Patriots hold on to defeat Dallas Cowboys in rainy struggle
FOXBORO — Waves of rain slanted inside Gillette Stadium, washing away any explosion from the Patriots’ first home game in a month.
Temperatures plummeted into the 30s, taking with them any hopes of an offensive show.
This would be no draw with the Cowboys. No shoot-out. No duel.
It would be a slippery struggle. Just hold on, and win.
Halting Dallas’ final drive with under two minutes left, the Pats held on for a 13-9 victory Sunday night. Facing fourth-and-11 from his own 25, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott appeared to connect with Amari Cooper for a 20-yard completion, only to have the pass overturned upon review. The ball hit the turf at midfield, where Cooper dove to extend the game.
Instead, the Pats took over, rushed for a first down and ran the clock down to 0:01 with a high-arching fourth-down incompletion intended to waste away the game’s final seconds.
Following another stop, the Patriots officially notched another win thanks to their defense and special teams and moved to 10-1. On his sixth and final punt, rookie Jake Bailey dropped the Cowboys at their 8-yard line to start their penultimate possession. Every Pats possession ended in a punt, aside from a late turnover on downs, four field goal attempts and Tom Brady’s only touchdown pass,
Brady went 17-of-36 for 190 yards and a touchdown. His score, a marvelous 10-yard throw to rookie N’Keal Harry, hoisted the Pats to a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. The touchdown was the first of Harry’s pro career.
Patriots kicker Nick Folk tacked on a 44-yard field goal early in the second, then missed wide right from 46 yards. His miscues weren’t a rarity in such poor weather.
Every Patriots receiver dropped a pass, including Julian Edelman, who finished with eight catches for 93 yards. However, none of them turned the ball over.
Additionally, the Pats received a small, timely resurgence from their ground game. Sony Michel rushed for 86 yards, his highest total in six weeks and the last time the Patriots surpassed 100 as a team.
Dallas (6-5) ran effectively, too, totaling 109 yards behind All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Several Elliott runs set up up both of the Cowboys’ field goals in the second quarter. Brett Maher hit from 46 and 27 yards away on Dallas’ final drives of the half.
Otherwise, Dallas’ first-half series ended in a punt, blocked punt, interception and missed field goal. Matthew Slater’s punt block late in the first quarter dropped the Patriots at the Cowboys’ 12-yard line, and two plays later, Brady hit Harry in the back shoulder for six points.
Self-inflicted passing woes stopped the Pats from scoring initially. On the final plays of their opening series, Jakobi Meyers dropped a pass and Brady misfired badly for James White. Edelman and Harry also have drops in the half. Brady later recovered a fumble he lost on Robert Quinn’s third-down strip sack to cap the ensuing possession.
Patriots wide receivers Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett were ruled inactive before the game.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2OGjPM9
Post a Comment