Opening weekend Dallas scored 13 of their first 16 points by way of a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a pick 6. Although statistically they are tied for 5th in points scored, they haven't shown to be that strong of an offensive team. Of their 86 points scored this year, 30 come off the leg of Brandon Aubrey in the form of field goals. While it is pretty early in the season to look at comparative statistics and gather too much information, the Cowboys are ranked 27th with red zone offense. They have only been successful on 40% of their possessions inside the 20. That is a far cry from the 71.43% they posted last season. I guess they could be missing Zeke's 12 red zone touchdowns.
SHOW APPRECIATION TO THE PRISTINE GAME CONDITIONS- After playing and practicing in the wetlands of the northeast, the Patriots offense and special teams should thrive in a dome. I say should because nothing is guaranteed. While he hasn't played many dome games, the verdict is still out on if Mac is any better when the conditions are predictable. Depending on where you look, he has a completion rate of somewhere between 56-71% when indoors.
Last week's game was closer than it should have been partially due to missed field goals. Was it solely due to poor snaps or were the weather conditions partly to blame? I doubt we see bad snaps from Cardona two weeks in a row and the weather will not have an effect. While I definitely prefer 7 to 3, if we choose to go for 3, we need to get it.
OFFENSIVE GAME PLAN- While we may not have working weapons that are wide receivers, we seem to have a few tight ends who can get the job done. Bill O'Brien was the offensive coordinator when the Patriots had 2 dominant tight ends. We've seen a few flashes from the tight ends this year. Combined they have had receptions 80% of the times they have been targeted. Personally, I'd like to see them targeted more often. I'd also like to not see Mac force the ball to DeVante Parker. Doing some research for a post I'm working on, I've noticed that Mac has a significant amount of game changing turnovers when forcing it to DeVante. With the return to Dallas, who wouldn't want to see Zeke hit pay dirt a time or two?