They work extra cowboys to win

It was not quiet, far from perfect. But the Cowboys emerged unscathed from Gillette Stadium heading into their non-game week, with five straight wins and a division lead of at least three wins.

The Cowboys beat the Patriots 35-29 this Sunday in New England; the first time they’ve been beaten since 1996 and the first time the Cowboys have won five games in a row since Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott were rookies in 2016.

The Cowboys had to be employed in overtime, due to their own mistakes, because for the fourth game the score doesn’t even reflect the broad dominance they had over the Patriots for most of the time.

Prescott threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb to knock the Patriots out.

“It was honestly the best feeling I’ve ever had,” Lamb said.

Almost unbelievably, the Cowboys trailed 14-10 at halftime after generating 235 total yards to the Patriots’ 128 with 41 offensive plays to just 18; in addition to 15 first and 10 against only eight of the locals.

In the end, it was 567 yards, including 465 passing, against 215 totals for New England, who only converted 17 firsts and 10 against Dallas’ 35.

But it seems more and more certain that the only way to stop the offense of this Cowboys team is by themselves, as Lamb himself has reiterated for several weeks.

12 penalties for a 115-yard loss, an interception and a fumble put the Patriots in competition, who also took advantage of defensive oversights to get close.

That included a 76-yard pass from rookie quarteback Mac Jones to Kendrick for a touchdown, just one play after cornerback Trevon Diggs intercepted his seventh pass of the season, his second return for a touchdown, which at the time put the Cowboys on. advantage, which seemed final with 2:27 to be played.

They clearly burned Diggs and safety Damontae Kazee, so the Cowboys had to come back with an impressive nine-play, 40-yard drive that capped off a tying 49-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein, who by the way already another attempt had failed before.

“We were able to show that we didn’t give up on all those tough times,” Prescott said. “We were able to have a chance to win in the end and we did. That speaks to us.”

Prescott is playing at such a high level that he has responded to the suggestions of many analysts who consider him a firm candidate for NFL MVP at this point in the season.

He finished with 445 passing yards; the most the Patriots have accepted since Bill Belichick coached them; Lamb with 149 yards from nine receptions, and Elliot with 119 total yards; 69 per run and 50 per pass.

The Cowboys’ only concern regarding their offense, aside from recurring punishments in particular from left guard Connor Williams, is that Prescott left the stadium wearing a protective boot because he suffered a strained right calf, which will undergo an MRI on Monday.

“I was in a bit of pain,” Prescott explained. “I didn’t like how I felt. I could have played, if I had to.”

“Life continues to hit me and I will continue to return them,” he added. “But I’ll be fine. I promise you.”

On the other side of the ball, it was far from being rookie Micah Parsons’ best game, but Randy Gregory lifted the defense. He had his second straight game of two sacks and any amount of pressure on the quarterback.

And what is perhaps the best note so far in the season for the defense is that they put pressure together, they tackle and above all, they play with energy. They bend but don’t break as easily as they used to.

Even the special teams finally produced something significant. Luke Gifford blocked Dallas’ first punt since 2015

Now the Cowboys have two weeks to go to their next game, in Minnesota, so they will have time to prepare and especially to recover hits, injuries and any damage caused by six very exhausting games they have had.

“This was an excellent win for us,” said coach Mike McCarthy. “They are one of those games where you can actually build. It was a win with complementary football; with offense, defense and special teams.”