Tom Brady and the New England Patriots face Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon.
Event: Dallas Cowboys Vs. New England Patriots - NFL Regular Season, Week 6.
Date/Time: Sunday, October 16, 2011 - 4:15 p.m. EDT.
Location: Gillette Stadium (Capacity: 68,756), Foxborough, MA.
Broadcast Info: Sunday's game between the Patriots and Raiders will be aired on FOX (Channel 25), Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman calling all of the action.
In addition, the game can be heard on WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub, the flagship station of the Patriots. The lengendary duo of Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti will serve as the broadcast team. The game can also be heard on SIRIUS Radio, Channel 86.
Last Week: Tom Brady and the Patriots gained a measure of revenge on the New York Jets after a bitter playoff loss in January. Brady threw for 321 yards, but it was Benjarvus Green-Ellis who made the difference, running for 136 yards and two touchdowns as the Pats grounded the Jets 30-21.
The Cowboys are coming off their bye week as they try and recover from a devastating loss to the Detroit Lions back on October 2nd. The Cowboys blew a 27-3 lead in that game, being outscored 31-3 in the final 25 minutes. Romo had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the second half.
Players To Watch: For the Patriots, the player(s) to watch will be the linebackers, particularly Jerod Mayo. One of Tony Romo's favorite weapons is tight end Jason Witten. The Cowboys will work hard to get Witten into single coverage against a linebacker, and if they struggle to contain him, it could be a long day. Mayo didn't play in last weeks win over the Jets, so his health and ability to cover Witten will be tested.
For the Cowboys, linebacker DeMarcus Ware is the player to watch. He's been a terror on the edge this season, already accounting for five sacks in four games. Tom Brady and the Patriots offensive line will need to identify where he is on every snap in order to contain him. Ware will also be counted on to help stuff the run and defend the Pats stud tight end combination of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.
Storyline: Both of these teams had eyes on making the Super Bowl this season, and while that's certainly still a possibility for both sides, it's clear that each has a great deal of work to do to get there. The Patriots shaky defense will be tested against Tony Romo and the Cowboys high flying offense while Tom Brady and the Pats big-time offense has won a staggering 19 straight regular season games at Gillette Stadium. Something will have to give.
Game Preview: Check out Tanya Fox's Five Keys to the Game.
Prediction: The Patriots defense made some progress last week against the sub-par Jets offense, but this is a whole different animal. The first team that can string together a couple of good defensive series might win the game. It could go either way, but the Pats are awfully tough at home. Final Score: Patriots 38 Cowboys 34