Dallas Cowboys Football: Winners and Losers from Pokes' Loss vs. Patriots

On Sunday, the Cowboys lost a heartbreaking game to the Patriots on New England's final drive of the game. The Cowboys played well throughout the game and had a lot of bright spots despite today's defeat, and the defense played very well, keeping the Cowboys in the game until the very end. Here are the winners and losers from today's loss against the New England Patriots.

Winner: Miles Austin

After being out since Week 2, Miles Austin came back to the Cowboys this week and immediately made an impact, having seven catches for 74 yards. Austin proved that he is an invaluable part of the Cowboys offense, as he is a consistent target and stretch the field for the Cowboys. 

If Austin can remain healthy for the rest of the season, he can help anchor this Cowboys offense and will be on his way to another Pro Bowl selection

Loser: Cowboys' Running Game

It could be the fault of the Patriots defense anchored by Vince Wilfork, the Cowboys’ offensive line or the trio of Cowboy running backs (Murray, Jones, Choice), but whatever the case is, the Cowboys are having a hard time running the ball. 

A consistent running game could have helped the Cowboys out today, as it would have forced the Patriots to crowd the box and give Austin or Bryant the opportunity to beat the Patriots deep. 

Felix Jones appears to be lost to injury for the time being, so Tashard Choice and DeMarco Murray need to step it up for the Cowboys if they are going to succeed running the ball.

Winner: DeMarcus Ware

There are a few reasons why the Cowboys didn’t win this game; DeMarcus Ware is not one of them. Ware sacked Tom Brady twice today and was able to provide consistent pressure on Brady. 

With Ware leading the charge on Brady, Brady had an average performance today (for Brady, and up until the fourth quarter) and gave the Cowboys a good opportunity to win the game.

Winner: Marcus Spears

At the start of this season, Marcus Spears had lost his starting position to Jason Hatcher. Due to an injury to Hatcher, Spears has had the opportunity to start again, and today, he proved he should say there. 

Along with DeMarcus Ware, Spears was able to sack Brady once today and was part of the success of the defense in getting to Tom Brady and putting pressure on him.  If Spears can continue to repeat performances like this, the Cowboys’ defense will be a force to be reckoned with.

Winner: Sean Lee

At the end of the day, the Cowboys’ defense gave them a great chance to win this ball game today. 

Sean Lee had 12 tackles and one interception today against the New England Patriots and was a key part of the Cowboys’ defensive strategy. Lee is currently one of the league leaders in tackles and looks like he will be a consistent threat from the inside linebacker position.

Winner: Terrance Newman

Today, Terrance Newman had the responsibility of covering Wes Welker. Welker has become the hated by most opposing defenses, as he often is able to torch them and become a prime target for Tom Brady. 

Newman held Welker to modest numbers, had an interception and recovered a fumble. For the sake of all Cowboy fans, it would be nice to see Newman try to regain his title as the best lockdown cornerback in the league.

Winner: Rob Ryan

Going into today, the New England Patriots were No. 1 in the NFL in passing offense and total offense. 

Rob Ryan had quite the task getting his defense ready to play versus arguably the best offense and best quarterback in the league. Outside of the Patriots’ final drive of the game, the Cowboys had an outstanding game on defense, forcing five turnovers and keeping the Cowboys in the game.

Loser: Cowboys 4th Quarter Defense

The Cowboys played a great game on the defensive part of the ball. However, it was business as usual when Tom Brady got the ball toward the end of the fourth quarter, as Brady picked the Cowboys apart while driving his team down the field. 

While Tony Romo often gets criticized for playing great for three quarters and falling apart at the end of the game, the Cowboys defense were the ones who were picked apart at the end of the game.

Loser: Cowboys Red Zone Offense

The Cowboys settled for two field goals within the red zone today because they lacked the ability to get in the end zone after driving down the field. 

The Cowboys were plagued by this against the Redskins a few weeks ago, but found a way to win that game. Today, they lost a close game to the Patriots by four, and could have used at least one of those drives to result in a touchdown.

Loser: Jason Garrett

Toward the end of the game, the Cowboys had a 3rd and 18 with about 2:30 left in the game while they were up by a field goal.  Garrett decided to run a draw play, try and pin the Patriots deep and let his defense win the game for him. 

Here is one thing Garrett seemed to forget: Tom Brady is the other team’s quarterback. 

There is a very good chance that the Cowboys would have tried for the first down and failed, but with Brady being one of the best at leading his team from behind (today was his 32nd come from behind win), you cannot just give him the ball. 

It would have been nice to see Dallas go for the first down and not play so conservatively.