Dallas Cowboys: Midseason predictions and playoff cautionary tales
By Richard Ball
Week 12 – Cowboys at Patriots
In their biggest challenge of the season, Dallas will visit Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots in Week Twelve. The Cowboys will need to play a perfect game if they want any chance to extend their projected four-game winning streak.
This game is in the middle of a tough five-game stretch where the Patriots play at Baltimore, at Philadelphia, host Dallas, at Houston, and host Kansas City. This stretch could faze some teams but it likely will not have any impact on New England who are the exemplar when it comes to focus on the next game.
The 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens are often thought of the two best defenses in the history of the NFL. The ’85 Bears allowed just over twelve points per game and the ’00 Ravens allowed just over ten points per game. Through eight games, the Patriots defense is allowing under eight points per game.
Needless to say, it will be difficult to move the ball against New England. Dak Prescott and his offensive weapons cannot afford a single turnover as the Patriots who currently boast a +17 turnover differential, take advantage of the other teams mistakes better than anyone.
Where Dallas could leverage their strength is on the defensive side of the ball. With the Pats defense playing at a historically good level, it has masked some of the deficiencies of the Patriots offense. This will be a tall task for the Cowboys defense as they won’t need to be reminded that they will be playing a six-time Super Bowl champion at quarterback.
While the fan inside me hopes the Cowboys win this game, the pragmatic part of me sees this as a mountain too steep to climb. Dallas will fall to 7-4 and keep a one-game lead on the Eagles.