I am very fortunate enough to bring this GMB on a game I was actually live in attendance for! So despite the loss and some of the things we’ll talk about, it was an awesome week.

The Good

• Harris/Stevenson Rotation: I spoke on it last week, but our running backs are great. Damien Harris had another 100 yard game, showing the power he has and improvement on his ball control. It was Rhamodre Stevenson who really stepped up, both in the passing and running game. A big mismatch was putting Leighton Vander Esch on top of him, granted the Cowboys fixed that later on. While his numbers aren’t amazing, checking the tape he looked really good. With James White and J.J. Taylor down, Harris, Stevenson, and Brandon Boldin have really come into their own.
• Mac Jones and Dak Prescott: Not quite a dual, but they still both played really well. It was watching two different styles of quarterback and it was a privaledge. Prescott has that veteran presence, he’s on a different level this year, he makes big explosive plays and recovers quickly from any mistakes. Sure he had a fumble and a pick, but the dude still threw for ove 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. On the other side Mac Jones has been playing smart, calculated football. Not as many explosive plays but smart effortless throws. He had less yards and touchdowns than Prescott, but he never gave up and fought each down. Both players balled out, so each team should feel great about that.
• Patriots and 1-yard stops: This is more of a “Good Moment”, because the Patriots defense overall was pretty meh. I just love watching hard-nose football where you fight for every inch. So seeing not one but two 1-yard stops is really cool, especially when one was a goal line stand.
• Ceedee Lamb: What can be said about Lamb’s performance that hasn’t already been said? Not much, so I’ll just leave you with his stat line: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 149 yards, 2 touchdowns, 16.6 yards per reception.
• Trevon Diggs: The same game he had a reviving pick six, he gave up a 75 yard touchdown. Diggs is a solid player, I’ll assume he was caught off guard with the touchdown. Leading the league in interceptions and recording 11 passes defended in only 6 games is a solid stat line. Not to mention he has only allowed 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 20 yards a game. However, I can think of a cornerback very similar to Diggs and I think @DomDoesNFL on twitter put it best with this:

The Meh

• Both Special Teams: Greg the Leg really is a heart attack for fans, isn’t he? Missing any field goal has been the bane of Greg Zuerlein’s existence. Still going 3/4 on field goals isn’t terrible, nor is making both extra points. Cedrick Wilson also had a rough day on punt return as both his attempts totalled -1 yards. On the Patriots side it wasn’t much better. Nick Folk made all 3 extra points but didn’t even attempt a field goal, while Jake Bailey punted 5 times and had 1 of them blocked. Out of Bailey’s 5 attempts, 1 was blocked and 2 were inside the 20.
• Patriots Secondary: Well, on the plus side, I was correct about them trading away Stephon Gilmore. What I was wrong about was just how badly they need him. JC Jackson is doing his thing and Jonathan Jones has been getting better…..and that’s it. Jalen Mills is a better zone corner than man, Shaun Wade is hurt, Jones is hurt, Joejuan Williams hasn’t stepped up, and we’ve just called up Myles Bryant from practice squad. We are hurting for cornerback depth. Fortunetly they didn’t do too bad, thanks to a Kyle Dugger interception and 7 pass deflection (Jackson, Jones, Justin Bethel, and Dugger).
• Run Defenses: For the Cowboys, they stopped the Run game…enough. The Patriots ran 23 passing plays and 25 running plays, which is a good balance. The Cowboys allowed enough yards (325) to show some of their weak spots, while also making huge stops. Damien Harris had 101 yards on 18 carries against them, which isn’t great but it could’ve been much worse. The Patriots run defense was tasked with stopping a dynamic duo in Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard. They kind of did, still allowing for the two to break 100 total yards, but it was a start. Christian Barmore at Nose Tackle has really been the story for the Patriots front line, he demands a lot of attention from opposing line man. Neither one really wowed me, but they both did enough.

The Bad

• Patriots Play Calls/Time Management: I recommend reading Evan Lazer’s article on how conservative the Patriots’ play calling has become. He hits on a lot of points I agree with, but I will say this; conservative play calling has worked in the Patriots favor in the past. They had the defensive and offensive power to take charge of a game early and just coast. Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick need to keep the foot on the throat of their opponents before they can play it safe. The fact that they had 1:30 left before half time and chose to kneel away the clock says it all. It feels like McDaniels doesn’t trust Mac Jones yet, or he doesn’t trust the receivers to make big plays. Either way McDaniels tucking his tail and hiding isn’t how playoff teams are made.
• Cowboys Play Calls: Talent really did save the Cowboys. They have such a star studded team that Mike McCarthy has become Barry Switzer. That statement will only be truly solidifed if this Cowboys team wins the Super Bowl.
• Patriots O-Line: Trent Brown is out, Issiah Wynn and Yodny Cajuste had a bad game, and Justin Herron hasn’t found his rhythm. Seems most of the problems lie on the tackle position, but putting Michael Onwenu at Right Tackle seems to be a start. Rookie William Sherman has yet to be called up while James Ferentz has been upgraded to the main roster. Some positives on the roster are David Andrews, James Ferentz, Michael Onwenu, Shaq Mason, and Ted Karras. They have the talent but right now they are playing at all like they should be.

The Dallas Cowboys (5-1) have a Week 7 bye before travelling in Week 8 to face the Minnesota Vikings (3-3).

The New England Patriots (2-4) will be at home again, hosting the rival New York Jets (1-4) on Sunday, October 24th. The kick-off is set for 1:00 PM EST.