The Dallas Cowboys roller coaster season winds its way to New England, where the 2-2 Cowboys take on the 4-1 New England Patriots this Sunday at 4:15pm ET.
It’s a matchup of the #1 and #3 ranked passing offenses in the league, and while the record certainly favors the Patriots, the game may ultimately be determined by which Tony Romo shows up.
Romo turned in two gutsy performances in their wins over San Francisco and Washington, leading the team from behind in an overtime victory against the 49ers and again against the Redskins, where he virtually willed the team to win on Monday night in a come from behind victory consisting entirely of six TDs.
Last week against the Lions, the Cowboys held a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter when Romo threw two pick-sixes on successive series in a five minute span in the third quarter to let the Lions back in the game, which they ultimately won 34-30.
And as good as the Patriots are, they are ranked last in the league in stopping the pass, so Romo should have a chance to shine in this game.
“I am very proud of the defense,” veteran tackle Vince Wilfork said. “Is everything perfect? No. There are a lot of things we could do better, but I think the penalties are down, we aren’t giving up big plays. We have to continue to grow.”
The opportunity will be there for the Cowboys to move the ball and score points, and they are going to have to as this has the makings of a shootout. The Patriots offense has looked unstoppable, as Tom Brady is having one of his best seasons passing for 1874 yards and 14 TDs in 5 games – that’s an average of 374 yards and almost 3 TDs per game.
Wes Welker is having the best season of any receiver… ever. He has 45 catches for 740 yards and 5 TDs. On a per game basis, that’s 9 catches and 148 yards per game, putting him on pace for 144 catches for 2368 yards, which would shatter the NFL record.
The Patriots’ first ranked offense will be facing a tough Cowboys defense coached by Rob Ryan, which is ranked first at stopping the run (62 yards per game) and 14th at stopping the pass. They will likely force Brady to pass and do everything they can to break up his rhythm.
OT Logan Mankins said of Ryan, “He thinks outside the box. He always has something dialed up when he plays a team.”
Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware will be looking to apply the pressure, as he has five sacks already this year. “He can get after a quarterback as good as anyone we play,” Brady said.
This looks to be a hard fought game between two great offenses, and two great defensive-minded coaches in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. If Romo the hero shows up, the Cowboys could pull this one out, but the safe money is to always go with Tom Brady in a shootout.
