DALLAS COWBOYS VS NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS NFL WEEK 6 PREVIEW
- 3 years ago
FRISCO, Texas – The 4-1 Dallas Cowboys will head Northeast to take on the New England Patriots in Foxborough. The Cowboys have a two-game lead in the NFC East and will strive to continue their win streak on Sunday. Dallas is the last undefeated team against the spread and have scored 35 or more points in three consecutive games. The team has cemented a run of dominance in recent weeks and Week 6 presents a statement game. Here are some storylines ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
Dual Backfield: Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick holds a reputation for taking away what a team does best and forcing an opponent to win “left-handed.” For the Cowboys currently, that is the running game. Dallas has gashed defenses with their one-two punch, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Over the last month in impressive fashion, Dallas has totaled 804 yards on the ground through four games. Defenses have had zero answers for Pollard’s dynamic ability in space and Elliott’s downhill power. On the stat sheet, New England may have the fifth ranked run defense in the league, but that has been against a suspect early-season sample. Both premier backs they faced were Leonard Fournette (138 yards) and Alvin Kamara (118 yards), who were clearly effective. At some point, an opponent is going to try and stop this Cowboys’ sensational rushing attack. Belichick will likely make that his primary focus but by intentionally loading the box, that provides favorable matchups for Dallas’ receivers. Right guard Zack Martin vocalized the team’s approach, “Kellen [Moore] has said from the beginning that we’re an offense that aggressively takes what a defense gives us, so I think we will be ready for whatever they throw out there.”
Aerial Attack: Since throwing 58 times in Week 1, Prescott’s attempts have gone down with the emergence of the run game. As history reveals, the Cowboys’ greatest recipe for success is with the run game intact – as this season testifies to. In year six, Prescott is playing the best football of his career. His pre-snap reads and mastery of defenses is at an elite level in 2021. The Mississippi State product has been blitzed on 39.7% of his dropbacks, the highest rate in the league. In facing the blitz, Prescott is averaging 8.1 yards per pass attempt – a testament of QB1’s growth. New England has not been a heavy-blitz team, a result of the team’s two-gap front. In those instances, players sit and hold the line of scrimmage then react, as opposed to a penetrating one-gap. Given Belichick’s tendencies, there will be a dose of both. Prescott has only thrown the ball 26.8 times per game the last four weeks and that number will likely increase as the Patriots game plan to stop the run. That will provide more targets for Dallas’ wideouts and receiving tight end, Dalton Schultz.
Dual Backfield: Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick holds a reputation for taking away what a team does best and forcing an opponent to win “left-handed.” For the Cowboys currently, that is the running game. Dallas has gashed defenses with their one-two punch, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Over the last month in impressive fashion, Dallas has totaled 804 yards on the ground through four games. Defenses have had zero answers for Pollard’s dynamic ability in space and Elliott’s downhill power. On the stat sheet, New England may have the fifth ranked run defense in the league, but that has been against a suspect early-season sample. Both premier backs they faced were Leonard Fournette (138 yards) and Alvin Kamara (118 yards), who were clearly effective. At some point, an opponent is going to try and stop this Cowboys’ sensational rushing attack. Belichick will likely make that his primary focus but by intentionally loading the box, that provides favorable matchups for Dallas’ receivers. Right guard Zack Martin vocalized the team’s approach, “Kellen [Moore] has said from the beginning that we’re an offense that aggressively takes what a defense gives us, so I think we will be ready for whatever they throw out there.”
Aerial Attack: Since throwing 58 times in Week 1, Prescott’s attempts have gone down with the emergence of the run game. As history reveals, the Cowboys’ greatest recipe for success is with the run game intact – as this season testifies to. In year six, Prescott is playing the best football of his career. His pre-snap reads and mastery of defenses is at an elite level in 2021. The Mississippi State product has been blitzed on 39.7% of his dropbacks, the highest rate in the league. In facing the blitz, Prescott is averaging 8.1 yards per pass attempt – a testament of QB1’s growth. New England has not been a heavy-blitz team, a result of the team’s two-gap front. In those instances, players sit and hold the line of scrimmage then react, as opposed to a penetrating one-gap. Given Belichick’s tendencies, there will be a dose of both. Prescott has only thrown the ball 26.8 times per game the last four weeks and that number will likely increase as the Patriots game plan to stop the run. That will provide more targets for Dallas’ wideouts and receiving tight end, Dalton Schultz.