The Sports Xchange

IRVING, Texas — It sounds as if the Dallas Cowboys do not have many believers as they prepare to play the New England Patriots on Sunday.

The Cowboys are 2-2 after losing two straight and the Patriots are undefeated at 3-0, coming off a bye and in the midst of a deflate-gate induced scorched earth revenge tour.

But the Cowboys are buoyed by the return of linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive end Greg Hardy on defense.

However, it is not known how ready to play McClain is. And Hardy already talked himself into a controversy with an odd remark about wanting to see the wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady at the game.

Not exactly a subject to bring up on his first day back from a suspension for domestic violence. That made Hardy the subject of a sudden wave of controversy Wednesday. Even commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Hardy’s remarks, but said he had not yet heard them.

Back to football, the Cowboys gained some confidence in quarterback Brandon Weeden, despite his 0-2 record so far in place of the injured Tony Romo.

Weeden lost for the 10th straight time as a starting quarterback last week, including 0-3 since joining the Cowboys. But there were signs of progress against the New Orleans Saints, particularly the 91-yard touchdown drive that tied the game in the fourth quarter with a 17-yard strike to Terrance Williams.

Coach Jason Garrett said there is no consideration into replacing Weeden with the newly-acquired journeyman Matt Cassel.

“I think Brandon has done a really nice job,” Garrett said. “We are going to ask him to play quarterback for the Cowboys and we are going to try to play to his strengths. And ask him to go out and execute each week.

“We have to play well around him on offense and play well around him on defense and play well around him in the kicking game to help us win some ball games. But if you look at his time playing both after coming in after Tony got hurt against Philadelphia and the two starts there is a lot of good things to build on. He has handled the situation really well.”

Weeden handled the pressure of being the Cowboys quarterback and admittedly grew more comfortable and more confident with each outing.

“Yeah, I talked to coach Garrett a couple of weeks back and the talk we had was great,” Weeden said. “He basically said this whole organization has complete confidence in me.

“Mr. Jerry Jones, after the game, shook my hand and said ‘way to fight.’ That’s really about it. I think I’ve got the support in the locker room and I’ve got the support with the coaches. Two games in as a starter, we’re starting to get a rhythm a little bit in the huddle. It’s a little different with Tony not being in there. Now we just have to build on it. Play and play well and try to win a game.”

It is an understatement to say beating the Patriots would be great for Weeden and the Cowboys, who are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive until Romo returns Nov. 22 from a fractured collarbone.

“It would be a good win,” Weeden said. “More than anything, just to get back on track. Get the momentum going. Confidence isn’t shaken in here. We have a lot of confidence in this locker room. That’s not really the concern. I think it’s just going out and beat a good football team. We’re at home. We just need to get the momentum back on our side and pick up where we left off a couple of weeks ago.”

THE SERIES: 12th meeting. Dallas leads the series 7-4. Dallas won the first 7 games in the series. New England has won the last four. The last Dallas win came in 1996.

GAME PLAN

–Quarterback Brandon Weeden built some confidence in the loss to the Saints and the Cowboys hope to use that as a foundation against the Patriots. He made plays down field. He didn’t turn the ball over. They need to control the ball and keep Tom Brady off the field. But they also need to score as the Patriots have the league’s top ranked offense. Passing effectively and vertically will help open up things for a ground game that disappears in the second half. Defensively, they need to get pressure on Brady, which is bigger task for a unit that was carved up by Matt Ryan and Drew Brees the past two weeks.

KEY MATCHUPS

–Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski vs. Cowboys safety Byron Jones.

Gronkowski is simply the best tight end in the NFL because of his size and pass catching ability. He is tough to tackle. He is impossible to cover. He had five catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers; seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills; and four catches for 101 yards against the Jaguars. The Cowboys have not had much trouble with tight ends this season, allowing only 13 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. But they haven’t faced one as good as Gronkowski. Jones will have the most responsibility for stopping Gronkowski, but he will get help. Coach Jason Garrett said containing Grownkowski is “our” problem not Jones alone.

–Cowboys running game vs. Patriots run defense.

The Cowboys are certainly going to want to control the ball and keep the Pats quarterback Tom Brady off the field. Doing so means running the ball effectively with Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Christine Michael. The Patriots give up 117 yards per game on the ground. The Cowboys have to find a way to be more consistent and being to finish game with a strong ground game. They average 107.8 yards per game but have totaled just 21 yards on the ground in the second half of the past to games combined.