Musket Fire
FanSided

New England Patriots 4 Downs Preview: Week 12 vs Dallas Cowboys

By Michael Perry

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 11: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass during the second half of the NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. The Patriots defeated the Cowboys 30-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 11: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass during the second half of the NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. The Patriots defeated the Cowboys 30-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 17: Ezekiel Elliott #21 and Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 17, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Dallas defeated Detroit 35-27. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 17: Ezekiel Elliott #21 and Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 17, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Dallas defeated Detroit 35-27. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

3rd Down: Defense can’t let Dak and Zeke expose them

Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Patriots defense was playing on a historic level that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. Then they faced the Ravens, and that defense was exposed – and exposed badly.

Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram ran all night and all over the Patriots defense and really threw them off their game. This game sent a message to the rest of the Patriots’ opponents that if you want to beat this team – especially their defense – the weakness might be in run defense. Plus it keeps Tom Brady and the New England offense on the sideline… which never hurts either.

The Dallas Cowboys certainly have the running back to get the job done Sunday in Ezekiel Elliott, who is one of the game’s best. Dak Prescott is known for his arm, but if gets out of the pocket, he is just as dangerous with his legs too. These are the two best players on the Cowboys, and if the New England defense doesn’t do a good job in keeping them contained, the Patriots could be in store for their second loss of the season.

The responsibility will fall on the secondary… which could be a bit of a surprise to a lot of the readers. The Cowboys have one of the best passing offenses in the league, and the Patriots secondary is one of the league’s best as well. Bill Belichick loves to take away a team’s strength, and the passing offense of the Cowboys is their strength.

If the Patriots can take away this passing game and Prescott in the process, they can make them one-dimensional and force them to run the ball. Now they can focus all their attention on Elliott and stack the box to keep the running game at bay instead of having to worry about Elliott running the ball and then Prescott dropping back to pass 30 or 40 times.

Home/Patriots News