New England Patriots: Studs and duds vs. Cowboys in Week 12
Stud: Sony Michel
Sony Michel had a nice game on the ground to pace things offensively for New England, which typically holds a pass-heavy offense rather than an offense that displays a terribly large amount of running success. With the poor playing conditions in Foxborough throughout the matchup, however, that resulted in Michel being relied upon to step up in the running game and help lift the Patriots against Dallas.
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Michel led New England’s rushing attack with 85 total rushing yards on 20 carries throughout the game. He also broke out for a game-long 17-yard rush in the contest. It will be important for the Patriots moving forward to continue to have a solid running game to balance the potent passing attack.
Dud: Passing game
The rainy conditions at Gillette Stadium throughout the game clearly had an impact on the passing attack and limited what quarterback Tom Brady and company were able to do in the passing game.
In the game against the Cowboys, the Patriots finished with a total of yards through the air. Brady converted on 17 of his overall 37 pass attempts to tally 190 yards through the air with one touchdown.
New England didn’t display its normal firepower in the passing game like we are used to seeing, but it was able to do enough on Sunday evening against Dallas to get the victory nonetheless.