3 Patriots Who Were Embarrassingly Bad vs. Cowboys
By Isaiah De Los Santos
The New England Patriots’ Week 4 performance was nothing short of an embarrassment. A lifeless offense coupled with a shorthanded defense equaled disaster against the Dallas Cowboys, who kept their foot on the gas to hand Bill Belichick’s squad an embarrassing 38-3 loss.
A few players in particular should be ashamed of their efforts in Week 4.
Patriots to Blame for Week 4 Loss
1. Mac Jones
We can’t talk about the Patriots’ struggles without beginning at the top.
Mac Jones was absolutely abysmal against Dallas. Aside from a couple of nice chunk plays and a field goal on the first drive, Jones couldn’t lead his team to any other points on the day and was primarily at fault for the lack of scoring.
First, he wasn’t able to get an important first down on a 4th-and-1 sneak to begin the second quarter. Then, he somehow didn’t feel 255-pound Dante Fowler crashing down on him, which led to a strip sack that the Cowboys returned for a touchdown on the very next drive.
That’s not to mention his inexcusable mistakes as a passer. With the team driving just before halftime, Jones committed a QB cardinal sin: throwing back across the field. He (and the Pats) paid for it, as Daron Bland perfectly read the play and returned it for another Dallas defensive TD.
That, somehow, wasn’t even the end of Jones’ terrible day. He then tossed another INT, to Bland again no less, on a big fourth down in the early part of the third quarter. That did end his day, as he was yanked in favor of backup Bailey Zappe.
Jones being responsible for another New England loss once again puts the quarterback position right in the spotlight. Some have viewed this year as his last chance, and judging by his Week 4 benching, he’s not making a strong case that he is QB1 material for the long haul.