Stats on Pats Weekly - "Patriots Round Up Cowboys 48-27"
Article by Raleigh Dugal, southcoast247.com correspondent
So the showdown America expected only lived up to the hype for thirty or so minutes. After Dallas coach Wade Wilson stuck his foot in his mouth and called the Pats' three Super Bowl victories "tainted", Bill Belichick and Co. marched down to Texas to remind the NFC who's boss. Tom Brady tied a franchise record with five TD tosses and WRs Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker racked 260 receiving yards and three TDs between the two of them en route to a 6-0 start for New England. There were a few scary moments, especially when Tom Brady fumbled to surrender a TD recovery and serious momentum to the Dallas defense, but in the end the Cowboys succumbed to a 21 point deficit and New England's high flying pass game.
Naysayers have knocked the Pats' D, pointing to the 27 points Dallas put up and claiming the high powered offense shoulders all of the team's victories. Not so. The new flash-bang receiver corps gets the Pats on the board in a hurry and pumps in the TDs. That equals more possessions for opponents. If you give any team in the NFL enough touches they'll break the plane eventually. I know that might not have been the case on Sunday as they played catch-up to Dallas at the 20+ point mark, but the point is that this is a new kind of team, and we can't expect the defense to work the exact same way.
Veteran RB Sammy Morris is expected to sit for a month after a chest injury, so the Pats' are in the midst of wooing Kevan Barlow into their backfield. Granted, Barlow isn't exactly a package of fireworks, but with their passing game at full speed New England could stick Marion Butts back there and he'd pick up the three yards needed to keep defenders honest. Even rookie RB Kyle Eckel was able to punch one in for a garbage TD in the game's closing minutes. With luck, Maroney will be back soon and the running back chronicles will be moot.
Next week the Pats are pitted against division rival Miami. The Dolphins are experiencing a historically awful year and have no logical footing whatsoever to beat the Patriots, which is exactly why they'll play like they have nothing to lose. I called Cleveland a trap game, and even though I think Miami will play tough I can't do the same here. With Trent Green seeing stars and the ghost of Nick Saban cackling on the sullen sidelines the fish can't expect to thrash around for very long. Look for New England's defense to make its mark with multiple turnovers and a score (or two). As for the offense, we all know what we've come to expect. Let's just hope we don't start taking it for granted. Pats 24, Dolphins 3.
So the showdown America expected only lived up to the hype for thirty or so minutes. After Dallas coach Wade Wilson stuck his foot in his mouth and called the Pats' three Super Bowl victories "tainted", Bill Belichick and Co. marched down to Texas to remind the NFC who's boss. Tom Brady tied a franchise record with five TD tosses and WRs Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker racked 260 receiving yards and three TDs between the two of them en route to a 6-0 start for New England. There were a few scary moments, especially when Tom Brady fumbled to surrender a TD recovery and serious momentum to the Dallas defense, but in the end the Cowboys succumbed to a 21 point deficit and New England's high flying pass game.
