What Mac and the offense need to do to exploit the Cowboys D
Mac Jones managed to lead the Patriots back from a 13-point deficit last week to pull out a win over the Texans. With the Cowboys on deck, it’s a whole different ballgame. Don’t bet the farm on the Patriots being able to survive a doubledigit deficit. As it is, matching scores is going to be hard enough.
With Dak Prescott healthy and back under center, the Cowboys have scored 170 points in five games. They have the secondranked scoring offense (34 points per game).
The Patriots?
They’ve put up 96 points in five games, which is roughly a 19 ppg average.
On paper, it’s a mismatch. Games, however, aren’t played on paper. The Patriots were supposed to get skewered by the Buccaneers in Week 4, and nearly pulled that game out.
Against the Cowboys, the Patriots are going to need the same kind of effort defensively, but also need the offense to come out of its shell.
Offensively, they need to score more points to have a chance. The best way for that to happen?
Ways Jones and the Patriots can hang with the Cowboys explosive offense:
Start fast
The Patriots haven’t been particularly good at the start of games on either side of the ball, but especially on offense. In terms of first-quarter scoring, the Pats are 26th in the NFL. Offensively, against the Cowboys, they can’t be invisible early in the game. Starting fast is going to be vital to their chances.
The Cowboys certainly aren’t going to wait to put points on the board. They lead the league in first-quarter scoring, averaging nine points in that quarter alone. The Pats, meanwhile, have been allergic to early production. They’ve put up a bagel in the first quarter four times in the opening five games.
The only game they’ve put points on the board early was against the Jets, where they had 10 first-quarter points.
Jakobi Meyers knows the importance of flying out of the gate, especially against the Cowboys.
“Everybody’s locking in, and not just dipping our toes in the water,” he said Wednesday. “Making sure we jump in, ready to go from the time the ball’s kicked off. The season’s a long season, so we feel like we’re getting better every game.”
Target tight ends
Jones is getting a better feel for tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. Against the Texans, Henry had six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Smith had two catches for 27 yards.
In this game, they’ll need even more of that. According to Football Outsiders’ efficiency metric, DVOA, the Cowboys defense ranks second-worst in covering tight ends.
While Jones is good at spreading the ball around, he should focus a little more on the tight ends. Both Henry and Smith should be able to get open with frequency against this team.
When the duo signed, that seemed to signal that the Patriots offense would revolve around them.
In this game, that needs to be the case. For his part, Henry has seen his connection grow with Jones.
“There’s a lot of trust there, and we’re continuing to build that,” he said. “He’s doing a good job. I’m trying to improve every day. It’s definitely come a long way since a couple weeks ago.”
Avoid Diggs
Cornerback Trevon Diggs leads the league with six interceptions in the first five games. He’s an aggressive player. Many of his picks have come on short to intermediate routes. So it might not be wise for Jones to test
Diggs, his former Alabama teammate.
Having faced him at practice with the Crimson Tide, Jones is keenly aware of what Diggs brings to the table.
“Obviously, you can’t be afraid of anybody or anything like that. You just have to know where he’s at because you have to respect him, respect his game, respect his knowledge and respect everybody on that defense and that coaching staff because they do a good job in preparation, and it showed up on the tape,” Jones said Wednesday. “We have all the respect in the world for those guys. They’re playing really well, and it’ll be a lot of fun to just compete with them.”
In all, the Cowboys have notched 10 interceptions this season, along with two fumbles for 12 turnovers, second behind only Buffalo in that department. So they’re clearly ballhawks. The Patriots don’t need to help the Cowboys cause. Avoiding interceptions and turnovers in general will be key for Jones and the offense.