New Orleans Saints: Expect a slugfest vs. Dallas Cowboys
By Jason Reed
The New Orleans Saints host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 in a game that will much different than the 13-10 loss from a year ago.
The New Orleans Saints started their slate of games without Drew Brees on the perfect foot. Not only was Teddy Bridgewater able to lead the Saints to a win in his first start of the year but the team was able to do it in Seattle.
Teams don’t just go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks. It is one of the hardest places to play in the NFL and it certainly didn’t help that there was the typical Seattle rainy weather.
The Saints were helped by some non-offensive touchdowns, which included a punt return touchdown and a fumble recovery touchdown, to outlast the Seahawks in a slugfest. Seattle scored a last-second touchdown to move the final margin to 33-27.
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Fans might be expecting a different kind of game out of the Saints in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys and there is every reason in the world to have those expectations.
First of all, these two teams squared off last year in what was the Saints’ worst offensive showing of the season. New Orleans scored just 10 points and dropped the contest, 13-10.
Not only is that fresh in our minds, but we still did not see enough from Bridgewater to be fully confident in his play. Yes, he did enough to manage and win the game, but he definitely did not excel in any way and was helped out by the non-offensive touchdowns and the freakish athleticism of Alvin Kamara.
All of those things are true but it will not lead to a defensive standoff. This game will be drastically different from last season, even if common wisdom says otherwise.
First and foremost, in the Saints’ case, Teddy B should have plenty of time in the pocket to make decisions. The Cowboys have just five sacks on the season, three of which came last week against the Miami Dolphins.
The Cowboys’ defensive line is the weakest part of the defense and the Saints’ offensive line is one of the best in the league. Sean Payton is going to draw up plenty of plays to get guys open and all Bridgewater has to do is stand in the pocket and make the throws, something he is capable of doing.
The linebacker core will probably be able to limit Kamara from escaping the second level but he will have plenty of massive holes to run through on the line.
It is also no secret that the New Orleans Saints’ defense is not the greatest. All three opponents thus far have scored 27 or 28 points this season and the Cowboys have the weapons to put that many, if not more, on the board.
Dak Prescott isn’t as good of a quarterback as his early games make him out to be but the team still has one of the best running backs in the league in Ezekiel Elliott as well as a dynamic receiving corps.
Plus, they also have one of the best defensive lines in football. That mixture of great protection and an underwhelming Saints’ secondary is a recipe for success for the Cowboys.
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But hey, that is the Saints’ brand of football: overpower the opposition with the offensive attack and hope the defense holds on enough to get the W.