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(CBS DFW) — The Dallas Cowboys person near small uncertainty that they’re the people of the NFC East. With Sunday’s thrashing of the New York Giants, the Cowboys person won 4 consecutive and extended their part lead. Now 4-1, they volition question to Foxborough this play to look the struggling New England Patriots. The Patriots besides improved their grounds to 2-3, though successful decidedly little awesome fashion. Rookie backmost Mac Jones’ precocious touchdown walk to Hunter Henry tied things up with the Houston Texans. He followed that up with an 85-yard thrust that ended successful a last-minute Nick Folk tract extremity for the win.
The Patriots’ triumph helps them support gait with the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills. And Jones’s maturation and enactment has Patriots and their faithful singing his praises. His bloody jersey toward the extremity of the crippled was pugnacious to miss. That the Patriots didn’t amusement up successful the archetypal fractional and needed to come from behind connected the hapless Texans is concerning though. The triumph felt astir similar a loss. It’s beauteous acold from astir beating Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the week prior.
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Jones came retired of Sunday’s triumph with decent capable stats. He went 22-30 for 231 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The interception was bad. But those stats would of improved immoderate had Jakobi Meyers not dropped an casual 35-yard walk conscionable earlier halftime. Henry was his apical receiver, hauling successful six passes for 75 yards. The moving crippled chipped successful 126 yards among the galore who registered astatine slightest 1 carry, though Damien Harris did fumble distant the shot astatine the extremity line. Overall, this mightiness beryllium considered adjacent much of a success, fixed their patchwork violative line, which featured 4 backups successful the starting lineup.
“I would accidental that if I look astatine Mac Jones, oregon immoderate of the rookie quarterbacks, it hasn’t been a beardown season,” said NFL On CBS expert Adam Archuleta. “It’s not rather the Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert amusement that we saw past year. And I deliberation that it shows that rookies person a truly hard clip adjusting to the NFL. But I deliberation it besides shows is that you can’t justice them connected conscionable a fewer games. You truly can’t adjacent justice them successful their archetypal year.”
While the discourtesy showed immoderate agleam spots, the defence allowed Texans backup Davis Mills to look similar a morganatic starter. The portion had astir of its cardinal personnel, but cornerback Jalen Mills. Yet the Texans did arsenic they wished for the archetypal fractional of the game. The Patriots allowed scores connected the Texans’ archetypal 3 drives. Mills ended the time 21-29 for a career-high 312 yards, 3 TDs, and nary interceptions. His passer standing was 141.7. Chris Moore, caller from the signifier squad, caught each 5 of his targets for a career-high 109 yards. But linebacker Matthew Judon did sack Mills doubly to stall 1 first-half drive. And the Patriots defence did unopen down the Texans discourtesy for astir of the 2nd half, allowing Jones to execute a comeback.
The Cowboys discourtesy presents a overmuch stiffer situation for the Patriots’ defence than the Texans’. “It volition beryllium absorbing with nary Stephon Gilmore,” said Archuleta. (The Pats precocious traded cornerback and 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.) “That benignant of changes the dynamic a small spot successful the secondary. But it comes down to we’ve got to sound retired the tally and tin we clasp up? Who is going to triumph astatine the drawback constituent successful one-on-one matchup against the receivers? And I deliberation it’s truly that simple.
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The Dallas discourtesy is averaging 34 points per games, 2nd lone to the Buffalo Bills. Dak Prescott, who missed overmuch of past play and was constricted successful preseason, is playing astatine the apical of his game. His 1,368 yards and 13 touchdowns to day enactment him among the NFL’s top-10 QBs. CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper stay unsafe and productive wideouts. And moving backmost Ezekiel Elliot, who started disconnected the play a small slow, is coming disconnected his 2nd consecutive 100-yard game. He already has 452 yards and 5 TDs connected the crushed this season. Backup Tony Pollard is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
The Cowboys defense, considered a weakness coming into the season, is doing capable to support opposing offenses disconnected the scoreboard. They springiness up plentifulness of yards, particularly successful the passing game. Their 311 passing yards allowed is 2nd worst successful the league. But they besides find a mode to unit turnovers.
According to Archuleta, “Takeaways bash truthful overmuch for you, not lone gives your discourtesy other possessions, but besides conscionable takes the numbers disconnected of your top-line full yards and everything due to the fact that you fundamentally extremity to drive. The play that Trevon Diggs is having, to beryllium capable to instrumentality the shot away, that is huge. So galore defenses who cannot instrumentality the shot away, they fto the thrust extend, and they can’t get disconnected the field. Then the discourtesy gets much chances and past they deterioration down. You person an discourtesy close present — the mode Dak’s playing, and the mode the moving crippled is playing, and they’re operating — that to maine is truly wherever it each starts.”
The Cowboys discourtesy volition look to enactment up a batch of points. And their defence volition look to unit Jones and the Patriots discourtesy into mistakes and turnovers. Can New England support up?
“On paper, the mode the Cowboys are playing, you would accidental not,” said Archuleta. “But I deliberation thing tin happen. It conscionable seems that conscionable arsenic teams commencement to get blistery and it seems similar they can’t beryllium stopped, idiosyncratic comes successful and plays a truly bully crippled against them. We’re approaching that midpoint of the year. So I inactive deliberation thing tin happen. But surely the Cowboys close present are playing astatine a level that, offensively, they look to beryllium very, precise hard to stop. But I wouldn’t enactment it past the Patriots. I inactive deliberation that they person a accidental to enactment unneurotic a beauteous bully crippled plan, support it adjacent and fig retired a mode to travel retired connected top. It’s not gonna beryllium easy, but I bash deliberation it’s possible.”
The Cowboys play the Patriots Sunday, October 17 @ 4:25 p.m. ET connected CBS.
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