As the quarterback enters the winter of his career, there are signs that New
England can thrive, even when he is no longer as dominant as he once was
After the Patriots eked out a low-scoring win against the
Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, Tom Brady looked like he had just attended a funeral. He sullenly expressed frustration with his offense, a sentiment he continued on his weekly radio show the following day. Former Patriot and current Fox Sports guest analyst Rob Gronkowski offered an honest assessment of Brady’s intensity. “He’s so frustrated, too. It’s like, ‘Yo, you guys are 9-1.’ That’s one part I don’t miss about being there … I’m not going to lie. I don’t miss that,” Gronkowski said Sunday on the Fox pregame show.
New England narrowly won once again Sunday 13-9, this time against the Dallas Cowboys who entered Foxboro as the NFL’s top offense. The Patriots defense was its typical smothering self, containing Ezekiel Elliott and keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone all day. The Cowboys’ top wideout Amari Cooper was held without a catch thanks to unshakable coverage from Pats corner Stephon Gilmore. As for the Patriots’ offense, well, they scored just 13 points. In fact, since Week 6, the Pats have scored fewer points each week than the week before. Against Dallas, Brady threw for 191 yards and a score, decent numbers for some quarterbacks but below expectations for this one.