Both the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys will be looking to make statements Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
For the Patriots, a strong offensive showing after weeks of lackluster play from Tom Brady and Co. would inspire confidence and optimism ahead of the home stretch. For the Cowboys, a road win over the reigning Super Bowl champions would be no small mark in their quest for a second consecutive NFC East title.
But among everyone involved in this highly anticipated Week 12 contest, Colin Cowherd believes Dallas head coach Jason Garrett has the most to prove.
“This game, to me, does not boil down to Dak (Prescott). Dak’s good. It doesn’t boil down to the Cowboys’ offensive line or Zeke (Ezekiel Elliott) — they’re good — or the weapons, all good. Dak’s getting his money, should get his money. This is a referendum on Jason Garrett,” Cowherd said Wednesday on FS1’s “The Herd.” “Las Vegas has made the spread in this game 6.5 points. That is an absurd line for a New England team that can’t score and a Dallas team that may have eight of the 10 best players in this game. This is all about Jason Garrett and if Dallas loses Sunday against the Patriots, they will be 0-4 against Green Bay, Minnesota, the Saints and the Patriots. Jerry is not paying him to beat Miami and the rebuilding Giants.
“Sunday’s not about Dak. It’s not about Dak. Dak’s getting his money, Dak deserves every penny of it, Dak’s made Jerry a fortune. It is a complete and utter referendum on Jason Garrett. When Jerry Jones gets into his gulf stream on Sunday night, three and a half hour bumpy flight out of windy, snowy New England and he loses by 10 to a 42-year-old Tom Brady with no deep threat, no Gronk (Rob Gronkowski), he’s not going to be happy. It’s going to be varying degrees of how ticked off Jerry Jones is.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jerry Jones talked at length, told a story about a certain coach he bumped into years ago this week. The coach being, of course, Bill Belichick. Interesting week to bring up that story and tell it on radio, don’t ya think? Sunday is not about Dak. It’s about Jason Garrett, and if they lose and maybe by over a touchdown, Jerry’s gonna make a decision on that three and a half hour flight and he may be telling another story about Belichick on the radio Monday in Dallas.”
Sunday's game against the Patriots is about Jason Garrett — not Dak Prescott. @ColinCowherd explains why: pic.twitter.com/0FtO9Cvzou
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 20, 2019
Cowherd might be putting a little too much emphasis on this game as it pertains to Garrett’s job security. Yes, a win in Foxboro in the moment will look great for the 10th-year head coach, but it will mean nothing if Dallas doesn’t win the division, or worse, miss the postseason entirely. The Cowboys still have a handful of tough matchups remaining on the docket, too, including a Thanksgiving Day clash with the Buffalo Bills, a Week 15 tilt with the Los Angeles Rams and a road clash with the Philadelphia Eagles in the penultimate week of the regular season, which very well could determine the fate of the NFC East.
So yes, it obviously won’t look great for Garrett if the Cowboys have their doors blown off by the Patriots. But Cowherd seems to be overlooking the big picture here, and Dallas has plenty of work to do beyond Week 12.
