Week 12 stock watch: Patriots outlast the Cowboys at home

The New England Patriots improved to 10-1 after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at home, in what was another low-scoring game dominated by defense.

The New England Patriots found themselves in yet another slugfest in Week 12 versus the Dallas Cowboys. They were able to survive what was another close game, winning 13-9. The Patriots remain atop the AFC standings after their latest victory.

The rainy and windy conditions on Sunday made this a tough task for New England’s offense.

Although they continue to be unable to consistently put drives together, they did flash at times. It is also worth noting that while they were fortunate enough to have Isaiah Wynn return at left tackle, they were without two of their top three receivers with Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu both inactive for this matchup.

Defensively, it was another impressive outing from New England and “the Boogeymen.” They held one of the better offensive attacks in the NFL to zero touchdowns and just nine points. The defense may have been aided by a couple of controversial tripping penalties, but that shouldn’t take away from their stellar performance against the Cowboys.

The Patriots played well enough in all three phases to get a home victory over the Cowboys. That said, there are several key areas that they need to improve upon as the season draws to an end.

Here are the top takeaways from Week 12:

Stock Up

Stephon Gilmore

The 2018 All-Pro had one of the best games of his career against Dallas. He was tasked with shadowing Amari Cooper for most of this contest, and Gilmore held him to zero catches all evening… and even hauled in his fourth interception of the year as well.

Gilmore has essentially solidified himself as the best corner in football during his 2019 campaign. The eighth-year cornerback is even among the favorites to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. He is having an incredible season, and will look to continue that in Week 13 when he and the Patriots take on DeAndre Hopkins and the Houston Texans.

Matthew Slater

The special teams maestro was responsible for one of the biggest plays of the game. Slater blocked a punt late in the first quarter that gave New England the ball on Dallas’ 12-yard line. This afforded the Patriots a short field and allowed them to score the only touchdown of the day. The seven-time Pro Bowler continues to further his legacy late in his career, and was rewarded for his efforts by being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Julian Edelman, Jakobi Meyers, and N’Keal Harry

The Patriots entered this matchup with just four active receivers. Edelman still appears to be dealing with aches and pains on the field, but he remains the Patriots’ best offensive weapon despite being banged up. He finished the game with eight receptions for 93 yards.

Meyers and Harry stepped up in the absence of Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu. Meyers accounted for four receptions and a career-high 74 yards, and he had a couple of big catches on third down. His fellow first-year receiver also contributed to the Patriots’ win over the Cowboys; while Harry only hauled in one of his four targets, he made it count by scoring a 10-yard touchdown on a back-shoulder fade while being covered by Dallas’ top corner on the play.

Stock Down

James White and Rex Burkhead

One would assume that the Patriots would increase the roles of their two receiving backs in a game where they were missing two of their best receivers, but that wasn’t the case. Although their lack of contributions could be attributed to the offense’s decision to not give them a plethora of touches, they didn’t do much with the opportunities they were given. White and Burkhead combined for just 16 scrimmage yards in Week 12.

Jake Bailey

Bailey has been tremendous in his rookie season with the Patriots, winning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice already this season. However, he did not have one of his better games Sunday against the Cowboys. The first-year punter only had two of his six punts downed inside the 20-yard line versus Dallas.

Offense

Although the offense showed some signs of improvement, both on the ground and through the air, they are still not playing well overall. Even if you grade them on a curve due to the inclement weather, they still left some plays on the field. Their identity on this side of the ball has yet to be determined, and we are now approaching Thanksgiving – which means they are running out of time to figure out ways to improve.