New England Patriots

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has been fined $10,300 for unsportsmanlike conduct after waving goodbye to Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills in last weekend's 35-29 win over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The incident occurred on Lamb's 35-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Though Lamb wasn't flagged for the wave, the NFL is cracking down on taunting this year. After Week 2, the league fined nine players more than $94,000 for taunting, per Pelissero.

A first offense can result in a fine of up to $10,300, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN, and the second is for $15,450.

Lamb was Dallas' top receiver against New England, catching nine passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

The Patriots kept the Week 6 matchup close, and many fans thought the team would win after Kendrick Bourne caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Mac Jones to help put New England up 29-26 late in the fourth quarter.

However, there was too much time left on the clock for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott after that play, and he led his team down the field before Greg Zuerlein kicked a game-tying field goal in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

The Patriots started with the ball in overtime but failed to move the chains and were forced to punt, leading to Lamb's big play.

"That was an unbelievable feeling," Lamb said of his game-winning touchdown. The 22-year-old hadn't ended the game with a touchdown since he was in high school, per ESPN's Todd Archer.

Lamb has emerged as one of Prescott's favorite receivers. He leads the Cowboys with 33 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns on 49 targets. Amari Cooper ranks second on the team with 30 catches for 373 yards and four touchdowns on 43 targets.

Dallas, who is on a bye week, is first in the NFC East with a 5-1 record. The Cowboys will next face the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 31.  

Martellus Bennett doesn't have fond memories of Jimmy Garoppolo during their time together as teammates with the New England Patriots. 

Appearing on the Double Coverage podcast with Devin and Jason McCourty (h/t Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston), Bennett accused Garoppolo of "being a b---h" for not playing in one game early in the 2016 season. 

He decided not to play right before the game. Jacoby (Brissett) came out and played with a f--ked up thumb and played his heart out, but Jimmy was just being a b---h about it all. That's why he ... you can't win with a b---h for a quarterback, first of all. That was the whole thing with him: He didn't want to come out and do anything because his agent was trying to protect his body or some s--t like that. Which, I can't fault him for that. But like, you should have made that decision on Thursday. Now it's Sunday.

Garoppolo started the first two games in 2016 when Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension as part of the discipline handed down by the NFL for the Deflategate scandal. 

The Patriots won both games with Garoppolo under center, but he suffered a sprained AC joint in his shoulder during the Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins. 

At the time, Garoppolo was expected to miss at least six weeks due to the injury. There was some thought that he might have been able to return in Week 4 depending on how inflamed the joint was and his level of pain tolerance. 

The Patriots ultimately turned to Jacoby Brissett to start both games before Brady returned in Week 5. Brissett was dealing with a thumb injury prior to Week 4. 

It's fair to question Bennett's recollection of these events. For instance, he also said on the podcast the Patriots lost two games without Brady. They actually went 3-1 during his suspension. 

Bennett also got a championship ring from the whole experience. The Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl LI. 

Regardless, it certainly sounds like Bennett won't be inviting Garoppolo to any potential reunion parties for the 2016 Patriots in the future. 

The expectation within the NFL is that New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson is in line to receive a big contract in the near future.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, rival teams have "thought highly" of Jackson for quite some time and believe he will be rewarded when the time comes for him to get paid.

It isn't guaranteed the contract will come from the Pats, though, as Howe noted that the trade of Stephon Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers doesn't make it more likely New England will re-sign Jackson since they are "mutually exclusive situations."

Originally signed by New England as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Jackson has developed into one of the NFL's top corners.

Even as only a part-time starter in his first two seasons, Jackson racked up a total of eight interceptions and 16 passes defended. He then came through with a breakout performance last season.

Starting a career-high 11 of the 16 games he appeared in, Jackson registered 40 tackles, 14 passes defended and nine interceptions, which ranked second only to Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard's 10 picks.

While Jackson was surprisingly not selected to the Pro Bowl, he cemented his status as a top-flight cornerback and entered 2021 with high expectations.

Gilmore began the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning Jackson was New England's No. 1 corner when the campaign started, and he has not disappointed with 22 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defended through five games.

The Patriots were seemingly so confident in Jackson in that role that they traded Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick.

Now the focus shifts toward whether New England will pay him like a shutdown corner much like it did with Gilmore previously.

Jackson is playing under a one-year, $3.384 million tender this season and can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

The Patriots signed Gilmore to a five-year, $65 million contract in 2017, and it is possible Jackson could get something similar this offseason, or the Pats could opt to place the franchise tag on him and delay the decision on a long-term deal.

The Boston Red Sox generated plenty of buzz in the New England area after the AL Wild Card win over the New York Yankees, but one moment stood out for manager Alex Cora.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick texted Cora before Tuesday's game to wish him luck, adding a congratulatory text afterward.

"That's like the highlight of the year," Cora told reporters Sunday. "I got the text from this random area code. That's cool, to be honest with you, for somebody of his status to wish us luck."

Cora called the text "more personal" than when the two met after the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series.

“We’ve been friends for a while and really respect what he does and what he’s brought to the Sox," Belichick said during Monday's appearance on The Greg Hill Show, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI. "I’ve enjoyed our relationship, and it looks like he’s doing fine. He’s got a good team, and they’ve played well.

Though Belichick is almost always singularly focused on his own team, it appears he took a break to watch some playoff baseball last week.  

The New England Patriots are facing a crisis with their offensive line ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Houston Texans. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss, the Patriots could be missing up to four starters in Week 5:

Trent Brown and Shaq Mason haven't practiced all week with calf and abdominal injuries and will not suit up.

Isaiah Wynn and Mike Onwenu were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, putting their availability in jeopardy. They could join center David Andrews in the lineup depending on their vaccination status, though the fact that they were still on the list Friday does not bode well.

If Andrews is indeed the only starting lineman available, he will presumably be joined by Ted Karras, Yasir Durant, Justin Herron and Yodny Cajuste, the backups on the active roster.

Herron and Durant have been filling in for Brown, who hasn't played since Week 1. Both have had difficulties in pass protection. Karras might have started in any case after stepping in for a struggling Onwenu in Week 4. Onwenu played just 56 percent of the snaps in New England's 19-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per USA Today's Henry Mckenna.

A makeshift offensive line could mean another tough outing for rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who has been sacked 10 times. Meanwhile, the rushing attack has also struggled to get going. The Patriots are averaging just 68.5 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 31st in the NFL.

Despite the dire situation, Sunday's game is still a winnable one. The Texans have one of the worst pass rushes in the league, and they're coming off a 40-0 shutout loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots may have to turn to a short passing game, but they might not need many points to beat Houston.