Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Dallas Cowboys Crossover: Mac Jones, Micah Parsons, Christian Gonzalez and More

Episode Date: September 28, 2023

The New England Patriots are set for a Week 4 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium this weekend. Hosts Mike D’Abate and Marcus Mosher of Locked On Cowboys preview this matchup on Crossover Thursday. From Mac Jones facing off against Micah Parsons to Christian Gonzalez trying to stop CeeDee Lamb, Mike and Marcus have you covered on what to watch for on Sunday.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Harry'sGet your best shave ever this summer with Harry’s razors and skin care products. Get a $13 Starter Set for just $3 at harrys.com/NFL.  NutrafolTake the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code LOCKEDONMLB. DoorDashGet fifty percent off your first DoorDash order up to a twenty-dollar value when you use code lockedonnfl at checkout. Limited time offer, terms apply.Jase MedicalSave more than $360 by getting these lifesaving antibiotics with Jase Medical plus an additional $20 off by using code LOCKEDON at checkout on jasemedical.com.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Can the New England Patriots pull off the upset in week four, defeating the Dallas Cowboys? All that and more in this episode of the Locked On Cowboys and Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.

Welcome back to a special crossover edition of the Lockdown Cowboys and Lockdown Patriots podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. This crossover Thursday episode is brought to you by Price Picks. Price Picks is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to pricepicks.com slash LockedOnNFL and use promo code LockedOnNFL, all lowercase, for a first deposit match worth up to $100.

I am your host, Marcus Mosier of LockedOnCowboys. You can follow me on Twitter at Marcus underscore Mosier. Joining me today is a fantastic guest. It's Mike DeBate from LockedOnPatriots. Go follow him on Twitter at MDebateNFL. Mike, the last time that we did this show, the Cowboys and Patriots, back in 2021, we had a fantastic game. I can only hope that we have something similar this Sunday in Dallas. Yeah, absolutely.

It's always a lot of fun when these two teams play each other. Two fan bases very rich in history, very rich in success, and two teams right now that are either playing at a high level like the Dallas Cowboys. No, I'm not counting last week. I think it was an anomaly, and I think you're going to see the real Cowboys coming back here this week, and I think the New England Patriots that continue to make small improvements each week to kind of climb their way back into contention. These are the two types of teams you love to see. Teams that are capable of playing at the top of their game and being the Super Bowl contenders

that everyone thinks they are, and then a team that's trying to continue to prove itself. This is going to be a fun one in Dallas. I'm looking forward to it for sure. Yeah, the Cowboys and Patriots don't play all that often, but over the last two decades when they have played, they've been some really good and entertaining games. I expect that we'll get another one on Sunday. Let's talk about some of the biggest storylines for this game. I mean, listen, we've got to start with Ezekiel Elliott, right?

That's got to be the number one thing here. So my first question to you is, how has Zeke looked so far for New England? So far, I think Zeke has looked great. You know, there are subtle layers and subtle levels of how you can judge an impact of a player, especially a player that has such a large pedigree and such a robust resume as Zeke Elliott coming into New England, playing in a new system, playing in a new career. He is definitely someone in my estimation that has risen above that because of the veteran savvy and the veteran leadership that he provides in the first two games you didn't

see Zeke utilized as much as I believe he should have but he definitely cured that in week uh three against the Jets 80 yards on 16 carries and you saw him being used in a way that the Dallas Cowboys know so well. You saw him being used in the second half, grinding down the clock, wearing down your opponent, and getting them into a spot where they need to start throwing the ball. They need to start getting a sense of urgency on their end because you know that if you keep the ball on the opposing team's offense, which in this case is the Patriots and Zeke Elliott, they're going to make you pay for it. They're going to grind it out, and they're going to eat that clock. So that's something that I think he's looked great in. By all accounts, he's been a very positive presence in the locker room, providing veteran leadership, not just for guys like Ramondre Stevenson, who he's very close with on the team, but also guys like Mac Jones, guys like Kendrick Bourne, young receivers like Demario Douglas,

big time players or players, I should say, that have big time capability. Maybe they haven't shown it yet. Getting that type of trial by fire by Zeke. I would like to see him utilized a little bit more in the red zone, but small steps, Marcus. That's the mode. That's kind of the theme of the New England Patriots right now. So I got to be honest when New England signed him I thought I honestly I didn't think much of it I thought hey maybe Belichick will use him more as like a

pseudo fullback he'll get a couple red zone carries and goal line looks and that's going to be the extent of his use because I thought Ramondre was amazing last year he was absolutely phenomenal but this year I'm not sure there's been a massive difference between Romandre and Zeke is that the way you've seen it so far yeah I think right now in general Marcus the running game has been a challenge for the Patriots to get on track now a lot of that is because of a makeshift offensive line in the first two games a lot of injuries that all line the Patriots did not have a continuity uhbased unit to run behind, and because of that, scenes weren't being opened up, holes weren't being provided, and it provided a lot

of stops before the line of scrimmage. So before I get on Ramondre or even Zeke Elliott for that, a lot of that does have to go to the offensive line just not being able to be in position to provide them the room and the opportunities to do what they need to do. But that being said, yeah, there has been a little bit less. Ramondre has been a little bit slow to get into his groove. I thought Zeke obviously outplayed him on Sunday against the Jets. But at the same time, you're not seeing the same explosion. Now, I'm not going as far as to say this could be a third year slump for Ramondre Stevenson. He's still their primary lead back, but it's definitely a comfort

for the Patriots to know they have someone with Zeke's skill set and savvy to be able to spell him if he's not up to the challenge. We'll see what happens this week. I think the Patriots are going to need both of them at top speed to be able to handle this Dallas defense. And that's the biggest storyline for the Cowboys going into week four is can they solve their run defense issues?

They were a disaster last week against Arizona. They gave up 189 yards rushing in the first half against the Cardinals who were running James Connor and Josh Dobbs and an offensive line that's not very good. I think you're going to see Bill Belichick and Bill O'Brien really challenge them here in week four. Like, Hey, how well can you stop the run? Because you're going to see it over and over again. I'm a little bit nervous about this Cowboys defense.

I think there's a chance that they just don't get very many third and longs to tee off on Mac Jones. The Patriots are always ahead of the chains. And when they do throw the ball, it's a lot of screens, a lot of quick passes. The Cowboys have to show that they can stop the run in order to get the right to rush the passer on third down. For me, that's easily the biggest storyline coming out of Dallas going into this matchup. Yeah, without question. And I'm glad that you mentioned that because something to watch if you're a Cowboys fan or something to watch, definitely, if you're a Patriots fan, Cole Strange has been a little banged up the last couple of weeks.

He's been battling a knee injury since training camp, caused him to leave the game on Sunday against the Jets. Now, he did practice on Wednesday, so we're not sure of what his status is going to be. But if that interior of the offensive line is weakened at all, it may compromise the Patriots' ability to be able to run the ball effectively. And in that case, the tackles have to be right on their money because you know that Dallas defense is just dying to tee off on Mac Jones on third down. And that's where the Patriots are most vulnerable.

So potential underlying radar type matchup to watch there is Cole Strange against that Dallas interior. That's going to be interesting to watch. Let's talk about some more matchups that we are looking forward to seeing, including a certain Cowboys receiver against a rookie defensive back. We will get to that next. Lockdown listeners, no matter why you shave, Harry's has you covered for the best shave of your life

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So get your best shave ever with Harry's razors and skincare products. Get a $13 starter set for just $3 at harrys.com slash NFL. That's harrys.com slash NFL for a $3 starter set. Welcome back to this crossover edition of the Locked On Cowboys and Locked On Patriots podcast.

We want to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Mike, let's talk about some of the matchups that we're excited to see on Sunday. On both sides of the ball, we've got some really intriguing battles going on, but which one are you the most interested in seeing? Well, I'm going to cheat a little bit. I'm going to go with the obvious one that everybody's looking forward to see because he's one of the biggest stories in Boston right now. And I'm sure this is one Dallas Cowboys fans are looking forward to as well.

And that is rookie Christian Gonzalez matching up with the ever-talented CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys. Look, CeeDee can beat you in so many different ways. He is a perimeter monster. But he's also capable of playing in different alignments and multiple alignments that are going to allow him to win his battles. One of the most talented receivers in the NFL. But Christian Gonzalez, even as a rookie, has shown a wisdom, a counsel, and he's shown a skill set beyond his years on the field just in three games while facing five of the league's best receivers Marcus in the last three games 74 routes he's covered some of the best receivers in the league I'm talking AJ Brown

Tyree Kill Garrett Williams Gonzalez has allowed only 10 catches for 102 yards zero touchdowns one interception and a pass breakup the longest completion that he's allowed so far this year 23 yards now that inexperience is supposed to prevent you from putting up numbers like that but Christian is already doing that um he's at his best in man coverage without question and I think that's exactly how the Patriots will deploy him but the fact that he never takes his eyes off the quarterback is something that Dak Prescott is going to have to adjust for this week because Christian can be effective in zone concepts as well if he's noticing that his eyes are completely fixated on the quarterback rather than his target so I'm looking forward to really really seeing this um and what CD is going to be able to do against him because this

may be his toughest test to date in terms of versatility uh this is the one i really want to watch yeah and it's the same for me right because cd lamb does a lot of his best work from the slot we just haven't seen christian gonzalez play in the slot a ton this year i think i looked at the numbers this morning i think it's 17 slot snaps i do think he's got the feet in the athleticism to play in the slot but it's a whole different ball game playing inside. You got to do everything just a little bit faster, a little bit quicker. Does Gonzalez follow CD lamb into the slot? Did the Cowboys keep CD lamb away from the outside so they can get him more free releases? It's something I'm interested in seeing, but I'm also, I want to see the other receivers

in this as well, because if a Gonzalez is covering cd land like you and i both expect how do the patriots match up with brandon cooks and michael gallup for cowboy fans that might not know marcus jones their starting slot corner uh out with a shoulder injury jack jones uh one of their other outside corners who had a fantastic rookie season last year he's out with an injury. So that, I mean, at least on paper, would suggest that the Cowboys could maybe have an advantage here with Brandon Cooks and with Michael Gallup. If the Patriots do decide to take away CeeDee Lamb,

like we've seen Bill Belichick do before, we're going to take away your best receiver. Does Dak Prescott trust his other receivers enough in one-on-one coverage to have success? It's just a whole Cowboys passing offense against these Bill Belichick corners. I'm fascinated to see. I'm fascinated as well because there are a lot of options that the Patriots could use. One of the big keys in the Patriots being able to do that and defend someone as speedy

and as explosive as Cooks has the potential to be, is Jonathan Jones. Jonathan is their normal perimeter corner. He missed last week's game. He's been giving his all during practice, but he hasn't been able to be at full 100%. Now, he is out there on the practice field this week, so that's one that Cowboys fans, Patriots fans need to continue to watch. And Jonathan is excellent in coverage. He's been someone that has been able to erase Tyreek Hill on occasion, and Tyreek Hill is someone that can be effective both on the boundary and in the slot as well.

So if there is an option to cover some of these guys, the health of Jonathan Jones is going to be paramount from that. If Jonathan's not able to go in this, then you're down three Joneses in the defensive backfield for the New England Patriots. That's potentially disastrous, especially against a team as explosive as Dallas. You're looking at guys like Miles Bryant, Sean Wade, who need to step up and play better. You might even see a rookie named Amir Speed, who's been a primary special teamer right now, have to step up and take on some of these speedy guys. That's a very good matchup to watch, Marcus, and a very good point, because the Patriots are

definitely feeling their injuries especially in the defensive backfield I also want to look at the defensive line for the Patriots and everybody knows Matt Judon I'm sure by now everybody knows Josh Uche after having was 12 sacks in his last 12 games or something ridiculous like that the guy that I'm keeping an eye on here is Keon White, their second round pick from Georgia Tech. Now, the Cowboys injuries on the offensive line, we still don't know who's going to play. Tyron Smith was ready to play last week,

got hurt in Saturday walkthrough, didn't play. They have Zach Martin who hurt his ankle in week three, didn't play in week four, didn't practice on Wednesday. Their center, Tyler Biotish, got hurt in their Friday practice with a hamstring injury. He didn't play in week three. If the Cowboys are down multiple starters, especially in the interior defensive line, it's where Keyon White could have a big day. New England just hasn't had a lot of these guys that have his type of size and power and athleticism.

And I think he could really push some pockets in this one and give Dak Prescott some trouble. So I'm watching all the defensive linemen for New England because I think in a lot of ways, these are some really underrated players that don't get enough credit for just how good they are. Yeah, New England's defensive line is an interesting storyline to follow this week for a lot of reasons. First of all, Daniel Laquale, one of their top sub rushers in a reserve role, is on injured reserve.

Daniel is a big part of what these guys are able to do when it comes to stuffing the run and even getting after the passers. So his absence is going to create a void in that defensive line. So how do you go ahead and you fill it? Well, Devon Gottschall is also banged up a little bit. He actually left Sunday's game against the Jets as well with an ankle injury back on the practice field this week, but we still don't know enough about his condition to know if he's going to go and what he's going to be like.

So that's going to put pressure on guys like Dietrich Wise Jr. to step up. Christian Barmore probably is going to be asked to play a much bigger role. He had a pretty good game rushing the passer against the Jets last week. And you mentioned Keon White. And Keon White is one of the more interesting prospects on this team because of his ability to do so many things well. I think he projects as a five-tech player in the near future. But right now, he's very good at being able to assist and run defense. I think that's where you're going to see him play primarily on Sunday

because the Patriots are thin in that regard. But don't be surprised to see him pin his ears back and try to get after the quarterback. I'll let the wise a little bit. If they unleash this kid, he's got a motor and a tenacity that allows him to play through the play. And I think that's something to keep an eye on if you're the Cowboys. And the last one for me, Mike, is Micah Parsons.

It's just kind of a routine thing for us here on the crossover shows to mention Micah Parsons. Where do the Cowboys line him up? Do they line him up against Trent Brown at left tackle and see if he can use his speed to beat him around the corner? Do they line him up on the right side with, you know, Riley Reif got put on the injured reserve list, I think it was after week one or before week one,

or do they just let him kind of stand up and pick the interior guy that he wants to go against to try to create some quick pressure on Mac Jones? I'm going to be fascinated to see how the Cowboys use Micah Parsons and how the Patriots plan on trying to block him. Yeah, I mean, conventional wisdom in normal situations would tell you go after the blind side. The quarterback has difficulty with pressure, especially from the second and third levels of the defense.

Let's hit him with the best guy that we've got, which is Micah Parsons, which is the best guy in the league at what he does. That would tell you that, you know, Mac is probably going to have those difficulties. But Trent Brown and his return from a concussion the previous week against the miami dolphins played extremely well on sunday protecting max blindside zero pressures allowed and he was graded uh to 92.4 uh from pro football focus for his performance on sunday so trent is clearly locked in and he is he is among the best

in the league at being able to protect that blind side so now what you need to do if you're the Cowboys is perhaps adjust like you said go after the weak spots in the offensive line that's why it's going to be very telltale to find out whether or not Cole Strange is going to be playing who's going to be on the right side do they take a chance and send Micah over on the other side and try to see if they can confuse the Patriots a little bit that's a weak area although Verderian L I think, played adequately at right tackle last week. These are going to be the big-time questions, and will the Patriots be using that third tight end in Farrell Brown to block and help defend against the run?

A lot of what the Patriots show in offensive setups is really, I think, going to have a big impact on how Dallas is going to be able to get home. But if they get home, I don't think the Patriots have the horses to win that battle. Micah is far too good, and he's playing at too high a level. All right, let's make our predictions for this week four matchup between the Patriots and Cowboys next. This episode is brought to you by PrizePix. PrizePix is the largest independently- owned daily fantasy sports platform in North America.

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whatever kind of stat you want to pick, you can choose from. There's so many different player options. It's just so much fun. Go to prizepicks.com slash LockedOnNFL and use promo code LockedOnNFL for a first deposit match worth up to $100. Again, go to prizepicks.com slash LockdownNFL and use promo code LockdownNFL for a first deposit match worth up to $100. Welcome back to this crossover edition of the Lockdown Cowboys

and Lockdown Patriots podcast. We want to thank you for making us your first listen every day. Mike, let's make some predictions. The floor is yours. Who is going to win this game? Well, as a Patriots, longtime Patriots reporter, and as a longer time Patriots fan, you'd love to say that the Pats are coming into this off of a win. Dallas is coming in off of a tough loss and that the Pats essentially, if they play their

game, can keep this one close and they can take it to the Cowboys. I absolutely believe all of those, but at the end, I think there are so much talent on both sides of the ball when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys. Extremely well coached on both sides of the ball, but these guys are executing at a high level. I take last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals out of the equation because I think it was an anomaly. Every team has bad games of that sort. And I think Dallas is ready to right the ship this week. And for a lot of the reasons that we talked about in the previous segment, Marcus,

starting with Micah Parsons and that pass rush. The New England Patriots have difficulty playing through pressure. And even though Mac Jones has been much better in that regard this year, if that offensive wind starts to break down, it's going to cause a domino effect, and one thing after another can go wrong. Dallas is 15.4% sack per pass play, second in the league so far. So the New England Patriots offensive line is going to have to have a near

flawless game in order to contain a fearsome defensive front, maybe the best defensive front in the NFL right now. At the end of the day, I think the Patriots keep this close, but I think that defensive front is too much. I like Dallas in this one, 27 to 20 over the Vets. I think New England's defense is going to keep this game close. I think they're going to force multiple turnovers here. I think they're just going to make it really hard for the Cowboys to sustain anything on

that side of the ball. So I could see this being a game where the Cowboys only score 20 points and maybe even less than that. But I think you're right. I think it comes back to me like the way that the Cowboys can struggle are teams that have a mobile quarterback and kind of a dynamic rushing attack where you can run some read option. You can do some different things with your quarterback and your running back. That's just not Mac Jones. Mac Jones is better in some other areas, but for the most part, he's a pretty stationary quarterback. And that's where the Cowboys do really well. They just thrive on quarterbacks who can't move and that have to get

rid of the ball quickly. They've got a very aggressive defense. They've got corners who can jump routes and that kind of stuff. They tackle pretty well at the second level. I won't be surprised if New England does run the ball with success, but we know that points really come out of the passing game and really the vertical element of the passing game. And right now, New England, they just don't have the vertical element in their passing game. Devontae Parker is a fine receiver.

Kendrick Bourne is a fine receiver. Kendrick Bourne is a good player. Juju Smith-Schuster is a slot guy that, you know, he's regressed a little bit in the last couple of years. I think the Cowboys defense ultimately wins this game, but I think it's going to be close all the way throughout. So I'll pick Dallas 20 to 17 in a pretty hard-fought, low-scoring game. Yeah, absolutely.

And it wouldn't surprise me to see Dallas grab a turnover and maybe grab some points on a turnover this week. And England has to do a very good job of taking care of the football. They were phenomenal in that area when it came to taking care of the football last week against the New York Jets. Against the Miami Dolphins, there's a little bit of a different circumstance there. They need to be able to stay very sound in that department. And also, I think what you mentioned earlier in Christian Gonzalez drawing CeeDee Lamb, if the Patriots need to utilize extra defensive backs in order to be able to take away and help him out a little bit, especially if he's going to try to hang with CD in this point.

The Patriots have done that. Those robber low hole type of formations that they're trying to those roles that they'll put them in. What's that going to allow to do? Will it allow certain other players to sit on those routes and be able to capitalize? These are all factors that I think could tilt the Dallas Cowboys way. Unfortunately for Patriots. We should also mention,

not only is this a revenge game for a ZK Elliott, right? It's also for a couple of Cowboy players, Brandon cooks, who was with the, the Patriots when they won a super bowl and Stefan Gilmore, who made the, basically the game winning play against the Rams and the super bowl,

both facing their former teams on Sunday should be fantastic to watch. That is it for this crossover edition of the Locked On Cowboys and Locked On Patriots podcast. We are free and available on all platforms. Check out our shows on YouTube. We go live every – we post a show every single day. Check out the Locked On kickoff show that goes live 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern time every Friday.

Just a fantastic show. Make sure you check it out. Check out Mike on Twitter at M. Yeah, it's at M, debate NFL. I'm at Marcus underscore Mosier. Enjoy the game, and we will see you guys next time.