New England Patriots Dominated by Dallas Cowboys at Halftime
The New England Patriots' first half inside AT&T Stadium was one to forget, as they'll head to the locker room staring down a 28-3 deficit to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon in Frisco.
Few, if any, things have gone right for the Patriots, who've been dissected between Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to the tune of 19 completions on 23 attempts for 196 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers.
Dallas scored on three of its first four possessions offensively, while linebacker Leighton Vander Esch pitched in a fumble recovery touchdown on edge rusher Dante Fowler's strip sack of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
Late in the first half, while New England was driving just shy of Dallas territory, Jones threw a pick-six to Cowboys corner Daron Bland, extending the deficit to 25 points.
New England's offense struggled getting the ground game rolling, as it mustered just 32 yards on 12 attempts. The Cowboys allowed over 220 rushing yards to the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott has four carries for 14 yards and one reception for two yards in his return to Dallas, where he spent the first seven years of his professional career.
Jones has had a frustrating and costly day at the office, completing nine of 16 passes for 122 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, and his lost fumble is looming large on the scoreboard.
Mac Jones endured a difficult first half in Dallas.
USA Today
The biggest play from New England's offense came on a 42-yard catch-and-run by rookie receiver Demario Douglas in the first quarter, setting up the team's first three points.
Defensively, the Patriots were led by safety Kyle Dugger, who recorded a team-high 13 tackles in the first half. Dugger, outside linebacker Josh Uche and inside linebacker Jahlani Tavai each had tackles for loss.
New England's star rookie corner, Christian Gonzalez, was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return.
Nonetheless, the Patriots' offense has put up zero touchdowns for itself and given two to the Cowboys, creating a massive mountain to climb in the second half.
Erasing a 28-3 deficit against a defense led by former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn wouldn't be anything new to the Patriots ... but such a comeback feels hard pressed to envision.
New England will get a chance to start the second half off right, as it's set to receive the ball, giving Jones an opportunity to generate positive momentum moving forward.
