Halftime: New England 21, Dallas 17.

One drive can change the complexion of a game, and that may well be the case with Dallas’ touchdown drive at the end of the first half. It wasn’t a pretty first half, as Tom Brady shredded the defense for 213 yards and three touchdowns, but at the end of the half, Dallas is still very, very much in it.

New England dominated in the first quarter, putting together two touchdown drives. The first came after the Cowboys went three and out on their first possession, when the Pats went 74 yards in 14 plays, with the drive ending in a 6-yard touchdown from Brady to Randy Moss.

The second was a six-play, 69-yard drive that ended with Wes Welker catching a 35-yard touchdown pass.

That touchdown must have been what woke Dallas up, as they went 64 yards in 10 plays, and got a 38-yard field goal from Nick Folk to draw within 14-3. Within two minutes, the Cowboys were within four, as Greg Ellis hit Tom Brady at the 32 and knocked the ball loose, and Jason Hatcher recovered and took it 29 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-10.

The Patriots responded as the Patriots do and drove 72 yards in 12 plays, and got a 12-yard TD pass from Brady to Welker to make it 21-10. But, the Cowboys came right back down the field, and overcame penalties to get their first offensive touchdown. After a T.O. catch was ruled incomplete on 2nd and 5 from the 12 (when it should have been ruled complete, due to Ellis Hobbs pushing T.O. out when he had only one foot in), Romo tossed a throw over the pressure to a wide open T.O., who beat Hobbs and walked into the end zone.

So, a game that could have been over in the first 20 minutes is now up for grabs.

POSITIVES

It’s not over, by any means. The Patriots, for all their offensive glory, didn’t play at their best. Welker did make six catches for 94 yards, and had the two touchdowns, but he also fumbled twice, and there was the Brady fumble that led to the Hatcher touchdown.

And, while the Patriots defense did a great job of slowing Dallas down in the first quarter, Dallas woke up in the second and got themselves back into the game in a hurry.

NEGATIVES

The Patriots are 7 of 9 on third downs. Converting third downs helped them on all three of their scoring drives.

Keys to Second-Half Success

1. Keep the Pats from converting those third downs. If you get a team in a third and long, and they keep converting it, that makes it very, very difficult for you to have a chance.

2. Run the ball. The Cowboys had only seven rushing attempts in the first half, but did produce decently when they did, as Marion Barber had 27 yards on his five carries. Not only does the run make you less one-dimensional, but it also uses up the clock and breaks down the opposing defense, but also gives your defense a rest.

3. Pressure Brady. When you get some pressure on him, that means he is, believe it or not, as human as any other quarterback.

4. Win the battle of 81s, and utilize the targets the best. Moss had only the one catch, while T.O. came on late in the half and got three catches for 34 yards and the score. But, not only does T.O. need the ball, but Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton need to see the ball regularly. As for the Patriots, if you keep shutting Moss down, that can limit what Brady can do, especially considering TE Ben Watson might not be back for the rest of the game, and RB Sammy Morris is nicked up as well.

Okay, on to my second-half analysis, because the half’s already started, and I’m missing it trying to catch up.