DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys put on one of their new classic wins in the 38-3 drubbing of the New England Patriots in Week 4. The contest featured an efficient game offensively, while the defense dominated and the special teams chipped in for the victory.
If anyone wanted to see how the Cowboys would bounce back from an ugly performance in last week’s loss, they got a glimpse of what Dallas looks like when their mettle is tested in the win over the Patriots. The defense had three takeaways, scored two touchdowns and quarterback Dak Prescott was near perfect with a completion percentage of over 82% while throwing for 261 yards.
About the only thing that went wrong was the red zone offense, a familiar refrain early in the season. Those woes didn’t come back to haunt the Cowboys like it did last week. Going 1-4 in red zone opportunities won’t win many games, but that’s a problem for another time.
With Dallas beating a Bill Belichick coached team worse than he’d ever been beaten, there’s reason to be optimistic about how the Cowboys rebounded.
During the victory, the Cowboys also ruined the return of former running back Ezekiel Elliott, who totaled just 22 yards on six carries in the game.
The win was a complete team effort, with the defense leading the way as per the blueprint. Yet the offense kicked things off with a Prescott to CeeDee Lamb connection to start the touchdown barrage after the game was tied 3-3 early in the game.
The opening touchdown volley came via a perfectly placed 20-yard throw where Lamb beat the defender quickly and Prescott found his top target. The play came just after the Patriots lost their best defensive back Christian Gonzalez to injury and was without two of their other top cornerbacks. Credit Prescott and the offense for recognizing the mismatch and attacking it right away.
With the lead, the defense took over from there. The unit's first score came courtesy of linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, but the play was made by Dante Fowler. The veteran pass rusher chased New England QB Mac Jones out of the pocket, brought him down and forced a fortuitous fumble. Vander Esch, in the right place at the right time, picked it up and ran it back 11-yards for the touchdown.
After the momentum shifting score, the Cowboys pulled out some trickery on the extra point, having punter and holder Bryan Anger throw for the two-point conversion to defensive lineman Chauncey Golston. It was a beautifully designed play that pushed the teams lead to 15 points.
It took just two possessions later for the defense to put points on the scoreboard again. Jones was driving the Patriots down the field before halftime in the two-minute drill, but he took a few chances too many, throwing across the field in an attempt to move the ball. He was getting away with it too, until he tried it on cornerback DaRon Bland, who made him pay.
Bland broke on the errant pass coming across the field, intercepted it, and ran it back 54-yards for the touchdown. The turnover came just a few plays after Bland was close to having a pick-six, but the second-year CB made sure he didn’t miss the second time around. The second defensive touchdown for the Cowboys felt like it broke the Patriots and Jones. Dallas was up 28-3 at the half and Jones was eventually replaced due to ineffectiveness.
Bland got his second interception of the game on the Patriots’ first series of the third quarter, giving him three picks on the season. The contest was essentially sealed on the interception.
The defense was the story, but the offense remained steady, despite not producing many big plays. Prescott operated Mike McCarthy’s new Texas Coast offense proficiently and continues to help convert on third downs at a healthy pace. Against the Patriots, the Cowboys successfully converted on 53% of their third downs. Prescott managing to keep drives alive and the offense keeping the defense fresh on the sidelines is a nightmare scenario for opposing teams.
This is the recipe for success in Dallas. Play ball control on offense – the Cowboys had a 10-plus minute advantage in time of possession – play efficiently on offense with quick, high percentage passes, get a lead, then have the defense tee off on quarterbacks to pressure them into turnovers.
That’s the strategy that gave the Cowboys their third blowout win on the season, and it was executed to near perfection against the Patriots. The Week 4 win demonstrated that it will take more than just one bad game to sink these Dallas Cowboys.
Do you think the Cowboys are back on track after their big Week 4 win? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
