The New England Patriots are gearing up for a big Week 4 contest against the Dallas Cowboys. After picking up their first win of the season in Week 3, getting another win over Dallas here would be huge for the Pats. Unfortunately, it's looking like they are going to have to do so at less than full health, as they have received a pair of tough injury updates ahead of the game.

New England has been bruised up from the get go, and they've been without a few of their starters in each of their contests to open the season. That trend will continue against the Cowboys, as both Jonathan Jones and Cole Strange have been ruled out for this game, which is obviously a less than ideal development for New England.

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Both Jones and Strange have missed time already this year, so it's not as if this is something the Patriots cannot overcome. Jones injured his ankle during practice ahead of New England's Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins, and hasn't played since then. Strange injured his knee in the win over the Jets, and after being limited in practice all week long, he ended up getting ruled out a day before the game.

The Patriots operated with Christian Gonzalez, Myles Bryant, and Shaun Wade as their top three corners in their win over the Jets, and assuming Wade plays in this game (he's questionable with a shoulder injury) they will likely employ a similar strategy. On offense, Antonio Mafi will slide into Strange's vacant left guard spot, where he has held up fairly well to start his NFL career. Losing Jones and Strange hurts, and it may be tough for New England to overcome their absences against a tough Dallas squad.