The Dallas Cowboys have the perfect opportunity to bounce back versus the New England Patriots thanks to one particular mismatch: Their Micah Parsons-led pass rush versus the Patriots' shaky offensive line.

Just like the Cowboys, the Pats have consistently been forced to navigate offensive line injuries going back to last season. Entering Week 4, they have serious concerns at both right tackle and left guard.

Through three weeks of the NFL season, the Patriots have allowed the eighth-highest pressure rate in the league, per Pro Football Reference. Let's take a closer look.

The struggles start at right tackle, where the Patriots have lined up Vederian Lowe over the last couple of weeks. In 81 pass blocking snaps, Lowe has allowed 11 pressures, the most on the team despite being fourth in offensive snaps played. His pass blocking efficiency as measured by PFF is the worst among Patriots offensive linemen. 

It's safe to say Lowe is set to see a heavy dose of snaps against Micah Parsons on Sunday, who was his disruptive self even in a Week 3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. If he gets opportunities to rush the passer (more on that later), expect Dan Quinn to draw up all kinds of looks to guarantee Parsons one-on-one opportunities versus Lowe.

At left guard, the Patriots have seen ups and downs from Cole Strange. With the sixth-most snaps, Strange has allowed the fourth-most pressures with six. Week 4 is a concern for Strange and friends as he was "very limited" in practice on Thursday. His game status remains to be seen but he'll be playing banged up or not at all.

Against Strange, Osa Odighizuwa could prove to be a problem. The Cowboys' three-tech defensive tackle has taken his game to the next level as he's recorded eight pressures and three sacks. In the run game, he's second in stops on the team. 

Mac Jones will be under constant pressure when dropping back to pass. PFF currently ranks his O-line as the 25th best in the NFL, a bad omen against this Cowboys' pass rush looking to make up for a bad day in Arizona.

But the Cowboys have to stop the run

The Patriots know all of what we just looked at. They know how big of a disadvantage they'll face if they're forced to ask Jones to drop back and throw against Dallas. 

Chances are, we'll see a heavy dose of 12 and 13 personnel groupings to try to run on the Cowboys just like the Cardinals did. Dan Quinn's defense better step up when that happens. Up front, the defensive line is mostly doing its job. But second-level defenders (linebackers and defensive backs included) need to do a much better job filling their gaps and fulfilling their assignments. 

As long as the game is close, the Patriots will make sure to run as much as they can. It'll be up to the Cowboys to clear that hurdle by gaining an early lead so Micah Parsons can pin his ears back and rush Mac Jones all day long.