Mac Jones had two first half turnovers that both went for touchdowns on Sunday afternoon, as the Dallas Cowboys rolled past the New England Patriots 38-3 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
It was 3-3 early on, before Dallas (3-1) began to take over. After Christian Gonzalez was forced out of the game with an injury for New England, they immediately exploited his replacement Myles Brant as Dak Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for a 20-yard touchdown with 1:34 to go in the first quarter to give the hosts the lead for good. Jones wasn’t careful with the ball in the second as the Cowboys extended the lead. Jones was strip sacked at his own 6-yard line by Dante Fowler, and Leighton Vander Esch scooped it up and scored from 11 yards out. Late in the half with the Patriots trying to gain some momentum going into halftime, Jones tried to make a throw to Kendrick Bourne back across the field. The pass was intercepted and returned 54 yards for a touchdown down the right sideline by DaRon Bland and the rout was on at 28-3 at the break. The 35-point defeat was the biggest loss of the Bill Belichik era.
Jones finished 12-21 passing for 150 yards with two interceptions and the one lost fumble. Bailey Zappe came in late in the third quarter for Jones in relief going 4-9 for 57 yards. New England struggled once again in the run game only mustering 53 yards on 23 carries. Hunter Henry had four receptions for 51 yards, while Demario Douglas, Bourne, and Devante Parker had two catches each. Kyle Dugger had 12 total tackles to lead the defense. Prescott ended up 28-34 for 261 yards and a touchdown in the win for Dallas. Tony Pollard had 11 rushes for 47 yards, while Jake Ferguson led the Cowboys in receptions with seven for 77 yards. Michael Gallup added five catches, and Jalen Tolbert, Lamb, and Brandin Cooks each had four. Vander Esch and Jourdan Lewis had four total tackles, while Bland had both interceptions of Jones including one that he returned for a score. The Patriots (1-3) are back at home next Sunday at 1 p.m. to take on the New Orleans Saints.
Story by Chris Lessner
