coaches film some time in the next few days. We'll see if my observations are similar.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was sacked twice in the contest (both times 0by Pierre-Paul) and did not throw an incompletion in the second half. DeMarco Murray also rushed for 128 yards as Dallas compiled 423 total yards of offense.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.