Tua Tagovailoa Improves To 5-0 Vs. The Patriots As Miami (2-0) Beats New England (0-2) 24-17

 

    The glory days of the Patriots have long since passed by and now, they are just another middling NFL team trying to figure things out year after year. I am not saying that he cannot coach anymore but New England head coach Bill Belichick sure looks and acts his age plus nobody will be mentioning him as one of the top coaches in the league anymore now that Tom Brady is officially retired and never coming back to play for the Pats. The AFC East used to be a cakewalk when the Patriots were on top and now they are struggling to stay out of the basement. They still cannot find a way to beat Miami (2-0) who came to Gillette Stadium this evening for a Sunday Night Football matchup and left with a 24-17 victory that dropped New England to 0-2 for the first time since 2001. Of course, you will remember that they ended up winning the Super Bowl that season-the start of the dynasty-but needless to say, they will not be anywhere close to this year's Super Bowl, only watching it from home like you and I. 

    Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (21-of-30 for 249 yards, TD, INT) is far from one of the top signal-callers in the NFL and yet the Patriots have still never beaten him. The former Alabama star bumped his perfect record to 5-0 vs. Belichick which is tied with former Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell for the best individual mark against Bill. Just like last week's opening 25-20 loss to the Eagles (2-0), another slow start doomed the home team. Forget about the fake comeback too since they trailed 17-3 going into the fourth quarter before briefly making it interesting. In the post-Brady years here, the Pats have struggled against good teams and also in close games. If you cannot consistently win in either of those scenarios, you are not a playoff team and you have to wonder how much longer Belichick deserves to be the head coach/GM. 

    The other Crimson Tide quarterback-Mac Jones (31-for-42 for 231 yards, TD, INT)-in action in his AFC East showdown did not play as well as he did against Philadelphia but that was also a function of New England's running game really struggling. Mac is not good enough on his own to win games when the rest of his team fails to perform at a high level which is why ultimately, they will never win anything of note with him unless they surround him with a 49ers or Eagles style loaded roster. Miami's kicker Jason Sanders had the only points of the dull first quarter-a 23-yard field goal. Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (18 carries, 121 yards, 2 TDs) was the player of the game and he ran for an eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that coupled with a point after from Sanders made it 10-0. The Patriots barely avoided getting shutout on their home field in the first half as rookie kicker Chad Ryland hit a 49-yard field goal (the first of his pro career) to cut it to 10-3 Fins. Miami marched right down the field though and Tua found wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a two-yard touchdown catch with 11 seconds left in the first half. Sanders' PAT made it 17-3 as the Patriots trailed by 14 points at halftime. 

    If you thought that the first quarter was a bore (and oh was it ever!), the third quarter was enough to put anyone but a hardcore Dolphins fan to sleep. Neither team scored in that frame but Jones found his tight end Hunter Henry for a six-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that made it 17-10 Miami after Ryland's point after. Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez-one of their only bright spots so far in 2023-added another play to his personal highlight reel as he picked off Tua for his first career interception. Mostert made it a two-score game yet again though with a 41-yard touchdown run where he was untouched while he sped to the end zone. Sanders' PAT increased Miami's lead to 24-10. New England closed it out with a two-yard touchdown run by Rhamondre Stevenson and a point after by Ryland that made it 24-17 Dolphins late in the fourth quarter. 

    It is silly to call a game in Week 2 or 3 a must-win, however if tonight was not a must-win (and it probably was because only like 10% of NFL teams that start 0-2 ever reach the playoffs), next week's matchup with the Jets (1-1) at Met Life Stadium (1, CBS) is the true test for whether the Patriots should have any sliver of hope for this doomed season or if they need to begin tanking ASAP (which Bill would never allow so close to Don Shula's win record but you catch my drift). New York had Super Bowl aspirations but as you may have heard, Aaron Rodgers tore his Achille's in his fourth play as a Jet, leaving them with Zach Wilson (maybe the worst QB in the NFL) as their starter. He threw three interceptions as New York got blown out 30-10 in Dallas (2-0) this afternoon. The Jets have tons of talent all over the field-unlike the Patriots-but if Belichick and his team cannot beat Wilson then major yikes.  

The Pats Finally Signed A Running Back-Former Cowboys Star Ezekiel Elliott-To A One-Year Deal

 

    For a team that is desperate to get a little juice heading into what looks like another blah regular season, the Patriots at least made things a little more interesting yesterday as reports surfaced that they were signing former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year deal. After showing some interest earlier this summer in the other veteran free agent running backs worth mentioning-Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette-New England settled on Zeke who can earn up to six million dollars in 2023 ($3 million base salary, $1 million signing bonus and up to $2 million via incentives). The Pats already have many other pressing issues-offensive line, wide receiver, quarterback, cornerbacks, etc-but as a backup running back behind their top offensive weapon-Rhamondre Stevenson-Elliott should prove to be valuable assuming that he is not a clown (which can be a challenge for him). 

    In seven seasons with Dallas, Elliott was very good for the most part after he was drafted fourth overall out of Ohio State in 2016. He made the Pro Bowl three times and was an All-Pro once with four 1000-yard rushing seasons including a career-high 1631 in his rookie season. He has also scored 10+ rushing touchdowns in four seasons which was topped by 15 in that incredible rookie campaign. Ezekiel is known for his excellent pass-blocking (something that figures to be much needed with the Patriots' terrible offensive line) but he has shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as well with 32+ catches in five of his seven seasons. We all know that 30-years-old is the magic age when NFL running backs are grounded into dust and Zeke just turned 28 a few weeks ago. 

    So why was he available this deep into the preseason? Dallas released him way back in March and he is coming off of easily his worst pro season: 231 carries, 876 rushing yards (3.8 yards per carry), 12 rushing TDs; 17 catches, 92 receiving yards. The Cowboys have running back Tony Pollard who despite the fact that he is coming off a serious knee injury from last season, the fact is that he is younger and better than Elliott at this time in their respective careers. The only other running backs that the Patriots currently employ are the very uninspiring group of Pierre Strong Jr., Kevin Harris, Ty Montgomery and J.J. Taylor. For that reason alone, signing Elliott or one of the other veterans that I noted was a no-brainer. 

    Fournette was said to be out of shape at his workout with the Pats and you knew that Cook would get the most money since he is the best player of the trio so that is why Elliott signed his contract today and is flying to Green Bay to meet his new team ahead of their joint practices this week and preseason game with the Packers on Saturday night. A few hours after the Elliott news broke yesterday, Cook signed a one-year contract worth up to $8.6 million with the Jets. That seemed like a foregone conclusion from a few weeks ago when Cook made a very public visit to New York's training camp. It is hard not to think that Dalvin chose the Jets over the Patriots since the team in New York is way closer to a championship contender than the one in Foxborough. That is the sad reality of the Elliott signing: it is only a temporary band-aid to make us forget about all the other major holes on this average roster that has all the makings of an 7-10 or 8-9 team. 

In QB Bailey Zappe's First Career NFL Start, The Patriots Blanked The Hapless Lions 29-0

 

    If you are still searching for a legitimate reason to watch the Patriots (2-3 overall, 1-1 at home) this season, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe is quickly becoming a major incentive to tune in as New England beat Detroit (1-4 overall, 0-2 away) 29-0 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in a gorgeous fall day rocking their superb red Pat Patriot throwback uniforms (which they should wear all the time if you ask me). In his first career NFL start (and only his second career NFL game), Zappe was poised and efficient as he went 17-of-21 for 188 yards, a touchdown and an interception (that bounced off of Nelson Agholor's stone hands). It was a classic Bill Belichick game as his defense was perfect with a defensive touchdown, two sacks (both by linebacker Matthew Judon who set a team record with a sack in the first five straight contests of the season), a forced fumble and recovery and another interception by promising rookie cornerback Jack Jones while the Lions were 0-for-6 on fourth down which frankly seems impossible for most other teams. Pats kicker Nick Folk added five field goals and running back Rhamondre Stevenson (25 carries, 161 yards; 2 catches, 14 yards) had a career day after Damien Harris left with a hamstring injury. 

    This result probably reflects more on Detroit's usual ineptitude (whose lovable head coach Dan Campbell is still looking for his first road win in his head coaching career) but then again, any win for New England is a good one in 2022. Furthermore, there are so many average to bad teams in the NFL these days, if you can beat enough of them, you should find yourself in the playoffs (ala the Patriots last season) at the end of the year. Also, while Mac Jones will (likely) remain the starter when he returns from his high ankle sprain, at worst this proves that Zappe is a capable NFL backup quarterback and we finally should have seen the last of Brian Hoyer in a Pats uniform. Quality quarterbacks are the most important commodity that you can have in the NFL so the fact that Zappe can play already is a huge bonus and a boon to New England's scouting department and coaching staff. 

    Folk obviously started the scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 6-0 Pats lead. The play of the game was safety Kyle Dugger's 59-yard scoop-and-score for a touchdown with 3:26 left in the first half. Folk added the PAT and then a 44-yard kick as time expired for a 16-0 halftime advantage. Folk-the clubhouse leader for AFC Special Teams Player of the Week-hit a 37-yard field goal on New England's first drive in the third quarter and late in the frame, Zappe connected with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (game-high 7 catches, 111 yards) for a 24-yard touchdown catch after a blown coverage by Detroit's awful defense. Folk kicked another extra point and closed it out with a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final lopsided margin. 

    Looking ahead, if the Pats can keep getting stable play from their quarterback(s) and the defense continues to be pretty stingy, there are a bunch of possible wins on the horizon. They are at Cleveland (2-3 overall, 1-2 home) on Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) where they will face old friend Jacoby Brissett. Much like the Lions, the Browns are born losers as they proved once again today as they fell 30-28 to the Chargers (3-2) who did everything in their power to giftwrap the game for them. The following week, the Patriots host the Bears (2-3) on Monday Night Football, followed by their first meeting with the Jets (3-2) this season-at the Meadowlands-then they host the Colts (2-2-1), have their bye in Week 10 and get the return meeting with the Jets at Gillette coming out of the break. Clearly, this is not the Pats of old where we can get silly and way too far ahead of ourselves right away. They could lose all of those matchups that I just mentioned so while it is boring and trite, we will just have to wait for next weekend and see if they can come up with another solid gameplan to help Zappe-assuming that Mac is still out-succeed while letting Cleveland puke on themselves enough to give the game away.

One Of The More Underrated Patriots During Their Second Dynasty-RB James White-Quietly Retires

 

    There is a reason that the NFL is sarcastically said to mean Not For Long instead of National Football League. Unless your name is Tom Brady or you are a kicker or punter, your career even if you are very good will probably be over before you know it. We were reminded of that ever-present theme this morning as Patriots running back James White retired after three Super Bowl titles and eight seasons in the league-all here with New England. During both of their dynasties, the Pats have been blessed to have some brilliant pass-catching running backs like Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead and White. Of those guys, Faulk (who is rightfully a Patriots Hall of Famer) seems to get most of the attention. I believe that White also deserves to get plenty of love too since he had some excellent seasons with Brady as well. 

    There is no greatest comeback in NFL history-when New England famously rallied from a 28-3 halftime deficit against Atlanta in Super Bowl 51-without White who probably should have been named the Super Bowl MVP instead of Brady. He scored 20 points all by himself (3 TDs and a 2-point conversion) in the second half and overtime combined including the winning touchdown run to memorably clinch it in the extra session. White was neither big (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) nor exceptionally fast, hence why he lasted until the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2014 when the Patriots snatched him at pick #130. Still, who could have imagined what the running back from the University of Wisconsin would turn into performing in the perfect system for his unique set of skills? 

    After playing together for years, he and Brady seemed to have an innate ability to connect for just enough yardage when New England really needed it on third down. The shelf life of the average NFL running back is quite short but James managed to put together six solid seasons (14+ games) in a row after appearing in only three games in his rookie season. A brutal hip injury last season limited him to only three games and it ultimately spelled the end of his wonderful run with the Patriots. For his career, he finished with 381 catches for 3278 receiving yards and 25 receiving TDs along with 1278 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in the regular season (95 games). In 12 playoff games, he had 59 catches for 506 receiving yards and three receiving TDs along with 146 rushing yards and five rushing TDs. 

    More than anything, he should also be remembered as a team leader (he was named an offensive captain multiple times) who also persevered through an unspeakable tragedy early in the 2020 season when his father was killed in a car accident and his mother was left in critical condition. New England has some quality young running backs right now in Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson but who knows if they'll ever be as clutch or tough as White proved to be? Looking over his stats, my favorite one is that he only fumbled four times in his entire Patriots career in 795 touches! Thanks for all the awesome memories James and enjoy retirement with your wife and kids. 

The Patriots Steamrolled The Hapless Jaguars 50-10 & Clinched A Playoff Spot In The Process

 

    While I take little joy in beating up on one of the worst franchises in American sports, the Patriots (10-6 overall, 4-5 home) desperately needed a win after two tough losses in a row against the Colts (9-7) and Bills (10-6) in the last few weeks. Enter the lambs known as the Jaguars (2-14 overall, 0-8 away) who came to Gillette Stadium this afternoon and got crushed 50-10 by the Pats. With the win, New England clinched a playoff spot and kept alive their faint hopes for a division title. This is the first regular season with 17 games and the Patriots will end the campaign next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) in Miami (8-8) against the Dolphins who were elminated from playoff contention today following a 34-3 drubbing by the Titans (11-5)-who are back on top of the AFC. Buffalo hosts the Jets (4-12) which means it is unlikely that New York will pull off the upset, then again the Jags beat the Bills earlier this season so I guess we can't take almost anything for granted these days in the NFL.

    Seeing No. 1 overall pick rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence (17-of-27 for 193 yards, TD, 3 INTs) look like a puddle was a powerful reminder how much it is all about fit and the situation that you are in when it comes to the NFL. How much better would Lawrence be with the Pats? We'll never know but for now, we feel happy that we have rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-30 for 227 yards, 3 TDs) on our side. New England also has perhaps the best 1-2 combination of running backs in the NFL as rookie Rhamondre Stevenson (19 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs) and Damien Harris (2 TDs) combined for four touchdowns. This being the Pats, of course we also have to talk about an undrafted rookie wide receiver-Kristian Wilkerson-who made his NFL debut and caught not one but two touchdowns while fellow receiver N'Keal "Bust" Harry was a healthy scratch. 

    New England's top two wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 76 yards) and Jakobi Meyers (8 catches, 73 yards, TD) also had nice performances while cornerbacks Myles Bryant and J.C. Jackson along with safety Kyle Dugger each recorded an interception. Like a homecoming game in college football, this one was never remotely competitive. The Patriots were up 7-3 after the first quarter but that became 28-3 at halftime following three touchdowns by the home team in the second quarter. The Pats tacked on 13 more points in the third quarter and they cruised in the last frame by adding nine more points before Jacksonville scored the most garbage time of touchdowns-a 28-yard catch-and-run by running back Dare Ogunbowale-that along with Matthew Wright's PAT cut New England's lead down to 50-10. 

    After three rushing touchdowns last week, Harris fittingly notched the first score in this lopsided contest: a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and kicker Nick Folk added a point after to make it 7-0. The Jags settled for a 29-yard field goal by Wright later in the first quarter. It only took until the second quarter for Jacksonville to look like they didn't want to be there anymore in the cold rain and fog of Foxborough in January. In a little under 11 minutes of game time, New England scored three touchdowns to effectively put it out of reach before halftime. Harris notched a seven-yard touchdown run, Wilkerson caught a six-yard touchdown (his 1st as a pro) and Meyers grabbed a four-yard touchdown with Folk adding three point afters for that 28-3 lead.

    In the third quarter, Wilkerson was left wide open and he caught a 20-yard touchdown (Folk's extra point was blocked) before Stevenson punched in a one-yard touchdown run (Folk's point after was good) after Dugger returned his interception to the Jacksonville one-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Folk hit a 43-yard field goal and Stevenson recorded a six-yard touchdown run (the two-point run conversion failed). The Alabama duo of rookie defensive lineman Christian Barmore and linebacker Dont'a Hightower both took down Lawrence for a sack apiece. This was your classic get right game for the Patriots and all you can hope is that like earlier in the season after they destroyed the Jets (4-12), New England can use this result as a springboard to bigger and better things. They shouldn't need any extra motivation against Miami who beat them in Week 1 at Gillette.  

The Pats Scored 45 (!) Unanswered Points In A 45-7 Drubbing Of The Browns & A Fourth Straight Win

 

    The complete turnaround by the Patriots (6-4 overall, 2-4 home) over the last month has been nothing short of remarkable. This afternoon at Gillette Stadium, Cleveland (5-5 overall, 2-3 away) marched down the field on an impressive opening drive (11 plays, 84 yards, 4:55) and capped it off with a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield (11-of-21 for 73 yards, TD, INT) to tight end Austin Hooper. No sweat, Browns kicker Chase McLaughlin's extra point was the last point of the entire game for Cleveland as New England rattled off 45 consecutive points en route to a throughly impressive 45-7 victory. Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (19-of-23 for 198 yards, 3 TDs) had his best and most efficient game as a pro and New England's defense combiend for five sacks as they won their fourth game in a row. 

    Earlier this season, we wondered if Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was losing his fastball on the sidelines and now, if he keeps this up he has to be considered a front-runner for the NFL Coach of the Year (which would be his 4th, tying Don Shula for the most all-time). More importantly, his team has transformed itself from an afterthought to one of the hottest in the league that seems to get better every week not to mention a legitimate threat in the weak AFC. Tight end Hunter Henry caught two touchdown passes (giving him TD catches in 6 straight games and 8 overall in that time span) and rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (20 carries, 100 yards, 2 TDs; 14 yards receiving) returned from last week's concussion to record a solid performance. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (4 catches, 98 yards, TD; 3 rushes, 43 yards) has also proven to be a valuable weapon for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as he continues to open up what started out as a pretty basic playbook in 2021.   

    This being the Browns, they just had to fall apart in epic fashion. Mayfield hurt his knee which forced his backup Case Keenum to finish the game for him. The two teams' numbers on third down told the entire story as New England was seven-for-nine and Cleveland was one-for-11. Henry caught a third yard touchdown pass from Jones late in the first quarter and Nick Fok's point-after tied it at seven. After Patriots safety Kyle Dugger picked off Mayfield and returned the interception to Cleveland's five-yard line, it took one play for Stevenson to punch it in and give New England a lead that they would never relinquish. Folk's kick made it 14-7 and that quickly became 21-7 after Jones' strike through two defenders to Bourne for a leaping 23-yard touchdown catch. Folk's 38-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in the second quarter handed the Patriots a commanding 24-7 lead at halftime. 

    Stevenson added a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Folk's extra point made it 31-7 in favor of the home team. In the fourth quarter, Henry caught another three-yard touchdown from Jones and Folk hit another point after. Finally, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers ended the highlight reel filled day for the Pats with an 11-yard touchdown catch and run from backup quarterback Brian Hoyer-his first TD catch in the NFL after three long seasons. Folk's sixth point after gave New England its final margain of 45-7. 

    It will be a short week for the Pats as they will travel to Mercedes Benz Stadium for a Thursday Night Football (8:20, Fox) matchup with the Falcons (4-5 overall, 1-3 home). Atlanta had been playing alright until they got smoked 43-3 this afternoon in Dallas (7-2). Did I mention that they have another rookie head coach-the immortal Arthur Smith-for Belchick to beat up on? So yeah, as always anything can happen in the NFL (as proven every week in this crazy year) but you have to like the Patriots' chances to keep their win streak rolling.

You Can Take Sam Darnold Off The Jets But You Cannot Take The Stench Of The Jets Out Of Him

 

    All around the NFL today, weird things happened in Week 9. Tons of upsets occured but not at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon in Charlotte, NC as the Patriots (5-4 overall, 4-0 road) dominated the Panthers (4-5 overall, 2-3 home) 24-6 to win their third straight game for the first time in two years. After it looked for most of the week like backup quarterback P.J. Walker would get the start at quarterback for Carolina, head coach Matt Rhule decided to go with former Jets bust Sam Darnold (16-of-33 for 0 TDs, 3 INTs) and boy oh boy it did not turn out well. In fact, it was a good reminder that Pats head coach Bill Belichick vs. Darnold is one of the locks of the century in the league as New England improved to 4-0 against him while Sam has managed just one touchdown and nine interceptions combined in those four losses.

    This was like a very early Tom Brady game with the Patriots (hear me out) in the sense that our favorite rookie quarterback Mac Jones (12-of-18 for 139 yards, TD, INT) could not have done much less to get the win. Instead, New England relied on a stiff defense and a solid running game that combined for 151 yards. Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey (54 yards receiving, 52 yards rushing) returned for the first time since Week 3 but he did most of his damage in garbage time when the game had long since been decided. Pats rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (62 yards rushing, 44 yards receiving) was having his best performance as a pro before he left with a possible concussion. Another New England running back-Damien Harris-also departed with a head injury in the fourth quarter which meant that good old Brandon Bolden (54 yards rushing, 27 yards receiving) was left to grind the win away. 

    This was far from the most exciting football game that I have ever seen since it was 0-0 after the first quarter and neither team scored in the fourth quarter either. Carolina's kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter (from 39 yards and 49 yards) but those were sandwiched around a three-yard touchdown run by Harris and a five-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Hunter Henry (his 5th game in a row with a TD catch) along with a pair of point afters by kicker Nick Folk. New England led 14-6 at halftime and that became 21-6 midway through the third quarter as Darnold made a horrific mistake by throwing a pick-six (that went 88 yards!), the first of Jackson's career. The free-agent-to-be earned some more money thanks entirely to Darnold who forced another pass into the end zone where Jackson was able to snag it. Linebacker Jamie Collins also made a spectacular interception by jumping up at the line of scrimmage right as Darnold tried to fire the ball over the middle and linebacker Matthew Judon added yet another sack to his impressive total. Folk's 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter turned out to be the last points of the contest. 

    The Patriots will host the Browns (5-4) next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium where New England has surprisingly struggled in 2021 by going 1-4. Cleveland embarrassed the Bengals (5-4) 41-16 today in Cincinnati. Former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. goes on waivers tomorrow and if he goes unclaimed, he would be a free agent on Tuesday. I mention that because I would not be shocked to see Belichick take a chance on him for the rest of the season. The Pats are far from a great team and they still have many needs but you wonder what adding such a volatile personality would do to the mix. Still, their receiver group is pretty weak and guys with Beckham's talent (assuming that he's not completely washed up at this juncture of his career) are hard to come by particularly when Bill cannot draft them to save his life. I mention all of this because it should be a competitive game to begin with and adding Odell to the situation would make it even more fascinating. We shall see what happens over the next few days but thankfully, the Patriots should be a playoff team this season and who knows, maybe they could even push the Bills (5-3) for the AFC East title after Buffalo somehow fell 9-6 at Jacksonville (2-6) today. New England still has both meetings with the Bills left to play. 

The Pats Came Close Again But Couldn't Beat A Good Team As They Fell 35-29 In OT Vs. Dallas

 

    The Patriots (2-4 overall, 0-4 home) had another great opportunity to beat one of the better teams in the NFL this evening at Gillette Stadium but just like the Bucs (5-1) game two weeks ago, they came up short as they lost 35-29 in overtime to the Cowboys (5-1 overall, 2-1 away). In many ways, it would have been a miracle if Pats head coach Bill Belichick and his team had found a way to pull this one out since Dallas is clearly a more talented and much deeper team. The Cowboys recorded nearly twice as many first downs (32-17), they totalled over 200 more yards (567-335), held the ball for over 12 more minutes than the home team (39:17-26:51) and ran a whopping 32 more plays (82-50). So why the hell wasn't this an easy blowout win for America's Team? That was mostly because they were called for an absurd amount of penalties (12 for 115 yards) and they had two backbreaking turnovers in the red zone. 

    Much like the Tampa showdown, I don't think many logical people believed this would be all that competitive so kudos to the Patriots for almost pulling this off. Still, how many times can we pat them on the head for a close loss? This was already the third time this season that they have lost by one score.  That gets old really fast, especially when you have a chance to win in overtime only to stall on your lone drive and have Dallas' star quarterback Dak Prescott (36-of-51 for 445 yards, 3 TDs, INT) hit his speedy receiver CeeDee Lamb (9 catches, 149 yards, 2 TDs) with a walk-off 35-yard touchdown pass. 

    The end of the fourth quarter was insane as the Cowboys looked to have it sealed when their outstanding young cornerback Trevon Diggs (brother of Bills WR Stefon) picked off Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones (15-of-21 for 229 yards, 2 TDs, INT) and ran the pick-6 back 42 yards to put Dallas ahead 26-21 (they failed on the 2-point conversion) with 2:27 left in regulation. However, on the next play Jones hit New England receiver Kendrick Bourne for a 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run. The Pats got the two-point conversion as well with Jones finding wideout Jakobi Meyers on the goal-line. The issue at that point was that there was too much time remaining and the Patriots' defense was completely gassed. Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein had missed an early field goal but he was nails on a 49-yard attempt with 20 seconds left to go that tied it at 29. 

    This is the first time since 1993 (aka Bill Parcells' first year in charge here) that the Patriots have started 0-4 at home. In the past (mostly because they had Tom Brady), this would have been a game that they would have stolen. They scored first and led 14-7 after the first quarter and 14-10 at halftime. New England running back Damien Harris (18 carries, 101 yards) held onto the ball this week and he had a four-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 with kicker Nick Folk's extra point. Prescott and the Cowboys answered as he found tight end Blake Jarwin with a one-yard touchdown pass on a simple play action fake. Zuerlein's point after tied it at seven but New England went ahead 14-7 on the following drive: tight end Hunter Henry caught a touchdown for the third week in a row, this time from 20 yards out and Folk's PAT made it 14-7 in favor of the good guys. The only points in the second quarter was a 30-yard field goal by Zuerlein. Prescott fumbled on the goal-line when he dove on a quarterback sneak but Pats linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley knocked the ball free and fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy recovered it. Earlier in the frame, safety Kyle Dugger grabbed his first career interception after cornerback Justin Bethel deflected the pass intended for Dallas receiver Cedrick Wilson in the end zone. 

    Dallas took their first lead in the third quarter when Dak found Lamb for a pretty one-yard fade to the corner. Zuerlein's point after gave the Cowboys a 17-14 advantage which they took into the fourth quarter. Zuerlein's 45-yard field goal put the Cowboys up 20-14 early in the final stanza but Patriots rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson rumbled in for a one-yard touchdown run that staked his club to a 21-20 lead thanks to Folk's PAT. Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory sacked Jones twice and nearly killed him both times since he basically got to him untouched. New England's offensive line continues to be a nightmare.  

    The Patriots should finally get that first home win of 2021 next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) as they host the Jets (1-4) who they beat 25-6 at MetLife Stadium in Week 2. Honestly though, will that prove anything? So far, the Jets and Texans (1-5) are the only teams they have managed to beat this season. That Week 1 loss to the Dolphins (1-5) looks terrible at this point along with their no-show against the Saints (3-2). The bottom line is that this looks like a non-playoff team for the second season in a row. That does not sound like much but remembering how spoiled we were for 20 years makes this particularly painful. The Patriots were the model franchise in sports for most of those two decades and now they appear to be a rudderless franchise filled with so many aging veterans, bad draft picks and a stubborn old head coach who is obviously nowhere near the same guy without the best quarterback in NFL history on his side.