Cowboys score twice on defense, hand Patriots worst loss of Belichick era 38-3
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott is getting used to sitting back and watching the Dallas defense do its thing.
DaRon Bland returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, Leighton Vander Esch scooped up a fumble for a score and the Cowboys blew out the New England Patriots 38-3 on Sunday.
Mac Jones was responsible for all three turnovers and was pulled in the second half of the worst loss in Bill Belichick’s 29 seasons as a head coach, 24 of them in New England.
The six-time Super Bowl winner will have to wait at least another week to join George Halas and Don Shula as the only NFL coaches with 300 career regular-season victories.
Bland had his second pick-6 of the season after getting one in a season-opening rout of the New York Giants, when Dallas also returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in a 40-0 win.
“Just to sit back and watch the defense do that, it’s awesome,” said Prescott, who had a touchdown pass before the defense took over. “I’d love to get out there and throw it over and over and be back and forth. But, I sit back and cross my legs and wait another five, six minutes. If they want to score, keep doing it.”
The Cowboys (3-1) spoiled former star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s Dallas homecoming with their 10th consecutive home victory. It’s the longest home streak since 1991-92, or almost two decades before AT&T Stadium opened.
The Patriots (1-3) are off to a 1-3 start for the third consecutive season, all with Jones as the starter. He was 12 of 21 for 150 yards with a 39.9 passer rating.
“We’re a lot better team than we showed out there tonight,” Belichick said. “Need to do a better job playing, coaching. Not much to say.”
Elliott didn’t get the start for the Patriots after watching a video tribute on the big screen above the field a few minutes before kickoff.
A two-time rushing champion for the Cowboys, Elliott waved as the crowd gave him a huge ovation and offered an understated version of the signature “feed me” gesture that endeared him to fans over seven seasons in Dallas.
“Honestly, I wasn’t too emotional,” said Elliott, the third-leading rusher in Dallas history.