FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots outlasted the Dallas Cowboys 13-9. The Cowboys once again shot themselves in the foot against a top team with penalties, poor coaching in-game adjustments, and critical special team mistakes.
Dallas had seven penalties for 50 yards, were 2-13 in third down efficiency, and were 0-2 in the red zone. Tyron Smith totaled three costly penalties in the ballgame that negated big offensive plays and the special teams unit was sloppy. There were several key fumbles on returns and a blocked punt resulted in the only touchdown of the game for New England. Matthew Slater blocked the punt and Nathan Ebner recovered the ball at Dallas’ 12-yard line. The team capitalized with a 10-yard pass from Tom Brady to N’Keal Harry in the end zone for the touchdown.
The Patriots No.1 ranked defense held the Cowboys’ No.1 ranked offense to three field goals in the ballgame. Stephon Gilmore had a stellar performance matched up man-to-man with Amari Cooper and held him to 0 receptions for 0 yards. Cooper’s big third down conversion catch in the third quarter was taken back by Smith’s holding penalty, and his acrobatic catch in the fourth quarter with 1:49 left on the clock was ruled incomplete.
The Cowboys would have an explosive play/dominant drive and every time it was either negated with a penalty, or the Patriots’ defense anticipated the Cowboys and made a red zone stop. Dallas’ offense had several receiver drops as well as fumbles on returns, but keep in mind weather was a contributing factor. For that reason, the staff made the wise decision to pound away with the running game early in the first quarter. Ezekiel Elliott had three carries for 18 yards combined with a reception for 19 yards. Like always, Belichick made the necessary game adjustments and the trend did not continue much further.
Zeke finished with 21 carries for 86 yards and four receptions for 40 yards. Dak Prescott made 19 of 33 attempts for 212 yards, an interception, and a 64.2 rating.
Defensively, Dallas had an overall solid performance only allowing one touchdown and three third-down conversions out of 14. The unit struggled against Julian Edelman in coverage with his effectiveness at the top of routes, but was able to create consistent pass pressure on Brady. Maliek Collins and Robert Quinn both recorded a sack and quarterback hits (Collins-1, Quinn-3). Jeff Heath and DeMarcus Lawrence also got Brady to the ground with penetration, and Michael Bennett had several immediate tackles in space that resulted in a loss of yardage for New England and forced punts.
The Cowboys had a chance to beat the Patriots but could not take advantage and get in the end zone. The offense got the ball back with 2:38 on the clock but another tripping penalty was called and Cooper was ruled incomplete. The team has all the pieces to the puzzle with a talent filled roster but have yet to beat a team that is a playoff contender. The Cowboys are a better team than their 6-5 record reflects.
