Cowboys vs Patriots: 6 things to know about Week 4 opponent

Week 4 has arrived, and the Dallas Cowboys are trying to put a disappointing loss in the rearview as they prepare for a home game against the New England Patriots. The two teams are coming off opposite performances; the Patriots won their first game, while the Cowboys suffered their first defeat.

Life in the NFL comes at you fast so it’s a tough time to be playing against one of the game’s best coaches and minds, but the Cowboys beat Bill Belichick’s troops in the last matchup. If the team is going to get back on the right path, they’ll need to do so again, only this time it’s at AT&T Stadium. Here are six things to know about the Cowboys’ Week 4 opponent.

They have spies

The game of cat and mouse in the NFL is always fun as team’s routinely trying to find every little advantage. Few franchises do this better than the Patriots under Belichick.

One of the tactics is to sign players from a team that they’re about to play to get any smidgen of information they can. The Patriots currently employ two former Cowboys who were with Dallas within the last year.

This past summer, the Patriots signed former running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was with the Cowboys for seven years, and played under Mike McCarthy for three seasons. The offensive scheme has changed some, so Elliott might not be able to help much in that regard, but player tendencies and tells certainly carry over from his time with the club.

More recently, however, the Patriots added former quarterback Will Grier, who went through a full training camp with the Cowboys. The timing is suspicious, to say the least.

Signing Grier the week they play the Cowboys is gamesmanship at it finest. The Patriots are likely trying to find out more about the new offense from someone who was in Dallas just a few weeks ago.

There is also little doubt the Cowboys have been through this before and are preparing to alter some things to keep an element of surprise.

Matthew Judon is a problem

The Patriots have a good team all-around, but their best player resides on the defensive side of the ball. Outside linebacker Matthew Judon is one of the league’s best pass rushers and can wreck an offensive gameplan.

Judon is tied for fourth in the league with four sacks through three games and has been in the top seven in the NFL in sacks since joining the Patriots in 2021. In the last two years with the Patriots, Judon’s had 12.5 and 15.5 sacks, respectively. Before arriving in New England, the talented edge rusher was effective, racking up 34.5 sacks in five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, but he’s taken his game to the next level under Belichick.

Last week, Judon had two sacks, including one that resulted in a safety. The Cowboys need to contain Judon or risk him ruining the game.

Defense is solid

Judon is only part of the defensive equation, the Patriots have a well-rounded unit that has played admirably through three games. New England’s defense ranks inside the top five in the league in total yards allowed (270.3) and passing yards against (177), while also ranking ninth against the run, giving up 93.3 yards a game.

Considering the Patriots have played two of the better offenses in the league, the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, it’s an impressive showing from their defense. They’ve also created three turnovers and have seven sacks through three weeks.

Belichick and his defensive staff are known for taking away what an offense does best, so expect the Patriots to give an offense that struggled last week some trouble in Week 4.

Mac Jones hasn't found his groove

Jones had a solid rookie season, but injuries and inconsistency have hurt him since. The third-year signal caller was close to being unseated as a starter last year and the team had to be hoping he’d pick up where he left off as rookie with a stable offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien.

Through three games, Jones hasn’t found his groove with O’Brien yet. Jones hasn’t looked comfortable under his new OC, throwing two interceptions, while having career-lows in completion percentage and yards per completion. The numbers don’t look great, but Jones did have a three touchdown, 316-yard passing game in Week 1, but on 54 attempts.

In his only start versus the Cowboys, Jones threw for 229 yards, two scores and had an interception returned for a touchdown by Trevon Diggs. That was a game Dallas won in overtime.

Jones has shown glimpses of being a quality starting quarterback, but he’s still trying to recapture the consistency he had from his rookie season.

Two-headed RB monster

The Patriots haven’t taken off offensively yet, but they have a very good RB duo in Rhamondre Stevenson and the former Cowboy Elliott.

Stevenson was a revelation last year rushing for 1,040 yards, catching 69 passes for 421 yards, and scoring six total touchdowns. He was also an efficient runner, picking up five yards per carry. It has been a slow start for the third-year runner, failing to average three yards a carry, but he’s a physical RB who can wear down a defense.

Elliott, on the other hand, found some rhythm in last week’s win. After just 12 carries in the first two games, Elliott earned 18 totes in Week 3 and gained 80 yards. Playing against his old team could provide some extra juice for Elliott, who might be in line for a tribute from the franchise that drafted him.

The tandem in New England is a good one but have accounted for just one score through three games. They haven’t gotten going yet, but the Cowboys will need to slow down a Stevenson and Elliott rushing attack that is licking their chops to play a Dallas run defense that struggled last week.

Two top receiving options

While the Patriots have a solid defense, they haven’t figured out the offensive side of the ball yet. They are averaging just over 17 points a game, good for 26th in the league.

When they do move the ball through the air, they have two main receiving options who do the damage. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne leads the Patriots in targets, catches, yards and is tied in receiving scores, with two. Despite his modest numbers, Bourne is Jones’ most trusted WR and had a long touchdown the last time these two teams met in 2021.

Tight end Hunter Henry is the other big target for Jones. The veteran TE is second behind Bourne in all receiving categories and has scored a touchdown in two of the three Patriots games this season. It was a quiet game for Henry last week, but he’s caught at least five passes and for at least 52-yards in New England’s first two contests.

Bourne and Henry are responsible for roughly 30% of the passing offense, and 80% of Jones’ touchdown passes. Limiting the Patriots’ top options in the passing game would be a big help if the Cowboys are going to win in Week 4.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire