The Dallas Cowboys are on the road to redemption as they are now 3-1 and made a statement win, beating the New England Patriots 38-3 in their Week 4 matchup.
Highlights From the Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots
- CeeDee Lamb became the Cowboys’ first receiver of the 2023 season to score a touchdown.
Dak and CeeDee for 6️⃣, like they've done so many times before 🎯
📺: #NEvsDAL on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/OzHihEcYvq
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
- Leighton Vander Esch had a scoop and score for his first career touchdown.
Leighton Vander Esch picks up the loose ball and scores!
📺: #NEvsDAL on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/tak5vVAE8f
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
- The Cowboys faked a field-goal attempt after the scoop and score for a successful trick play for two extra points.
Fake extra-point, DL Chauncey Golston TD catch from punter Bryan Anger
Cowboys 18, Patriots 3 pic.twitter.com/n3IBQt75Df
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 1, 2023
- DaRon Bland was anything but bland, as he got his first career pick-six and two total interceptions for the day.
DaRon Bland pick-six! 2nd defensive TD of the half for the @DallasCowboys 🤠
📺: #NEvsDAL on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/W6WY0IXjZJ
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
Dallas’ Defense is Back
After an uncharacteristic showing for Dan Quinn’s defense in Week 3, the team wanted to pave their road to redemption.
A large part of last week’s issue was the lack of big plays from the Cowboys’ defense. Within the first half of this game, the defense was responsible for 14 of the team’s 38 points.
Dallas held Mac Jones to 150 passing yards, a 57.1 completion percentage, and two interceptions before the Patriots pulled him out of the game.
It seems that the run defense was not an issue this week, as New England only had 53 total rushing yards. But the Patriots didn’t establish enough of a run game to test the Cowboys’ run defense. However, this was a magnified issue last week with the lack of big plays.
Since the team had 53 total rushing yards and abandoned the run, the run defense wasn’t being questioned as much, especially since they only held the Patriots to three points the entire game.
Cowboys’ Offense’s Red-Zone Kryptonite
Although the offense scored two touchdowns for the day, only one was scored from the red zone, which came from a three-yard rush from Hunter Luepke for his first NFL touchdown.
Hunter Luepke scores his first career touchdown in the NFL! 👏@dallascowboys continue their domination 💪 pic.twitter.com/1QUQn0TaDW
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 1, 2023
With the Cowboys’ domination during the game, it’s hard to complain about a final score of 38-3. However, the issue with Dallas’ offense getting shut down in the red zone is a lingering issue that can put a nail in the coffin against the right opponent.
With the Cowboys facing the San Francisco 49ers next week, this will be a make-or-break for the team’s success early on if it still needs to be corrected as the season continues.
Offensive Line’s Health Is Vital
The Cowboys have not had its starting offensive line all season because of the injuries that have popped up before Week 1.
This week, Tyron Smith was the only starter who did not play, and Chuma Edoga took his snaps at left tackle.
MORE: Micah Parsons Injury Update
However, with Zack Martin and Tyler Biadiasz returning this week, there was a clear difference in the pass protection they gave Dak Prescott compared to last week when they were inactive.
However, the offensive line allowed three sacks on Prescott, so the number of sacks within a game can be even lower with more work and continuity building up with the line.
Overall, it was a solid performance from all three phases of the game.