Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #4, Bring on the Cowboys

Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #4, Bring on the Cowboys

It feels good to breathe again, doesn’t it, Patriots Nation? The trepidation of starting 0-3 and losing to the Jets is gone, and it is now time to look ahead to week four in Dallas against the Cowboys.

Somehow, after squeezing out that 15-10 victory over the Jets combined with a surprising Dallas loss to the Cardinals, the folks in Foxboro now see an opportunity to settle the ledger at 2-2. To do it, they’ll have to contain All-World defensive end Micah Parsons on defense as well as an explosive offense led by quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. They may have the defense to do it as this one is a battle between the league's fourth (Dallas) and fifth-ranked (New England) defenses.

“So, they’re good on offense and, defensively, the front is very disruptive,” said Patriot head coach Bill Belichick during Wednesday’s press conference. “(Micah) Parsons obviously, every stat you could ever want, tackle for loss, pressures, quarterback hits, sacks.”

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It’s a homecoming for former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott who spent his first seven seasons in Dallas. A boost in the Patriots' running game would greatly improve the Patriots chances of a victory here. Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson have combined for only 324 yards (14th in the NFL).

The game could come down to this. The Cowboys have not been able to cash in on red zone opportunities. In 15 trips, they’ve scored only 6 TDs (27th in the NFL). In fact, Dallas is the only team in the league that had no wide receiver touchdowns. If New England continues that trend, they might have a chance come the fourth quarter. If not, Mac Jones and crew may have trouble keeping up with the Cowboys, who you’ll see in this week’s top 10 power rankings.

10. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
The Packers have gotten themselves into the trend of falling behind badly the past two weeks at home. They rallied against the Saints, but the Lions held them off Thursday night.

 

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
After a week one home loss to the 49ers, the Steelers have rallied. This defense is for real led by TJ Watt on the edge and an opportunistic secondary. Second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett has done just enough and is improving weekly. Keep your eyes on them in the AFC North.

 

8. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
The Ravens should be higher but they stubbed their toe at home against the Colts in week 3. Baltimore should NOT be losing games in which quarterback Lamar Jackson runs for 101 yards and 2 TDs. Sunday brings a key AFC North battle with the Browns in Cleveland.

 

7. Detroit Lions (3-1)
Beating both the Chiefs and the Packers on the road is an impressive feat for Detroit. The Lions dominated Green Bay Thursday night behind David Montgomery’s three touchdowns and 132 scrimmage yards. They are for real folks!

 

6. Buffalo Bills (2-1)
The Bills answered any questions about their wishy-washy 1-1 start with a 37-3 whooping over previously undefeated Washington - who saw that coming! Josh Allen only turning the ball over once was just as impressive as the defense creating five turnovers of its own. Buffalo hosts AFC East-leading Miami on Sunday.

 

5. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
We’ll find out if the Cardinals game was a trap game by how well they play against the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

 

4. Kansas City Chiefs (2-1)
Maybe we should have them higher now that T-Swizzle is on board. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are all the rage, just like the KC defense, who has only allowed four TDs this season, including one that was a pick-six by the Lions opening night. The Chiefs shouldn’t have to score 41 against the Jets like they did last Sunday against the Bears.

 

3. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
Much like the Dolphins, they have so many weapons offensively, that there seems to be no stopping them. Defensively is where Philly seems to be making strikes, holding the Bucs to under 100 yards until the waning moments of the fourth quarter Monday night in Tampa.

 

2. San Francisco 49ers (3-0)
If not for Miami’s destruction of Denver, they would be my number-one team heading into week 4. They’ve scored 30 points in each of their first three wins and they have three of the next five games at home.

 

1. Miami Dolphins (3-0)
The Dolphins were good in their first two road games averaging 30 points and 462 yards. In their first home game in week 3, they were just out of this world scoring 70 pts and putting up 726 yards in total offense against the winless Broncos. With that output, how can they not be the top team? Things should get tougher Sunday in Buffalo against the team that eliminated the Fins in last season’s AFC playoffs.      

 

Five games to watch in week 4:
Patriots at Cowboys (Sunday 4:25 pm on FOX)
Dolphins at Bills (Sunday 1 pm on CBS)
Ravens at Browns (Sunday 1 pm on CBS)
Commanders at Eagles (Sunday 1 pm on FOX)
Seahawks at Giants (Monday 8:15 pm on ABC, ESPN)