Mac Jones benched, Patriots blown out by Cowboys for 38-3 loss

BOSTON -- The Patriots are a team with very little margin for error, so a blunder-filled afternoon in Dallas led to an embarrassing blowout loss for New England at the hands of the Cowboys on Sunday.

Mac Jones was involved in a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but unfortunately for the Patriots' sake, they were both scored by the Cowboys. Jones fumbled at the Dallas 10-yard line early in the second quarter, leading to an easy scoop-and-score for the Cowboys, and was pick-sixed just ahead of halftime to throw the Patriots into a 28-3 hole at the break.

New England lost, 38-3, to fall to 1-3 on the season. It's the team's worst loss under Bill Belichick, surpassing New England's 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 of the 2003 season. It was Belichick's largest loss in his 29 years as an NFL head coach.

"We obviously didn't do much of anything well enough to be competitive. Disappointing," said Belichick. "I think we're a lot better team than what we showed tonight, but that's what we showed. A lot of work to do; better job playing, better job coaching. Not really much else to say."

Jones was benched for Bailey Zappe late in the third quarter, finishing his day going 12-for-21 for 150 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a lost fumble. 

"I feel really bad that I let my team down, the coaches down, the whole organization and the fans," Jones said. "I have to put a better product out there to beat good teams. I'm going to take the positive route as best as I can and hopefully it brings the best out of me."  

"I think we all have confidences issues after a game like that. It's a team game," center David Andrews said after the lopsided defeat. "We have to do better. Everyone has to hold up their end of the bargain."

The New England defense once again played solid, but the team could not overcome the shortcomings on offense. In addition to Jones' turnovers, costly penalties (including three alone by Mike Onwenu) and a pair of special teams miscues plagued New England on Sunday.

The two teams traded field goals on their first drives after both squandered red zone opportunities. Dallas got all the way down to the New England 5-yard line but Dak Prescott and Tony Pollard ran into each other on a third-and-goal handoff and Pollard was dropped for a loss. The Patriots got down to the Dallas 11 on their opening drive, but a third-down pass by Jones tipped of Mike Gesicki's fingertips in the back of the end zone.

The Cowboys got into the red zone again on their second possession, and it was costly for the Patriots. Rookie corner Christian Gonzalez suffered a shoulder injury while tackling Pollard on a five-yard run that set the Cowboys up at the New England 20. The star rookie -- who was named the NFL's Rookie of the Month for September -- fell on his right arm during the play and missed the rest of the game.

On the very next play, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for a 20-yard touchdown after the receiver burned backup corner Myles Bryant for an open path to the end zone. The Patriots very much missed Gonzalez on the play, falling into a 10-3 hole.

The offense did not answer either, as Jones came up short on a QB keeper on a fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 41. But the New England defense made a strong stand and forced a Cowboys three-and-out. Dallas' drive ended quickly, with Deatrich Wise and Josh Uche getting to the quarterback on third-and-8 to force a Cowboys punt. It was Uche's second sack of the season.

But it didn't amount to anything for the Patriots. Demario Douglas lost two yards on his punt return, and Onwenu was hit with a false start (his second in as many drives) on first down, setting the Pats up at their own 5-yard line. On second-and-12, Jones felt the pressure of the Dallas pass rush and took off, only to get stripped from behind by Dante Fowler. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch picked up the ball and waltzed into the end zone for an easy 10-yard touchdown.

If that fumble wasn't embarrassing enough for the Patriots, the Cowboys executed a perfect fake extra point that New England's special teams had no answer for. Dallas punter/holder Bryan Anger hit a wide open Chauncey Golston for two points, giving the Cowboys an 18-3 lead in the second quarter.

After the Cowboys added a field goal, the Dallas defense came up with another huge play: A 54-yard pick-six by DaRon Bland on an ill-advised, cross-field pass by Jones. The touchdown put the Patriots into a 28-3 hole, the kind of deficit that Jones has never come back from on the NFL stage.

The Patriots drove to the Dallas 40 to start the second half, and again went for it on a fourth-and-2. Jones tried to pick up the first down with his arm this time, but his pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster was again picked off by Bland for the corner's second interception of the day. 

Dallas managed just a field goal off that free possession when Jahlani Tavai sacked Prescott on a third-and-2 from the New England six. Overall, the New England defense had another good afternoon, especially taking into account the loss of Gonzalez. 

But getting blown out, while also losing their top corner, PLUS losing Matthew Judon to injury in the second half, won't make the Patriots feel good after four games of the 2023 season. 

Jones and the Patriots offense were downright dreadful. It didn't matter how great the defense played on Sunday, the Patriots were never going to win that game with an offense incapable of scoring and keeping the ball away from the Dallas defense.

New England will look to get right next weekend when the 2-2 New Orleans Saints come to Gillette Stadium.