6 things Patriots fans should know about the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are coming to Gillette Stadium this Sunday for a Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots. It will be a battle between America’s Team (Dallas) and America’s Most Hate Team (New England). The Cowboys have won three of their last four games, scoring at least 35 points in all three of those wins. The Patriots vaunted defense will be battle-tested once again vs. one of the top offensive teams in the entire NFL.

Here are six things New England fans should know before kickoff:

1. Dak Prescott is legit.

Dak Prescott is enjoying the best season of his four-year career so far. Boasting a league-leading 3,221 passing yards through 10 games, Prescott is well on pace to break his previous career-best 3,885 passing yards from last season. He has thrown for at least 395 yards the last two weeks, with a 444-yard performance in Week 11 vs. Detroit.

Even though Prescott has already thrown nine interceptions, tied for fifth-most in the league, he is proving he’s more than capable of leading the Cowboys offense. Prescott owns a 21-to-9 touchdown-interception ratio.

2. Can Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots secondary shutdown the Dallas receiver unit?

A reason why Prescott is having so much success this season is because of the receivers he’s throwing to.

The Dallas receiver unit is explosive with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. The Cooper-Gallup combo is just one of three receiver-duos to find themselves in the top 20 for receiving leaders in the league. Cooper has the fourth-most receiving yards with 886 yards while Gallup is no. 20 with 678 yards. Both are big play threats, so Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty and the rest of the New England secondary should have their hands full trying to shut them down.

3. Add in Ezekiel Elliot and the Cowboys present the toughest opponent the Patriots have faced at home.

When the Cleveland Browns came to Gillette Stadium in Week 8 with Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., and Nick Chubb, there was a lot of talk that they might have had what it took to beat the Patriots. It did not take long for those thoughts to be put to rest.

Dallas presents New England with its toughest test yet in Foxboro. Not only do the Cowboys have the best aerial attack in the league, they have a stud running back in Ezekiel Elliot. In his fourth season, Elliot has ran for 833 yards and seven touchdowns through Dallas’ first 10 games.

4. The Cowboys defense presents another top-10 defense for the Patriots offense.

Last week it was the Philadelphia Eagles and their no. 9 ranked defense that provided Tom Brady and the New England offense a challenge. The Dallas defense is even tougher, ranked seventh in the league in least yards allowed per game at 322.1. In addition, the Cowboys allow 19.7 points per game, good for ninth-least in the league.

Fortunately for the Patriots, Dallas middle linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has been ruled for Sunday. New England’s offensive line will have to stop another Cowboys middle linebacker in Jaylon Smith, who is tied for seventh in the league with 90 tackles. Defensive end Robert Quinn is another force amongst the defense, leading the team with 8.5 sacks.

5. When was the last time Dallas came to New England?

Like most NFC teams, it’s often quite some time that the Cowboys travel to Foxboro. The last time Dallas came to town was eight years ago when the Patriots beat them 20-16 in a Week 6 tilt.

Tony Romo, who is a lead commentator for CBS, was the Cowboys quarterback in the contest and outside of Tom Brady, the two rosters are mostly completely different.

6. Will Dallas finally beat the Patriots?

New England has won its last five games against the Cowboys, dating back to 1999. The last time Dallas won was in a 12-6 victory all the way back in 1996. Shockingly, the game featured the only remaining active NFL player from that game in 46-year-old kicker Adam Vinatieri.