Patriots-Cowboys Week 5 Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- The bye week is over for the 3-0 Patriots, who travel to Dallas for a showdown with the Cowboys in Week 5.
While the Patriots are firing on all cylinders, the Cowboys are battling some key injuries. Both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are out, leaving Dallas without their two best offensive players. The Cowboys have dropped their last two games, losing to the Falcons at home and the Saints on the road.
Read: Patriots-Cowboys Preview
Here is how the WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio and 98.5 The Sports Hub sports teams see Sunday's game playing out.
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports
No Romo. No Dez. Some say the Cowboys have no shot, especially with the Patriots coming off their bye week.
The Patriots' record after the bye? 11-4. Hey with the Patriots 3-0 and on a mission, look for Tom Brady and the Patriots to pick up where they left off -- blowing out teams.
More NFL: Week 5 Local Picks
Since they're on the road in Big D, the Patriots may start slow, but in the end, they will improve to 4-0.
Patriots 31, Cowboys 17
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports
Scary game as the Cowboys are a proverbial wounded duck. The Dallas defense will come out flying, the Patriots just need to stay calm and execute like they've done.
Tom Brady will continue to drive the vengeance bus and the NFL beat down should continue in Dallas.
Patriots 45, Cowboys 17
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports
The Pats are clear of their bye and here come the Dallas Cowboys. This is the funny thing about covering the Pats.
In listening to Dallas, their conversations in their locker room have to deal with "how are they going to stop the Pats' offense" and "how are they going to score points"? New England is already in their heads. The Pats concern is simple: if they execute, they win. They could care less how you play.
New England will execute their game plan and even though Jason Witten will hamper the defense here and there, Dallas doesn't have nearly enough on offense. I know Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain are returning to the Dallas D, but those two will tire out before the games end.
The Pats are fresh on both sides of the ball and they are coming off a week of rest. Brady, Gronk, Edelman, Lewis and Amendola are coming and Jamie Collins, Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones and Devin McCourty are backing them up. Outside of the Cowboys offensive line, the Pats are better at every position.
Patriots 35, Cowboys 14
Adam Kaufman, WBZ NewsRadio 1030/98.5 The Sports Hub
The Patriots are healthy (Ryan Wendell's back), well-rested after the bye and, thanks to the tone-deaf Greg Hardy, maybe even a little more motivated than they were earlier this week to capture yet another 4-0 start in the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era.
They will.
The Cowboys are banged up beyond repair on offense (no Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Lance Dunbar, etc.) and the defense, while bolstered by the returns of Hardy and Rolando McClain, is also thin in some spots, particularly the secondary.
No win is "easy" (Week 3 vs. Jacksonville notwithstanding), but everything will continue to break right for the Pats on Sunday.
Patriots 37, Cowboys 17
Mike "Sarge" Riley WBZ NewsRadio 1030/98.5 The Sports Hub
Greg Hardy, don't you know better? Tom Brady has some good bulletin board material going into this one. Brady is going to smoke the Cowboys, throwing for at least another 300 yards and a big day from Julian Edelman. Dion Lewis, congrats on the new contract - he'll rush for 100. And the Pats Defense will force two turnovers on interceptions against Brandon Weeden.
Stats: Patriots-Cowboys Breakdown
The Patriots are 11-4 all-time coming off the bye under Bill Belichick. They'll pick up where they left off and be 4-0 after this week.
Patriots 34, Cowboys 21
Rob "Hardy" Poole, 98.5 The Sports Hub
I only know two things about Dallas. Tom Skerritt played a character named Dallas in the movie called 'Alien.' And Matt Dillon played Dallas Winston in 'The Outsiders.' And they both died.
Patriots 53, Cowboys 11
Tune in to Patriots-Cowboys at 4:25pm Sunday on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, with Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38 following the game. Pregame coverage on 98.5 The Sports Hub begins at 1:30pm, with three hours of postgame coverage after the game!