Patriots vs. Cowboys: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

Give the New England Patriots two weeks to prepare for anyone, and their opponent is in trouble. If you give the Patriots two weeks to prepare for a banged-up Dallas Cowboys squad that is filled to the brim with second-teamers, well, you get exactly what you expect.

Tom Brady threw for 275 yards, and Dion Lewis had 93 all-purpose yards as the Patriots shut down the Dallas offense en route to a 30-6 victory Sunday.

The Cowboys were held to 264 total yards, failing to record a single play longer than 21 yards. Brandon Weeden, who had surprised many with his steady play over the last couple of weeks, regressed to his Cleveland form. He completed 26 of his 39 passes for just 188 yards and threw an interception.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN noted Dallas' struggles with Weeden:

Dallas, coming off an NFC East title and considered a preseason contender for the Super Bowl, has dropped to 2-3. The team has lost each of its three games with Weeden as the starter, though Week 5 was the first time one could say he was a true negative.

"I just don't listen to it. It's as simple as that," Weeden said of criticism, per Michael Florek of the Dallas Morning News "...Is there pressure that comes with this position? Shoot yeah. There's probably not a more pressure packed position in all of sports, maybe other than playing shortstop, backing up Derek Jeter when he was in New York."

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News pulled no punches:

New England's offense, meanwhile, was largely held in check despite the 30 points on the board. Brady took a methodical approach throughout the game, completing 20 of his 27 passes and not making a huge play until the second half. Completions of 59 yards and 33 yards to Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, respectively, helped him bulk up a total that otherwise would have been pedestrian.

Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports offered the All-Pro praise:

The Edelman pitch-and-catch served as a fourth-quarter dagger, putting the Patriots ahead by three touchdowns and all but ending hopes of a Weeden-led comeback. Typically held to underneath routes, Edelman had a team-high 120 yards on only four receptions. He's now averaging more than 10 yards per reception on the year for the first time all season.

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

Gronkowski finished with a relatively quiet 67 yards on four receptions. After busting out with four touchdowns in the first two games, Gronkowski has been scoreless in the last two weeks. Odds are that the Patriots will look to rectify that with a rivalry game coming up against Indianapolis.

Lewis, despite ceding carries to LeGarrette Blount, led the Patriots with eight receptions for 59 yards. He served as a consistent checkdown option on a day when the Cowboys sacked Brady five times. 

Perhaps the lone positive on the field for Dallas was defensive end Greg Hardy, who came back from his four-game suspension and looked like he hadn't missed a beat. Hardy recorded two sacks and had five tackles, making nearly as much noise with his on-field play as he had during the week with his words. The former All-Pro remains an ongoing source of controversy, with many coming out against his return after he made off-putting comments about Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen.

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

“I love seeing Tom Brady, he’s cool as crap,” Hardy said, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “Have you seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game, all her friends come to the game. One of my favorite games of the year, guys.”

Anna Isaacson, the NFL's vice president of social responsibility, criticized Hardy's comments. 

"I couldn't disagree more with Greg Hardy's comments, and they do not reflect the values of the league," Isaacson told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. "We are working hard to bring attention to the positive role models many other players represent and also to continue our education with all members of the NFL family."

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller commented on the Brady-Hardy dynamic:

Overall, it appears these two teams that have been the source of nonstop off-the-field controversy are headed in different directions. The Patriots set a franchise record for the most points through the first four games of a season, per SportsCenter.

The team they overtook? The undefeated 2007 squad that was, like this team, coming off an offseason of battling NFL penalties.

Up next will be the Colts, who sparked the Deflategate controversy. With Andrew Luck on the mend and revenge on head coach Bill Belichick's mind, Indianapolis fans may want to hibernate through Week 6 and pretend it didn't happen.

The Cowboys will mercifully enter their bye week, but not without a fair share of questions about their future. Tony Romo won't be back anytime soon, which leaves head coach Jason Garrett to consider subbing out Weeden for Matt Cassel, whom the team acquired after the Romo injury.

But with Dez Bryant also hurt and DeMarco Murray plying his trade in Philadelphia, it's unclear if any quarterback can fix Dallas' broken offense.

Postgame Reaction

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett stated the obvious, per Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram: "We were not at our best today. That’s a good football team we played today.”

Weeden tried to stay positive amid the criticism, per Hill: "We didn’t execute overall as an offense. We have to do our part. Not good enough to win, wasn’t something we’re proud of. There were plays there we missed. We have to focus on the positives.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick offered insight into changes his team made after a slow start, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com: "We changed plays, we changed protection. It was odd spacing, really a dime look against a lot of our personnel groups, not just against our sub-passing groups. We had to identify it and handle it. That started with the first series. We’re not going to sit and wait until halftime to see what is going on.”

Belichick also offered praise of his team, per Doug Kyed of NESN: 

"

It’s a good feeling to come down here and win. Really proud of our team today. I thought we got great complimentary football [sic] from all three phases — our offense, defense, special teams. The way we started the game, the quick series on defense, the punt return put our offense in good field position. We had several of those during the day, a couple turnovers in the second half. Real good field position in the kicking game. Stephen (Gostkowski) kicked the ball well. Good punt coverage by (Matthew Slater), great kick by Ryan (Allen).

"

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.