Everything you need to know about Patriots-Cowboys in Week 4
FOXBORO -- Fresh off their first win of the season, the Patriots are back on the road this weekend with a visit to the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T Stadium.
The 1-2 Patriots will look to hand Dallas its second straight defeat, after the Cowboys fell to the Cardinals, 28-16, in Glendale. But Dallas must be pretty upset after losing to one of the worst teams in the league last weekend, so they'll be pretty fired up for this one.
Here's everything you need to know heading into Sunday's matchup.
Patriots vs. Cowboys
-Sunday will be the 15th meeting between the Patriots and the Cowboys, with Dallas owning an 8-6 edge overall. Dallas won the first seven matchups before the Patriots ripped off six straight wins.
-The Cowboys beat the Patriots, 44-21, back on Oct. 24, 1971 in the first game played at Texas Stadium.
-The Patriots are 2-4 all-time in road games against the Cowboys.
-Sunday will be just the second time that the Patriots play at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Their first trip to the stadium was on Oct. 11, 2015, which the Patriots won, 30-6.
-The Cowboys won the last matchup, 35-29 in overtime, at Gillette Stadium during the 2021 season. Mac Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for a 75-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, which remains the longest play in Jones' career. But the Cowboys won in overtime when Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb for a 35-yard touchdown.
-Bill Belichick owns a 6-2 record all-time against Dallas, and is 5-1 against the Cowboys with the Patriots.
-Mike McCarthy is 2-3 in his career against the Patriots. He is 1-0 against New England with the Cowboys.
-Prescott is 1-1 against the Patriots with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Connections
-New England running back Ezekiel Elliott was drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys in 2016 and spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Dallas. Elliott was a dominant rusher with the Cowboys, leading the NFL in rushing yards in both 2016 and 2018 and earning three Pro Bowl nods while in Dallas.
-Patriots quarterback Will Grier, who signed with the team last week, spent parts of three seasons with the Cowboys and their practice squad from 2021 until his release ahead of the 2023 season.
-There are two former Patriots on the Cowboys: Cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Other Stuff You Need To Know
-The Patriots have recorded a sack in 22 straight games, tied for the third-longest streak with Carolina behind Kansas City (23 games) and Baltimore (24 games).
-Matthew Judon has started the 2023 season with at least one sack in each of the first three games. Last season, he started the season with a sack in five straight games, setting a new record for the Patriots.
-Last week's two-sack performance against the Jets was Judon's 12th multi-sack game of his career. Judon's four sacks this season are tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.
-The New England defense ranks fifth overall in total defense, allowing just 270.3 yards per game. The Pats rush defense (93.3 yards per game) ranks ninth while the pass defense (177 yards per game) ranks fifth.
-Mac Jones has attempted 125 passes through three games, the third-most in the NFL. His completion percentage of 64.8 ranks 20th.
-Rhamondre Stevenson ranks 10th among running backs with 46 rushing attempts, but his 134 rushing yards ranks 31st in the NFL. He scored a touchdown against Dallas two seasons ago, but had just 23 rushing yards on his five carries in the game.
-Belichick's next win will be the 300th regular season win of his career. He'd join Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) as the only other NFL head coaches with 300 wins in the regular season.
We've got you covered for this weekend's Patriots-Cowboys clash! Coverage begins Wednesday night with Patriots 1st Down at 9:30 p.m on TV38, and continues Friday with Patriots All Access at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday with Patriots GameDay, and tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on TV38 after the game!