Cowboy's vs. Patriot's predictions

[Nicky31]

First, Gameday preveiw...



Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots
12 Nov 03 / by New England Patriots
The New England Patriots begin the season's stretch run with a showdown against the 7-2 Dallas Cowboys in a battle of eastern division leaders. The Patriots come into the game having won five games in a row and seven of their last eight contests to open a two-game lead atop the AFC East. New England will run into a Dallas team that has also won seven of eight games and sits atop the NFC East.

A primary concern for the Patriots will be finding a way around the Dallas defense, which is the top-ranked unit in the NFL. The Patriots have shown the ability to crack tough defenses, having put up 30 points against the then-second ranked Denver defense two weeks ago on Monday Night Football. But Tom Brady and company will face their toughest challenge to date against a Dallas team that has held its opponents to 10 points or less on four separate occasions this season.

The New England defense has been effective against opposing quarterbacks, holding them to a cumulative 59.5 passer rating and surrendering just four touchdown passes, leading the NFL in both categories. Dallas' running back tandem of Adrian Murrell and Troy Hambrick will try to crack the seventh-ranked Patriots run-stuffing unit, while quarterback Quincy Carter and Dallas' leading receiver, former Patriots wideout Terry Glenn, will bid to take to the air.

Dallas head coach Bill Parcells will match up against his former team for the first time since 1999 and for the seventh time since he left New England in 1997. Parcells and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick coached together for 15 seasons with the Giants, Patriots and Jets, and will face each other for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 1995, when Parcells coached the Patriots and Belichick was at the helm of the Cleveland Browns.

TELEVISION
This week's game will be televised by ESPN. The game can be seen locally on WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston. Mike Patrick will handle the play-by-play duties, while Paul Maguire and Joe Theismann will provide analysis. Suzy Kolber will deliver reports from the sidelines throughout the game. Immediately following the game, the Fifth Quarter postgame show can be seen on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston.

RADIO
WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 27th season as the voice of the Patriots and calls the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. In 2003, Santos and Cappelletti celebrate their 20th season as a broadcast tandem.

STARTING STRONG
The Patriots are off to their best start to a season in 23 years, equaling the best nine-game start in franchise history with a 7-2 record through nine games. New England is 7-2 for the third time in team history, joining the 1980 and 1978 squads with seven wins in their first nine games. Like the 1978 team, the 2003 Patriots lost their first game, then rattled off seven wins in their next eight games. The Patriots are tied for the second best record in the NFL this season.

LUCKY SEVEN
The Patriots have seven games left in the 2003 season, and since Bill Belichick took over as head coach in 2000, the Patriots have saved their best football for the end of the season. Since 2000, New England is a combined 13-8 (.619) in its last seven games of the campaign. Last year, the Patriots were 4-3 in their last seven games, following a 2001 season where they closed out with a 6-1 record.

THE ROAD AHEAD
The combined record of the Patriots' remaining opponents is 32-31 (.508), giving the Patriots the easiest remaining schedule in the AFC East. Buffalo and Miami's remaining foes are 36-27 (.571), and the Jets' are 35-28 (.556). New England has dates on tap with Dallas (7-2), Houston (3-6), Indianapolis (7-2), Miami (5-4), Jacksonville (2-7), New York Jets (3-6) and Buffalo (4-5).

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Cowboys will meet for the ninth time in the history of the clubs. Dallas won the first seven games of the series, but the Patriots broke their hex with a victory in 1999, the last time the teams met. The series dates back to 1971, when the Cowboys beat the Patriots in the first game ever played at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. That game resulted in a 23-point Dallas victory, but since then, six of the last seven games between the teams have been decided by a touchdown or less. Prior to the Patriots' most recent win in the series, they had dropped three straight games to the Cowboys by six points or less. This week's game will be just the third time the teams have met since 1987, making the Cowboys the only NFL team the Patriots have played twice or fewer times in the last 16 seasons.

COWBOYS 7, PATRIOTS 1
Date Result +/- Stadium
10/24/71 Dallas 44, Patriots 21 -23 Texas
11/16/75 Dallas 34, Patriots 31 -3 Schaefer
12/03/78 Dallas 17, Patriots 10 -7 Texas
09/21/81 Dallas 35, Patriots 21 -14 Schaefer
11/22/84 Dallas 20, Patriots 17 -3 Texas
11/15/87 Dallas 23, Patriots 17 (OT) -6 Sullivan
12/14/96 Dallas 12, Patriots 6 -6 Foxboro
12/05/99 Patriots 13, Dallas 6 +7 Foxboro


SERIES TRENDS
Record in New England 1-4
Record in Dallas 0-3
Total Points in the Series Dallas 191, Patriots 136
Largest Margin of Victory 7 points (12/05/99)
Largest Margin of Defeat 23 points (10/24/71)
Bill Belichick vs. Dallas 1-1
Bill Parcells vs. New England 6-2


THE LAST TIME
Patriots 13, Cowboys 6 – December 5, 1999

The Patriots used a 3-yard run from Terry Allen and a pair of Adam Vinatieri field goals to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 13-6, at Foxboro Stadium. The win broke a three-game losing streak and improved the Patriots' record to 7-5 in the 1999 season. The Patriots' defense limited the Cowboys' rushing attack, led by Emmitt Smith, to just 63 total yards on the ground. New England also held Dallas' Troy Aikman to just 160 passing yards while not allowing a touchdown in the game. Tedy Bruschi led the New England defensive attack with eight tackles and two pass breakups.

The Patriots got on the board first, getting the opening kickoff and driving down for a 41-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. After forcing a Dallas punt, New England got the ball back, but was victimized by an interception by Dexter Coakley that was returned to the Patriots' 8-yard line. New England's defense held down the fort, though, and forced Dallas to settle for a 20-yard field goal that tied the game at three. Vinatieri added a 23-yard kick in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 6-3 halftime lead. After a scoreless third quarter, the Patriots used their first fourth-quarter possession to drive 65 yards on 10 plays and take a 13-3 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Terry Allen. The Cowboys cut the lead to 13-6 with a late field goal, but New England held the ball for the game's final minutes to preserve the 13-6 win.

TALE OF THE TAPE
2003 Regular Season New England Dallas
Record 7-2 7-2
Divisional Standings 1st 1st
Total Yards Gained 2,901 2,968
Total Offense (Rank) 322.3 (14) 329.8 (12)
Rush Offense 103.6 (19) 133.1 (7)
Pass Offense 218.8 (10) 196.7 (20)
Points Per Game 20.4 20.1
Total Yards Allowed 2,771 2,111
Total Defense 307.9 (11) 234.6 (1)
Rush Defense 92.4 (7) 85.1 (3)
Pass Defense 215.4 (23) 149.4 (1)
Points Allowed/Game 17.2 15.1
Possession Avg. 30:25 32:49
Sacks Allowed/Yards Lost 17/133 18/94
Sacks Made/Yards 21/135 19/117
Interceptions By 13 8
Penalties Against/Yards 78/670 52/435
Punts/Avg. 49/38.8 52/39.8
Takeaway/Giveaway Ratio +7 +1


BILL BELICHICK VS. BILL PARCELLS
This week's game will mark the fifth time Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells have matched wits from opposing sidelines as head coaches. The two coaches have split the previous four games, with each coach coming out victorious on two occasions. All four of the previous meetings came when Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and Parcells was at the reigns of the Patriots.

BELICHICK vs. PARCELLS (2-2)
Date Result Stadium
12/19/93 Browns 20, Patriots 17 Cleveland Municipal
11/06/94 Patriots 13, Browns 6 Cleveland Municipal
01/01/95* Browns 20, Patriots 13 Cleveland Municipal
09/03/95 Patriots 17, Browns 14 Foxboro
*-AFC Wild Card Game


NEW ENGLAND VS. BILL PARCELLS
The Patriots have played against teams coached by Bill Parcells on eight occasions and have a 2-6 record in those games. New England lost both games against Parcells when he was the head coach of the New York Giants (1983-90), and were 2-4 in the six games against their former mentor while he was at the helm of the New York Jets (1997-99).

PATRIOTS vs. PARCELLS (2-6)
Date Result Stadium
11/08/87 Giants 17, Patriots 10 Giants Stadium
12/30/90 Giants 13, Patriots 10 Foxboro
09/14/97 Patriots 27, Jets 24 (OT) Foxboro
10/19/97 Jets 24, Patriots 19 Meadowlands
10/19/98 Jets 24, Patriots 14 Foxboro
12/27/98 Jets 31, Patriots 10 Meadowlands
09/12/99 Patriots 30, Jets 28 Meadowlands
11/15/99 Jets 24, Patriots 17 Foxboro

[Nicky31]

You can feel the expectations going up here in Dallas. I even read somewhere that if Dallas can win 4 of the next 7 games remaining they are a lock for the playoff's as of week 9.

17-14

Cowboy's plus 3.


I think this game will go down to the wire or perhaps even overtime for that matter. The key for Dallas will be not to turn the ball over, and get a running game established early on.

[ItalianMobbstah187]

Belichick wins the "Battle of the Bills".....Patriots prevail rather easily, 31-13.

[MavsFanatik33]

Just imagine if Dallas pulled this off.

Cowboys 24
Patriots 17

I can feel the first round bye in the air!

[dallas_esq]

New England 28
Dallas 7

Bad day for Quincy.

[u2sarajevo]

Pats 14
Boys 13

[LRB]

Call me a homer but

Boys 17
Pats 13

[Murphy3]

On a side note, QCar's QB ratings haven't necessarily sparkled the past three games:

42.1 Tampa
54.6 Washington
66.7 Buffalo

He's thrown 4 pics and 2 TD's over the last three games while compiling 452 yards passing.

[dallas_esq]

I see "improvement" there. New England will be the best team we have played all year I believe.

[jayC]

Well Mcnabb hasn't faired too well against great defenses either. I think Qcarr rebounds and throws for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. The cowboys down the patriots 21-17. Im a homer can't pick against Da Boys and Big Bill.

[mercury_rev]

Patriots 20 'Boys 6

[ames7]

Parcells always has them ready. A close one, 14-13 Dallas.

[FilthyFinMavs]

I think it's close but not a low scoring game. Quincy has been playing rather poor lately and enough is enough. Bill is actually going to run some deep throws for him that allows Quincy to throw for 260 yard and 3 tds. The Patriots to me are like a more experienced Cowboys team.


Cowboys 28 to the Pats 21

[Jamisonite]

Boys 13 Pats 10

[Just211]

Dallas 16
New England 14

another grind it out battle. If Dallas pulls this one out, you can print playoff tickets.
and as far as stats, they'll be ugly as usual.

[FINtastic]

I'm thinking this could be a bad day for Quincy. Belichek has a knack for confusing opposing QBs with his defensive schemes. 3 picks and 1 TD for QCar as the boys lose 21-10. Quincy will have that bad game this week that Bill Parcells says is the big test for a QB. People will call for Q's head. Then Quincy will rebound with a brilliant game.

Maybe I went a little too far...

[bogey]

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

My Cowboys lose 29-13.

[QCarFan]

Cowboys win........NO DOUBT

[bogey]

*bump*

for the fanatik....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[MavsFanatik33]

Originally posted by: bogey
*bump*

for the fanatik....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Thanks bogey....Dallas has a shot, but if they win this one, there can't be multiple turnovers by Dallas. This will be a close one, maybe even OT worthy...

Dallas 27
Patriots 24
(that prediciton is a little "homer-fied" though)

[bogey]

I hope you are right on the prediction Fanatik!

Go Cowboys!!!!

[arsenalth9]

24-20 Cowboys win

[bogey]

Originally posted by: QCarFan
Cowboys win........NO DOUBT

I guess there was some doubt huh? Thanks for playing....you are a loser.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: bogey

I guess there was some doubt huh? Thanks for playing....you are a loser.

Unfortunately a lot of homers' predictions went up in smoke with the Cowboys shutout including mine. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]

[bogey]

At least you put a little thought into it LRB and added ascore and some semblence of contribution.

[kingrex]

Originally posted by: bogey
At least you put a little thought into it LRB and added ascore and some semblence of contribution.

Is it me or do you not like a certain Quincy fan? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]