What we learned about the Patriots in their win over Dallas
The Patriots got a win in Foxboro over the Dallas Cowboys in a game that was a true test for two legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year.
The Patriots and Cowboys faced off in a wet, cold, defensive battle in Foxboro on Sunday in which New England was able to come out on top by a score of 13-9. The Patriots were without Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu and only put up 13 points, but the offense showed flashes of an outside run game that we haven’t seen much of this season.
More from Musket Fire
- What trading Mac Jones during the draft can do for the Patriots
- Best and worst draft picks during the Bill Belichick era
- Early round Patriots draft picks you’ll hate now, love later
- Musket Fire Roundup: Our own final predictions for round 1
- Breaking down the Patriots’ options in the 2023 NFL Draft
We knew the Patriots were going to go with a run-heavy approach to this game due to the 37-degrees-with-rain weather in Gillette Stadium on Sunday, but they opened up the running game a little more due to the return of Isaiah Wynn. Wynn did not have a great game, but has been on the IR since week three and was matched up against one of the best defensive front seven’s in the entire league. But despite it being his first game back, he made an immediate impact. The Patriots ran more off-tackle runs to the left than we’ve seen all year, and found success doing so. This kind of play was completely scratched from the playbook with Marshall Newhouse at left tackle. Sony Michel ran the ball 20 times for 85 yards, which is his third highest total yards all season. It was hard to tell how much of an impact Wynn will have on the offense, but when the playbook is limited due to weather, it is encouraging to see that New England can finally start to rely on the run game more.
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots held the number one ranked offense in the league to nine points and kept them out of the endzone. Again, the weather hindered both offenses, but Dallas has a very high-powered offense and New England was giving them fits. Dak Prescott threw for 212 yards and one interception and Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball for 86 yards. Elliott is in the conversation for being the best running back in football and in a game where weather will force Dallas to run the ball and Zeke doesn’t break 100 yards, I would consider that a win. In the secondary, Stephon Gilmore just continues to prove that he is the best cornerback in football. He completely shut down Amari Cooper, not allowing a single catch on four targets, and even got a very nice interception.
Stephon “Gilly Lock” Gilmore’s coverage stats this season:
11 games
53 targets
19 receptions
36% completion
223 yards
0 touchdowns allowed
4 interceptions
10 PBU
18.04 Passer rating.
The Patriots are now 10-1 and still sit atop of the AFC and now have to prepare to head to Houston to face off against the Texans. Can the defense come through with another great game, or will the offense finally flip the switch and get back to scoring 30 points per game?