Patriots vs. Cowboys: Five Players to Watch

Sep 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) at the line of scrimmage against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

For their Week 5 contest, the New England Patriots will travel to Jerry’s World to take on the Dallas Cowboys. When the schedule was first released over the off season, this game was circled as arguably the premier match-up on the entire NFL calendar. The defending Super Bowl champions on the road against “America’s Team” who have themselves turned into legitimate Super Bowl contenders. What’s not to love?

Unfortunately, the game has lost a lot of its luster after injuries to quarterback Tony Romo and star wide receiver Dez Bryant has clearly held the Cowboys back. The Patriots are rolling at 3-0, and are clearly one of the top teams in the entire NFL. Without Romo and Bryant, the Cowboys sit at 2-2, hoping to simply hold serve until their star players return for the stretch run.

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The Cowboys have put together a solid core of players who will allow them to compete until their firepower returns, but the Patriots are clearly the favorites here on paper. In fact, Vegas currently has them listed as eight point favorites. No matter the situation, that is a lot of points for a road team.

Despite being clear favorites, the Patriots are going to have to show up and fight hard to win this one. The Cowboys are not going to be pushovers at home, and if the Patriots do not take them seriously, they will have some problems walking out with a victory.

This Sunday afternoon match-up between two talented teams should be a fun one. Individual performances could certainly make a difference, and that is what we are going to highlight here today.

Here are five players to watch when the Patriots take on the Cowboys this week. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are always players to watch, but I am going to look to stray from the obvious answers.

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