Patriots Crush Cowboys 48-27, Tom Brady Throws Career High Five TDs in Win

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

I hate to say “I told you so,” but … the pregame hype between 5-0 New England and 5-0 Dallas wasn’t all it was built up to be as the Patriots hammered the Cowboys 48-27 today. Of course, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, but my pregame prediction turned out to be reality — Dallas is a good team, New England is an elite team.

Dallas will win their share of games this season. They have too much talent not to. I won’t go so far as to say they’re the best team in the NFC, but they’re certainly in the top three right now and they might be the best before all is said and done. And I have to admit, when the Cowboys took a 24-21 lead in the 3rd quarter, I was a little concerned that an upset was brewing. I hate predicting games and pretending like I’m some kind of expert (because I’m far from it), but my gut told me the Cowboys couldn’t keep up with Tom Brady and friends. As it turns out, Tom finished the day with career numbers. His five TDs were his best ever.

As far as the battle of 81s — “the Original 81″ vs. “the other 81″ — the final stats were nearly identical, but Randy Moss had more of an impact on this game because of the attention he drew from the Dallas defense. Second and third WRs Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker combined for 18 catches and 260 yards in Randy’s shadow. It’s impossible to defend the Patriots. You simply pick your poison. Which way do you want to get beat?

As New England improves to 6-0 (with a five-game lead in the AFC East), I can’t help but look ahead to November 4 when the Patriots travel to Indy to take on the currently (also) undefeated Colts who were on a bye this weekend. This game will deserve as much hype as people want to give it. Mark your calendar because this will be your Super Bowl. There are two elite teams in the NFL and November 4 is the day they meet.