FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- The New England Patriots' playoff chances seem to be fading faster than the time it takes Drew Bledsoe to release a pass.

Three straight losses have left New England with little room for error. Three straight subpar games by Bledsoe, who has been battered while searching for open receivers, make a strong comeback Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys critical.

"To have this offense and not be able to put up points is an extremely frustrating thing," he said. "I would like to think at this point in my career I'd be beyond that."

Is it time to bench the three-time Pro Bowl selection, even for a few plays? Talk-show callers suggested that rookie Michael Bishop, a mobile seventh-round draft pick, might give the Patriots a lift.

Bledsoe bristled at the suggestion.

"I'm the quarterback on this team," he said. "I'm going to be the quarterback for a long time to come and I'm very secure in that position."

Both teams are 6-5, but the Cowboys are in better shape. They're one game behind Washington in the NFC East, while New England must overtake one of the six AFC teams that already have at least eight victories.

The Patriots were 6-5 the past two years and still made the playoffs, but the competition is tougher now.

"If we want to have any chance at the playoffs, we can't afford to lose any more games," cornerback Ty Law said.

Bledsoe completed more than half his passes in each of the first eight games as the Patriots went 6-2. He threw 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in that stretch. In the three losses since then, he completed more than half his passes only once and has thrown for four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Part of the problem, he said, is that receivers are hit at the line of scrimmage, disrupting the timing of pass patterns and forcing him to hold the ball longer.

Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman sees no need to replace Bledsoe.

"He's struggled a little bit, but that happens to everybody," Aikman said.

It happens to the Cowboys when they go on the road, where they're 1-5. They haven't won there in nearly three months, since a season-opening overtime victory over Washington.

"I don't know what it is," strong safety Darren Woodson said. "You get on the plane, we go to another stadium, and we just don't play that well."

That might indicate they don't have much chance Sunday night. But the Patriots have never beaten the Cowboys, losing seven times, and haven't beaten anybody in more than a month.

"I see this game as just another chance for us to beat them," New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "So we haven't beaten them before. Big deal. This is another chance. This is a totally different situation."

One difference is that middle linebacker Ted Johnson is expected to play for the first time this season after rupturing his left biceps tendon four months ago. He calls the defensive signals and was the team's top tackler in two of his four seasons.

"I'd like to come in and play at a high level," he said. "By no means do I want to come in and embarrass myself and embarrass my team."

His strength is in stopping the run, and he'll have his hands full with Emmitt Smith, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in six games this season and needs just 22 yards for his ninth straight 1,000-yard season.

"We can't afford to do a whole lot more up and down, up and down," Smith said. "Eventually we have got to get on a consistent basis."

If the Cowboys' trend of alternating wins and losses in their last four games continues, the Patriots will be pleased. But Dallas' defense is improving.

It beat Miami 20-0 and intercepted five passes on Thanksgiving Day four days after the Dolphins beat the Patriots 27-17. And three days after Thanksgiving, the Patriots lost again, 17-7 at Buffalo.

With their offense struggling, the Patriots must face a Dallas team that has allowed no more than one offensive touchdown in seven of its 11 games.

"It's not realistic that you can keep every team to zero points every week," free safety George Teague said, "but we want to build on this and try to keep them out of the end zone and hold them to field goals."

Bledsoe, his blockers and his receivers will have improve to keep the Cowboys from doing that.

"We all have to be better," he said, "and it starts with me."

DALLAS Season schedule and results

NEW ENGLAND Season schedule and results

September 12 @Washington W 41-35 September 20 Atlanta W 24-7 October 3 Arizona W 35-7 October 10 @Philadelphia L 10-13 October 18 @NY Giants L 10-13 October 24 Washington W 38-20 October 31 @Indianapolis L 24-34 November 8 @Minnesota L 17-27 November 14 Green Bay W 27-13 November 21 @Arizona L 9-13 November 25 Miami W 20-0 December 5 @New England 8:20pm ET December 12 Philadelphia 1:00pm ET December 19 NY Jets 4:15pm ET December 24 @New Orleans 3:05pm ET January 2 NY Giants 4:05pm ET

September 12 @NY Jets W 30-28 September 19 Indianapolis W 31-28 September 26 NY Giants W 16-14 October 3 @Cleveland W 19-7 October 10 @Kansas City L 14-16 October 17 Miami L 30-31 October 24 Denver W 24-23 October 31 @Arizona W 27-3 November 15 NY Jets L 17-24 November 21 @Miami L 17-27 November 28 @Buffalo L 7-17 December 5 Dallas 8:20pm ET December 12 @Indianapolis 1:00pm ET December 19 @Philadelphia 1:00pm ET December 26 Buffalo 1:00pm ET January 2 Baltimore 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

Copyright 1999 STATS, Inc. Commercial distribution without the express written consent of STATS is prohibited.