Jonathan Jones, the starting cornerback, had an ankle injury on Friday and G Cole Strange, the starting quarterback, suffered a knee injury. Both players were downgraded to out on Saturday after practicing limited all week. They’re not going to play in Dallas on Sunday. While Strange will miss his second game of the season due to a knee ailment that happened early in training camp, Jones, the seasoned cornerback, will miss his third consecutive game following a mid-week injury heading into Week 2.

First, the offensive line: Atonio Mafi, a rookie selected in the fifth round, replaced Strange at left guard during the team’s victory over the Jets last week. In a challenging matchup, Strange played erratic 44 plays, primarily going toe-to-toe with Jets star defensive end Quinnen Williams. Strange made development in his ability to detect defensive line movement during pass protection, but before leaving the game, he gave up ground in the running game and gave up three quarterback pressures.

Mafi is a little worse at pass protection than Strange since he lacks the movement talents that Strange possesses, and the fifth-round pick is probably going to start at left guard. However, the rookie for the Pats is a strong run blocker whose body type allows for better-leveraging blocks. It’s hardly shocking that Strange is out at this point, given our limited practice window this week; this means Mafi probably had a lot of practice reps at left guard.

The superstar will be lining up on the other side of the line of scrimmage, which makes this exchange hard. Micah Parsons, a pass-rusher with the Cowboys, has outstanding first-step explosiveness and direction-changing fluidity, making him difficult to block. Parson’s online antics are also problematic and could cause issues for the Mafi. The Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will probably employ Parsons to target Mafi in the passing game, so the Patriots and center David Andrews will need to assist Mafi as much as possible in pass protection.

The starting offensive line for the Patriots after downgrading Strange to out might be C David Andrews, RG Michael Onwenu, LT Trent Brown, LG Atonio Mafi, and RT Vederian Lowe. Sidy Sow, a fellow first-year offensive lineman, may be given a chance if the rookie suffers after passing the concussion protocol. Sow began the majority of his collegiate games at left guard, despite spending a lot of time at tackle this summer. He is a more athletic pass blocker than Mafi, who is more renowned for his ability to stop runs.

Let’s talk defense now. CB Jonathan Jones of the Patriots will miss his third straight game due to an ankle injury. Jones is probably close to returning because of the four-week in-season injury leave, but the team is keeping an eye on the big picture. Last week, the Pats started youngster Christian Gonzalez at cornerback, DB Myles Bryant, and third-year corner Shaun Wade in place of the seasoned corner. Wade traveled to Dallas with the club, but his availability for Sunday’s match is also in doubt due to a shoulder ailment.

The Cowboys receiving group, which has Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks, and CeeDee Lamb, will be the team the Patriots secondary must stick with. With more receiving yards for his squad than any other NFL receiver, Lamb is the go-to player. After winning Defensive Rookie of the Month, Gonzalez will probably face Lamb, Bryant will run with an old friend in Cooks, and Wade will play outside to guard Gallup, the jump-ball specialist.

For their game on Sunday, the Patriots have decided to activate DL Jeremiah Pharms off the practice squad, following their decision last week to not do so. Pharms is getting his first standard elevation of the season; if he’s healthy, he might make his NFL debut this week. DL Davon Godchaux (ankle) and DL Christian Barmore (knee) are both listed as questionable on the injury report, which is the first thing to note from elevating Pharms. Although they haven’t been ruled out, the Pats D-Lineman may be considered a game-time decision given that they traveled to Dallas on Saturday with the team. Godchaux may be forced to miss this game after leaving last Sunday’s victory over the Jets in the second quarter.

The Cowboys attack, which has the fourth-highest rushing rate after three weeks and is seventh in EPA per rush, presents a formidable challenge to New England’s run defense. Throughout the preseason, Pharms’ strong run defense showed off, recording seven stops on 61 run defense snaps in the previous summer. In the Pats two-gapping roles, Pharms uses strong leverage and a low center of gravity to maintain his position.

Pharms and second-year DL Sam Roberts are not as well-known as Barmore and Godchaux, but they could fill in as early-down run-stoppers if needed. Following the designation of interior pass-rusher Daniel Ekuale as injured earlier this week, Keion White, a second-round pick, may also get more playing time. In the first three weeks, White has played 60 defensive snaps, registering six hurries in 34 pass snaps. White should continue to play a bigger role after a strong rookie camp.

On Sunday, the Patriots and Cowboys will play in Jerry World. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.