The Patriots head into Week six with a record of 2 wins and 3 losses in the season. An optimist could say that the team could easily be 4-1 if Damien Harris did not fumble the ball while punching in a touchdown against Miami on opening day and if Nick Folk nailed a 56-yard kick in the rain against the Buccaneers. A realist, however, would look at the team’s performance and conclude that the Patriots beat the teams that they should beat like the Jets and Texans. However, when they face any good playoff-caliber team, they fail to make the big plays, turn the ball over, and lose.
If the Patriots are going to restart their playoff appearance streak that they lost last season, they need to start beating good teams, and this Sunday is a prime opportunity at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The fans of America’s team are on a high after seeing their team reel off four consecutive wins to a 4-1 record. The Pats will be looking to build momentum on their comeback victory against the Texans. In this article, we will preview the matchup and make a bold prediction.
1. The Patriots-Mac Jones confidence should be sky-high after engineering his first come from behind victory. One of the big question marks for the team is their running backs. Damien Harris avoided serious injury and is currently day-to-day. If he does not play on Sunday, it would leave a thin group of Rhamondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor, and Brandon Bolden. The group is also suffering from “fumbleitis” which is like walking on eggshells with Coach Belichick. The backup offensive line held up last week, and it will be a boost that two of the four starters could potentially return from the covid List. Look for Josh McDaniels to be balanced on offense by establishing the run and have Jones feast on the play-action fake. Jones will need to be accurate with the football because the Cowboys have an opportunistic defense. They lead the league with ten interceptions, and Trevon Diggs has 6 of them with at least one per game.
2. The Cowboys-through five weeks into the season, Dak Prescott is looking a sure bet for the Comeback Player of the Year and is even in the race for the Most Valuable Player award. Dak is having a tremendous return from the horrific leg injury last season, and the stats support how good he has been for his team. He has completed 73.9% of his passes for 1368 yards with 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions. In Big D, Prescott leads an offensive machine with weapons such as CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Dalton Schultz, and the two-headed monster of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot in the backfield. Bill Belichick will have his hands full scheming how to slow this team down after a horrible first half against the Texans. JC Jackson will need to step up and guide a young secondary with Jalen Mills likely out due to injury. Once again, Matt Judon will have with the assignment of getting after Dak in the pocket.
3. Head to Head History: The two teams have met 13 times in their history. The Cowboys lead Patriots head to head with a 7-6 margin. However, a deeper dive into the numbers show how one side the matchup has proven to be over the years. The Cowboys won the first seven games consecutively between 1971 to 1996. Then, the Patriots have rattled off six consecutive wins between 1999 to 2019.
4. Stats:
i) Despite the big-money signing of Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers is still Mac Jones’ number 1 target. According to Boston Sports Info, Meyers has been targeted 46 times this season which is the most by a Patriots receiver at week five since Julian Edelman’s 57 targets in 2015. At the same pace over a 17 game season, he is likely to be targeted a whopping 156 times.
ii)Diggs streak is historic-If Trevon Diggs gets an interception this week at Gillette Stadium it would tie the NFL record for most consecutive games with an interception which is currently six games. The record is held by three players including the legendary New York Giants’ defender Tom Landry.
5. Bold Prediction-the analysts are picking the Cowboys to win and to do so in a blowout. However, like the Buccaneers offense, many underestimate Belichick’s ability to build a defensive game plan against a potent offense. While the Cowboys’ defense is highly opportunistic, it is not a dominant unit that shuts down the opposition. Mac Jones should be able to move the ball down the field. The key for the Patriots will be to take care of the ball and prevent turnovers. I think if they do, they can win their first home game of the season.
Final score Patriots 28-Cowboys 24