Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
A week after a hard-fought victory – their first of the season – against the New York Jets, the New England Patriots took on the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas on Sunday.
All who were looking for a close match with two high-powered offenses going toe-to-toe were sorely disappointed, as the Patriots’ offense seemed to regress back to 1992 – the year before the team drafted future franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe No. 1 overall.
And, overall, nothing about the 38-3 loss gave any positive emotions to any of New England’s fans out there.
Here are three big takeaways from the matchup.
Where does Mac stand?
Quarterback Mac Jones was unbelievably bad on Sunday. His play coming into the matchup had been improved this season compared to last year, but that was not the case on Sunday.
Evocative of former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold’s “seeing ghosts” game, Jones just couldn’t seem to read the defense at all. His final stat line reflected that too, as he went just 12-of-21 passing for 150 yards and a pair of interceptions. Jones also lost a fumble as he was scrambling from the pocket on this play.
Leighton Vander Esch takes the Mac Jones fumble to the endzone for a touchdown 🔥
pic.twitter.com/JMY4SLiqlX— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) October 1, 2023
And that may have been what Jones did too often – try to do too much. He was consistently moving outside of a pocket that was holding up fine – all things considered, at least – and making throws that he just didn’t have to try and force. Both were certainly the case on this pick-six.
Why does Mac Jones still make rookie throws ! Embarrassing interception!
Patriots x Cowboys
— BallTalkSource (@BallTalkSource) October 1, 2023
Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe would come into the game at the end of the third quarter and operate as the signal-caller until the end of the matchup.
This game leaves Jones in an interesting spot. With this season being his third in the league, the proposal of (or lack thereof) or a long-term contract extension may quickly start becoming a talking point in New England. Has Jones shown enough in his first few seasons to warrant a long-term deal? It remains to be seen whether the Patriots think so.
Injuries have piled up, and it's only Week 4
The Patriots came into the game down three cornerbacks (Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones, no relation) to what have been lingering injuries, and early in the contest, they lost rookie phenom Christian Gonzalez to what would be a game-ending injury.
Gonzalez has easily been a lone star on what has otherwise been a fairly unimpressive roster this season. New England’s first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft has excelled as a tall, outside cover corner to start the year, locking down even elite receivers like Jaylen Waddle and A.J. Brown and winning the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in September.
But early in Sunday’s game, Gonzalez went down holding his shoulder after making a tackle on Cowboys running back Tony Pollard. He went to the locker room holding his arm just minutes later and never returned to the game.
Immediately after Gonzalez’s departure, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott hit wide receiver CeeDee Lamb for a 20-yard touchdown down the sideline.
Dak and CeeDee for 6️⃣, like they've done so many times before 🎯
📺: #NEvsDAL on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/OzHihEcYvq
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
Myles Bryant, who normally plays slot corner, was playing outside on Lamb, who had been covered by Gonzalez earlier in the game.
While Gonzalez’s loss is another major hit on what is already a devastated Patriots secondary, another loss later in the game truly made the contest awful for New England fans to endure.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, pass-rusher Matt Judon collapsed to the ground after being blocked on a rush. He was taken out of the game immediately with a reported biceps injury that could end up sidelining him for quite some time, depending on further evaluation.
Too bad this is now confirmed.
Distal biceps tendon tear means surgery with minimum 3 month recovery. https://t.co/XPmZzTsqmJ https://t.co/hmJCcRYh6B— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 2, 2023
The Patriots’ defense has been a small bright spot for the team this season, playing up to the team’s competition fairly well to start the season. Even on Sunday, they only allowed one offensive touchdown. But that could very well soon be in peril.
Where does the team go from here?
A New England blowout loss on the road against a high-offense opponent, while the team faces questions regarding front office and coaching leadership harkens back to memories of years prior.
Just over nine years ago, the Patriots took on the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium. Then-quarterback Tom Brady went 14-of-23 for just 159 passing yards and a pair of interceptions as New England fell to the Chiefs 41-14 on Monday Night Football.
The game prompted questions about the Patriots’ future as a top team in the NFL, as best showcased from this clip from former quarterback and then analyst Trent Dilfer.
Happy 9th Anniversarypic.twitter.com/AFVcSS0FA7
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) September 29, 2023
Not only would New England win the Super Bowl that season, they’d go on to win two more before the end of the decade.
Now, it would take a crazed individual to say with full honesty after Sunday’s game that the Patriots are going to make, let alone win a Super Bowl this season. But it wouldn’t be inappropriate to say that New England could use this game as a way to rebuild, regroup and get back to their winning ways.
It remains to be seen whether it will take an all-encompassing “we’re on to Cincinnati” mantra to pull the team together, or whether it will be the team’s next opponent, the New Orleans Saints, who are a quality enough team to make a possible win meaningful enough to begin a run.
But if there has been a moment that could be used as a literal and metaphorical turning point so far this season, this game is it. Whether or not New England uses the opportunity is still up in the air.
