Cowboys blow out Patriots as Ezekiel Elliott returns to AT&T Stadium
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Every football team wants to win its homecoming game and it's especially satisfying if you can do it in dominating fashion. The Cowboys accomplished both on Sunday afternoon.
The day began with a pregame tribute on AT&T Stadium's giant video boards that figuratively crowned Ezekiel Elliott as Homecoming King. It ended with the Cowboys handing the king of all NFL coaches, Bill Belichick, the most lopsided loss in his 29 years as a head coach.
The 38-3 final score may not fully indicate how one-sided this game really was. The Cowboys chased Patriots quarterback Mac Jones from the game with three takeaways, including a Dante Fowler sack that resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown by Leighton Vander Esch.
DaRon Bland did a very good Trevon Diggs impersonation in his second start replacing the injured cornerback, picking off two passes, returning one 54 yards for a touchdown.
The Dallas run defense was much improved, limiting the Patriots to 53 yards on 23 carries. Elliott, the third leading rusher in Cowboys history, was held to just 16 yards on six carries.
The Cowboys improve to 3-1 on the season and remain one game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East. Dallas plays at San Francisco next Sunday night.
Remember – the Niners knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs each of the last two years. San Francisco and Philadelphia are the only teams in the league with perfect 4-0 records.