FRISCO, Texas – This time there are no excuses… The Cowboys have to go to New England, beat the Patriots and return to The Star in Frisco with a 5-1 record.
They are in the best position they have been in more than two decades to finally defeat the Patriots for the first time since 1996.
They are going to face a team that, although they do not want to admit it, is in frank renovation, which includes a rookie quarterback, who is suffering growing pains, receivers who have little or nothing and a backfield with no names to stand out.
Gone are the times when Tom Brady, Rob Gronkoswski and company waited for them in New England, in a voracious stadium, where the weather never helped much for the cause of Dallas, as happened the most recent time they visited and lost 13- 9 in a very bad game, in the middle of a downpour, with strong winds.
“How can I forget,” running back Zeke Elliott said. “If it looked like we were playing in the middle of a hurricane.”
The Cowboys will come to Gillette Stadium with four straight wins, including the last three at home; an offense, led by Dak Prescott who is playing better than ever in every aspect; a group of five receivers you can trust; tight end Dalton Schultz turned into one of the best in the league, and the backfield that at times seems unstoppable with Elliott at a very high level, with and without the ball in his hands.
“These guys look good,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said at the week. “He’s at the top of the league in passing. I actually mean they’re at the top of the league in everything, so whatever they want to talk about, they’re at the top of that.”
The Cowboys are careful. They know that they are going to face probably the best coach in the league, that he can adjust and that he has precisely his strength in defense, and that although the statistics say otherwise, the Patriots are going to be prepared to play.
The precautions are not for less. The Cowboys have lost six straight games to New England and have never beaten Belichick with the Patriots.
“Two years ago we got there with the number one offense in the league and we failed,” Prescott recalled. “I know I didn’t have a great game. I missed passes with wide receivers and not even the weather that afternoon is justification, even though I ended up playing with gloves. You have to give them credit with the adjustments they made, the defense and some of those guys knew what we were going to do, they got ready. So it will be a good challenge this Sunday. “
The Patriots defense is fifth in yards allowed per game; fourth against the pass; 15 before the race and fifth in points allowed.
But without detracting from them because it is the NFL, their schedule is not that it seems the most complicated either and their only two victories were against the New York Jets and the Houston Texans; both with a 1-4 record.
The Cowboys’ offense is second in yards generated and 11 per pass, as they have not had a need to throw as much, as their running game has been the second-best in the NFL so far and they have two running backs in the top 10. with more yards, Elliott and Tony Pollard.
They average 34 points in their five games, although they are more than 40 in the three most recent.
“I like where we are as a team right now,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “We are playing with balance and that helps in all aspects. When a team can run in this league, many other things are easier.”
On the arm of rookie quarterback Mac Jones they have suffered to move the ball. They are one of the seven worst offenses in yards per game; 19 per pass; 25 per career and one of the seven with the fewest points produced in the league.
Dallas’ defense is not one of the best either, except against the race, which was their “Achilles heel” in 2020. Now they are fifth. And against the pass they allow yards, they are 31, but interceptions are consequently, recovering balls; something that used to be just like a myth in Dallas because it never happened.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs has six interceptions, but is “questionable” because of ankle discomfort, which he suffered since last Sunday.
So the Cowboys have their best chance of trying to get the win and go to their bye week motivated and on a positive note.
“It’s really important to us because of who they were and who they still are,” catcher Amari Cooper said of the Patriots. “They still have the same coach and they are a great challenge for us and for anyone. (Belichick) is really smart and studious. They play differently from the other teams. It’s going to be difficult.”
