DAL vs NE: Cowboys need a win to break this trend

Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys host Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots this Sunday.

There are several ways to analyze the history of the two teams, but most recently the favor falls towards New England.

The storied franchises have faced each other 14 times since their inaugural matchup in 1971.

Dallas leads the all-time series 8-6, and won the first seven matchups dating from 1971 to 1996.

However, since Bill Belichick took over the Patriots franchise, the Cowboys hold a 1-6 record in head to head matchups.

New England had defeated the Cowboys six straight times from 1999 to 2019 until Dak Prescott and the Cowboys walked out of Gillette Stadium with an overtime win in 2021.

In head to head matchups between the head coaches, Belichick holds a 3-1 record over McCarthy.

Again, Belichick’s only loss versus McCarthy this century came in that 2021 bout after McCarthy was no longer with the Packers franchise.

There is still one more trend to take into consideration.

The Dallas Cowboys have not defeated the New England Patriots on their own home field in Irving/Arlington since December of the 1996 season.

Since then, two games have been played in Texas. One in Texas Stadium in 2007, and the other in 2015 at AT&T Stadium.

Let’s take a look back at that 1996 win and the two losses this century, and use history let us know if the third time is the charm for a win versus the Patriots in 2023.

1996 Week 16

Date: 12/15/1996
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, TX
Record: DAL (9-5), NE (10-4)
Result: DAL 12, NE 6

This game was a defensive slug fest featuring zero touchdowns, five interceptions, three sacks, and six field goals.

Dallas came out on top, pulling away in the 2nd half after a 6-6 tie at halftime to win the game 12-6 on the leg of K Chris Boniol.

This game featured so many great names in the team history of both franchises.

First, the head coaches were Bill Parcells versus Barry Switzer.

Parcells, who would actually lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl at the end of that season, would eventually be hired as the coach of the Cowboys less than a decade later.

Ironically, his Super Bowl loss that year came at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, the former team of current Cowboys’ HC Mike McCarthy.

Seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, anyone? I have a good one for you.

The Cowboys would go on to lose in the Wildcard round to the Carolina Panthers, signaling the end of the 90’s dynasty.

Other big names on those teams were quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Drew Bledsoe, running backs Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin, and wide receivers Michael Irvin and Terry Glenn.

The defensive side was star-studded as well.

Cowboys’ S Darren Woodson intercepted Bledsoe twice while Patriots’ CB Ty Law intercepted Aikman twice, as well.

The next two games in Texas were both losses for Dallas.

2007 Week 6

Date: 10/14/2007
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, TX
Record: DAL (5-0), NE (5-0)
Result: DAL 48, DAL 27

Just past the first quarter of the season in 2007, the Cowboys and Patriots met with huge expectations.

Both teams sported a perfect 5-0 record headed into this matchup, with star power throughout each team.

We didn’t know it at the time, but the Tom Brady led Patriots would finish the season with a perfect 16-0 regular season record on their way to the Super Bowl.

Brady had an arsenal of weapons on what would be a perfect regular season team.

His receiving options included Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, and Benjamin Watson.

Opposite of him, QB Tony Romo was in his first full season as a starter, finishing the 2006 season with a surprise takeover of the job, and the full confidence of a 5-0 start.

Romo’s weapons included Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, and Patrick Crayton, with a good running attack featuring Julius Jones and Marion Barber III.

Unfortunately, Brady’s offense was so explosive, Dallas was forced to abandon the running game early on.

New England jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead on plays by Moss and Welker.

They were well on their way to making it 21-0 had DE DeMarcus Ware not broken through the line and sacked Brady, resulting in a fumble.

The Patriots’ star power on offense proved to be too much, leading to the Cowboys giving up 48 points while Romo and the offense could only muster 27.

It would be the first and only meeting of Tom Brady and Tony Romo in Texas.

There was one more matchup in Arlington while both quarterbacks were still in the league, but Romo was lost to injury weeks before that game.

2015 Week 5

Date: 10/11/2015
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Record: DAL (2-2), NE (3-0)
Result: NE 30, DAL 6

A Dallas team reeling at the loss of QB Tony Romo to a broken clavicle was no match for an undefeated Bill Belichick Patriots team.

Belichick, a defensive genius, made life miserable for backup QB Brandon Weeden, sacking him three times and intercepting him once while keeping him under 200 yards passing.

Meanwhile, Brady completed 74% of his passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and most importantly, zero turnovers.

The Patriots used a 120 yard day from WR Julian Edelman to power to a 30-6 win over the Romo-less Cowboys.

Dallas has not won a home game versus the Patriots since the season after their last Super Bowl win, and have never beaten Bill Belichick in the state of Texas.

Now 27 years later, a win today would break both of those streaks.