Tag: 2023 Week 4

By The Numbers Week 4: Cowboys pass-run balance restored

Pollard’s workload, Vaughn’s tough sledding, pass-catching diversity and Parsons’ dominance just some of the key Cowboys’ numbers from Week 4, says @ReidDHanson.

When a team like the Cowboys hands Bill Belichick, an expected Hall of Fame coach, the biggest loss of his career, you better believe it’s newsworthy.

For the better part of two decades Belichick has widely been regarded as the top head coach in the NFL. He’s the only coach to have won six Super Bowls and with 299 career wins, he ranks third all-time.

Since Tom Brady departed the greater Boston area, success had been harder to come by for the 71-year-old coach. Yet the NFL’s ultimate strategist and legendary defensive mind has found a way to always keep things close. Until, of course, he met up with the Cowboys in Week 4.

With the final score of 38-3, the Cowboys bested New England by 35 points, topping the previous record of 31-points set back in 2003. It spoke to Dallas’ dominance on both sides of the ball and reestablished the Cowboys as a top-3 powerhouse in the NFC.

What we learned in the Cowboys’ big win over New England in Week 4

Looking at three important items learned from the Cowboys 38-3 win over the Patriots in Week of the 2023 season. | From @ReidDHanson

It’s safe to say the Cowboys put their embarrassing loss to the Cardinals last week behind them. Coming out of the gate strong against New England, the Cowboys took the lead on their first drive of the game and never looked back. Such has been their fashion in their three wins this season.

Dallas is building a reputation for getting up early and piling on. Their defense is designed to play with a lead. A deep and aggressive pass-rush upfront, coupled with a collection of eager ball hawks in the back, is a recipe for disaster for opposing offenses.

The Cowboys’ defense scored twice in Week 4, returning a strip-sack fumble for six and taking an interception to house, all in the same barn-burning afternoon.

The Cowboys did more than silence their critics with their 38-3 win over New England. They showed their lone loss was an outlier performance. If there’s one all-encompassing lesson that can be learned from Week 4, it’s likely that.

“You just got to give credit to the way we prepared this week, Leighton Vander Esch said postgame. “Just the opportunity that we had coming off last week and really having a sour taste in our mouth. Just growing as a unit and being able to come out here and prepare like we did, to have a game like this and bounce back.”

The 35-point win over the Patriots marked the biggest loss of Bill Belichick’s career. New England is not a team that gets rolled, even if they are outmatched like they were on Sunday. Beating a future Hall of Fame coach to a record-breaking degree is not small potatoes.

Cowboys return to form, check all boxes in 38-3 drubbing of Patriots

The Cowboys were able to avoid back-to-back losses and instead reclaimed their place as one of the league’s top teams with another blowout. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys had to deal with a long week following their disappointing Week 3 performance in the desert. The loss to the Arizona Cardinals was an eye opener, tarnishing the great start to the 2023 season with two blowout victories. Detractors looked to throw dirt on Dallas’ chances to have a special season, but on Sunday afternoon the club did what they set out to do in restoring order to their universe.

While the red-zone woes were once again prevalent, Dallas excelled in every other phase of the game. QB Dak Prescott was precise, missing only six of his 34 pass attempts. The offense got the Cowboys the early lead and then the defense and special teams made it an easy victory. For the second time in four games, Dallas scored twice on returns, this time on a fumble recovery and an interception. The special teams threw in a fake extra point to pour salt in the wounds and the result was a 38-3 dominating victory.

The win moved Dallas to 3-1 on the young season, with a revenge date on the horizon. The Cowboys will travel to San Francisco for Sunday Night football next week to take on the team that has eliminated them from the playoffs for the last two seasons. The 49ers won big as well to improve to 4-0 on the season.

The victory saw DaRon Bland, starting on the outside with Trevon Diggs out for the year, secure his second and third interceptions of the young season and his second touchdown. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch scooped the ball up after a strip sack by Dante Fowler and returned it for a score. But the most fun defensive score came on the extra point, when Bryan Anger took the snap and found Chauncey Golston on a pass for a two-point conversion.

Meanwhile Prescott spread the ball around on offense, finding CeeDee Lamb for his first touchdown of the season. Michael Gallup had another strong game with five catches for 60 yards. Second-year tight end Jake Ferguson caught all seven of his targets for 77 yards, while Jalen Tolbert had his strongest game as a pro with four catches for 53 yards.

Prescott finished the game 28 for 34 for 261 yards with a 108.5 passer rating. His day would’ve been better if rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker didn’t drop a touchdown pass in the first quarter, a common theme for the tight ends through four games.

Injury wise, Dallas saw Micah Parsons miss several plays with a leg injury, however he would return and finish the game. The same couldn’t be same for backup RB Rico Dowdle, who was lost to a hip injury of unknown severity.

Cowboys Rico Dowdle out of game with hip injury

Dallas’ RB2 is out for the remainder of the game and will be evaluated.

The Cowboys will be without their backup running back for the remainder of the game. Rico Dowdle was a 2020 UDFA signing who had injury issues in college that have followed him into the pro game. After scoring his first regular season touchdown in last week’s loss to Arizona, Dowdle now finds himself with a new injury concern. Some time in the game Dowdle seems to have suffered a hip injury.

Dallas has inserted 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn as Tony Pollard’s primary backup with Dowdle sidelined. Dowdle entered the game with 17 carries for 71 yards and another four receptions for 42 yards and a score.

He had four touches for 17 yards before his exit.

Twitter reacts to Cowboys’ disrespectful, unneccessary, but fun fake XP

The Dallas Cowboys probably could’ve saved the trickery for a bigger situation, but sometimes it feels good just to feel good. Midway through the second quarter, the Cowboys found themselves up 16-3 after a defensive strip sack, scoop and score. The …

The Dallas Cowboys probably could’ve saved the trickery for a bigger situation, but sometimes it feels good just to feel good. Midway through the second quarter, the Cowboys found themselves up 16-3 after a defensive strip sack, scoop and score. The Patriots gave them a golden opportunity to run a trick play.

For whatever reason, perhaps they saw something in film study, the Patriots sent the house to try and block the extra point. Only Dallas holder, punter Bryan Anger was ready for it. Anger never placed the ball on the turf after the snap, stood up and found  defensive lineman Chauncey Golston wide open on his way to the end zone. Social media of course loved it all, including the fact this happened against a Bill Belichick team.

Look: Cowboys CB DaRon Bland scores 2nd Pick-6 in 4 games

The Cowboys D/ST scores their second touchdown of the first half to turn the game into a laugher.

The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is on one yet again. The club still can’t figure out how to score in the red zone but for the third time in four games, the defense and special teams are making it a non-issue yet again.

After Dallas had to settle for their second short field goal of the game to take a 20-3 lead, the Patriots tried to score before halftime to try and get a two-fer situation going. Nope. Mac Jones tried to throw across the field for the second time, but this time second-year corner DaRon Bland was waiting.

Bland jumped in front of Kendrick Bourne and raced down the right sideline untouched for a 54-yard score.

It was Bland’s second score in just four weeks, as he had a Pick-6 off a tipped ball in the season opener against New York. Bland has started just nine games coming into Week 4 and now has seven career interceptions.

Cowboys edge Micah Parsons leaves game with leg injury

The Cowboys’ top player is dealing with a leg injury with the team up big in the first half.

Note: Parsons returned to the game later in the second quarter. 

The Cowboys are rolling in their game against New England, but not everything is going according to plan. All-Pro defender Micah Parsons has left the game with a leg injury. Parsons, rushing from the interior, had his leg clipped once he got into the backfield and was hobbled. He stayed off to the sideline for a few plays as the training staff retaped his ankle but returned to the game.

His return was short lived, however as he had to hop off to the sideline after just one play on the subsequent drive. Parsons then went into the medical tent for further evaluation.

Look: Cowboys D/ST goes crazy with cover, scoop, score, fake XP conversion

Special teams and defense alternated big plays and have given Dallas a sizeable cushion in the first half.

Dallas in Week 4 is simply a different team than they were in their befuddling Week 3 loss. After the offense had a ridiculously bad third series that didn’t produce anything of value, the club punted the ball away. Second-year wideout Jalen Tolbert made an incredible kick coverage play, getting downfield and pinning the Patriots deep in their own territory with a sure tackle.

The defense was inspired, as veteran DE Dante Fowler was able to chase QB Mac Jones down from behind and strip the ball from him. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch quickly located the ball, scooped it up and went into the end zone for the score.

But the team wasn’t done. On the extra point attempt, New England sent all 11 players for the block. Bones Fassel’s troops were ready though, and Bryan Anger took the snap, stood up and found Chauncey Golston for the two-point conversion.

The scores put Dallas up 18-3 midway through the second quarter.

WATCH: Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb catches beautiful toss for 1st TD of ’23

Dallas gets the first touchdown of the Week 4 matchup as Lamb gets himself to paydirt.

The drought is over. Dallas has a true No. 1 in CeeDee Lamb but they have not been able to get him into the end zone to this point in the season. That all changed on the Cowboys’ second drive of Week 4. After another red-zone fizzle out on their first drive where a dropped TD by rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker led to a Brandon Aubrey field goal, the club capitalized on their next possession.

Dak Prescott continued to deal with ease and then from right outside the red zone Dallas struck. It was a 20-yard touchdown but technically a little longer, keeping it from breaking the red-zone slumps. Regardless, it was a beautiful play that puts Dallas up 10-3 as the first quarter comes to an end.