Patriots @ Cowboys · Week 9

WEEK 9 · FINAL

THE READ

Cowboys win the turnover battle and the game

Take care of the football or lose. Patriots did not, and did. Dak Prescott did the damage for Cowboys — 25/35, 266 yards, 2 TD. Malachi Lawrence got after the quarterback for Cowboys — 2.5 sacks. Tyler Harrell's high-water mark for the year. Through the air: Cowboys 266, Patriots 137.

The Wire · league beat

THE WIDER PICTURE

Team	SRS	SOS	MARGIN	TO +/-
Patriots	+6.0	-2.6	+8.6	+7
Cowboys	-4.0	-1.5	-2.6	+5

SRS is how many points a side beats an average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20. SOS is how hard that schedule has been. Full table.

Patriots — AFC #6 · 6-4 Cowboys — in the hunt · 4-5 Playoff picture →

IN THE BOOTH

Luca Santana Analyst

New England came in here a 6-4 team that was supposed to win this game outright, and Dallas took it 17-3 because the Pats couldn't protect their quarterback — 6 sacks is a breakdown that no offense can survive, let alone one that managed only 3 points.

Devon Walker Beat reporter · replying

New England came in a 6-4 team projected to win at 72%, and Dallas just showed them that projection means nothing when your offense can't function — the Pats scored 3 points and turn the ball over twice while Dallas turned it over zero times, and that gap alone might cost them a division race they were supposed to be in.

They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers — none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that did not happen.

Dak Prescott

Cowboys

25/35, 266 yards, 2 TD

Malachi Lawrence

Cowboys

2.5 sacks

Tyler Harrell

Cowboys

9 catches, 115 yards, 2 TD

THE STORY SO FAR

⭐ Tyler Harrell has not had a better afternoon this season.

📈 Zachariah Branch is in form: 64 receiving yards a game over his last three, against a season average of 43.

📉 Jaydon Blue is still searching for it: 37 rushing yards a game across his last three, against an average of 54.

WHAT DECIDED IT

Through the air Cowboys 266, Patriots 137 Cowboys

Total yards Cowboys 331, Patriots 212 Cowboys

On the ground Patriots 75, Cowboys 65 Patriots

Giveaways Cowboys 0, Patriots 2 Cowboys

THE ROOM Final. The recap is below.

📺 THE WEEK 9 SHOW this game is in the week's show ▶ Watch the show

THE MATCHUP SCOUT every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling

LEAGUE DATA counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it

Pass-heavy Pass 61% · Rush 39% · 25.8 scored, 17.2 allowed

8.8 yds/att 63.1% completions 5.8 yds/carry 310.3 yds/game 1.5 giveaways/game 8.5% sack rate last 5: 3-2

Primary weapon: Kyle Williams WR — 28% of the receiving yards · DEPENDENCY MODERATE

SAPPHIRE METRICS QB efficiency 72 · Efficient Balance 89 Ball security 58 Back usage 32% QB runs 2.8/game

Most exposed: pressure -- sacked on 8.5% of dropbacks

PERSONNEL off the roster — unit averages, best starters only

QB 97 WR 83 TE 87 RB 86 OL 84 DL 83 LB 73 DB 88

Best: Christian Gonzalez CB 99 Fastest: TreVeyon Henderson HB 95 SPD 6 at star dev or better

YOUR NOTEBOOK what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic

HOW THEY PLAY the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season

tomahawkj911

Cowboys · his last 8 games

Throws it One back

Pass / run67% / 33% Points for / against27.2 — 29.8 Margin-2.5 Giveaways a game1.6 Sacks taken5.3% of dropbacks Lead backJaydon Blue · 10.9/g Top targetGeorge Pickens · 35% QB carries1.0 a game

Checo

Patriots · his last 8 games

Balanced

Pass / run61% / 39% Points for / against27.1 — 16.4 Margin+10.8 Giveaways a game1.9 Sacks taken7.0% of dropbacks Lead backTreVeyon Henderson · 8.9/g Top targetKyle Williams · 30% QB carries2.6 a game

Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.

THE SERIES Checo against tomahawkj911 — the men, not the teams

tomahawkj911 leads it 1-0. tomahawkj911 won the last one.

1 meeting avg 3.0 — 17.0 biggest: 14 pts to tomahawkj911

S2 · week 9 Checo 3 — 17 tomahawkj911 TOMAHAWKJ911

Only meetings Sapphire can attribute to both men are counted — a Madden export never says who owned a team last season, so the series starts where the record does.

MATCHUP ADVANTAGES unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push

Patriots receivers vs Cowboys secondary 83 v 83 EVEN

Cowboys receivers vs Patriots secondary 80 v 88 PATRIOTS

Patriots line vs Cowboys front 84 v 82 EVEN

Cowboys line vs Patriots front 80 v 83 PATRIOTS

Patriots backs vs Cowboys run defence 86 v 80 PATRIOTS

Cowboys backs vs Patriots run defence 82 v 82 EVEN

Patriots passer vs Cowboys secondary 97 v 83 PATRIOTS

Cowboys passer vs Patriots secondary 89 v 88 EVEN

TOP PERFORMERS

Dak Prescott QB Cowboys 266 pass yds

Drake Maye QB Patriots 137 pass yds

Tyler Harrell WR Cowboys 115 rec yds

George Pickens WR Cowboys 73 rec yds

Zachariah Branch WR Patriots 71 rec yds

Gabe Jacas LEDG Patriots 1.5 sacks

Harold Landry III REDG Patriots 2 sacks

Malachi Lawrence LEDG Cowboys 2.5 sacks

🎬 The Game Recap
this game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›

BOX SCORE

PATRIOTS

PLAYER	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	SCK	LNG	RTG
Drake Maye QB	19/31	137	0	0	6	18	71.5

COWBOYS

PLAYER	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	SCK	LNG	RTG
Dak Prescott QB	25/35	266	2	0	4	50	112.3

PATRIOTS

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	BTK	LNG	FUM
TreVeyon Henderson HB	16	46	2.9	1	8	1
Rhamondre Stevenson HB	5	19	3.8	0	7	1
A.J. Brown WR	1	9	9	1	9	0
Drake Maye QB	3	1	0.3	0	3	0

COWBOYS

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	BTK	YAC	LNG
Jaydon Blue HB	12	36	3	0	0	7
Dak Prescott QB	3	24	8	2	17	17
Javonte Williams HB	1	5	5	0	0	5
George Pickens WR	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tyler Harrell WR	2	0	0	1	0	3
Mike Mathews WR	0	0	0	1	0	0

PATRIOTS

PLAYER	REC	YDS	AVG	YAC	DRP	LNG
Zachariah Branch WR	8	71	8.9	13	0	18
TreVeyon Henderson HB	4	26	6.5	12	0	13
A.J. Brown WR	2	19	9.5	3	0	11
Kyle Williams WR	1	15	15	5	0	15
Reggie Gilliam FB	1	3	3	0	0	3
Hunter Henry TE	1	3	3	0	1	3
Benjamin Brahmer TE	1	2	2	0	1	2
Rhamondre Stevenson HB	1	-2	-2	0	0	0

COWBOYS

PLAYER	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	YAC	DRP	LNG
Tyler Harrell WR	9	115	12.8	2	67	2	50
George Pickens WR	6	73	12.2	0	22	0	16
Mike Mathews WR	2	32	16	0	13	1	19
Jake Ferguson TE	5	31	6.2	0	2	1	12
Jaydon Blue HB	3	15	5	0	16	0	5

PATRIOTS

PLAYER	TKL	SCK	PD	CMP ALW
Robert Spillane MIKE	9	0	1	7
Harold Landry III REDG	5	2	0	0
Milton Williams DT	5	0	0	0
Gabe Jacas LEDG	4	1.5	0	1
Marcus Jones CB	4	0	0	2
Carlton Davis III CB	4	0	0	3
Craig Woodson SS	3	0	0	3
Christian Gonzalez CB	3	0	0	3
Namdi Obiazor WILL	2	0	0	0
Koi Perich FS	2	0	1	2
Yhonzae Pierre REDG	1	0	0	1
Bear Alexander DT	1	0.5	0	0
Amari Gainer MIKE	1	0	0	2
Kenny Moore II CB	1	0	0	1

COWBOYS

PLAYER	TKL	SCK	PD	FF	CMP ALW
Dee Winters WILL	8	0.5	0	1	5
DaRon Bland CB	5	0	0	0	2
Akeem Davis-Gaither WILL	5	0	0	0	3
Markquese Bell SS	4	0.5	1	0	3
Caleb Downs SS	4	0	1	0	3
Malachi Lawrence LEDG	4	2.5	0	1	0
Shavon Revel Jr CB	3	0	0	0	3
Kenny Clark DT	3	1	0	0	0
Bobby Okereke MIKE	3	0	0	0	0
Quinnen Williams DT	2	0	0	0	0
Jalen Thompson FS	2	0	0	0	0
Donovan Ezeiruaku REDG	1	1	0	0	0
Quentin Walters FS	1	0	0	0	0
Zabien Brown CB	1	0	0	0	0
Zah Frazier CB	1	0	0	0	0
Isaiah Foskey LEDG	0	0.5	0	0	0

PATRIOTS

PLAYER	FG	XP	LNG
Andres Borregales K	1/1	0/0	25

COWBOYS

PLAYER	FG	XP	LNG
Brandon Aubrey K	1/1	2/2	54

RECENT FORM

Patriots

L 7–26 vs Ravens WK 8

W 48–7 vs Giants WK 7

W 49–28 vs Bills WK 6

Cowboys

W 41–20 vs Raiders WK 8

L 24–52 vs Giants WK 6

W 41–20 vs Saints WK 5

TEAM STATS

Patriots		Cowboys
212	TOTAL YARDS	331
137	PASSING YARDS	266
75	RUSHING YARDS	65
6	SACKS ALLOWED	4
4	SACKS MADE	6
2	GIVEAWAYS	0
0	TAKEAWAYS	2

Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD

0 PATRIOTS — 1 COWBOYS

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