Things haven’t really gone according to plan the last several times the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints have linked up. Two teams with perennial powerhouse offenses had comined for 45 points over the last two contests. Thursday night, the two squared off for the 31st time in league history and once again it was difficult sledding for both sides.
The Saints were missing two-thirds of their starting offense and both clubs looked disjointed and unable to do what they wanted. In the end, though, Dallas’ talent advantage was enough to secure a double-digit victory despite only converting two of 13 third-down attempts.
The Cowboys entered the game in the midst of a COVID outbreak that took away their head and offensive line coaches, as well as a couple players. Without Mike McCarthy to make key decisions, Dallas went with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who had to come down from the press box to take over head coaching duties. That gave him the opportunity to be on the sideline with his troops to celebrate his team’s four-interception game and a 27-10 victory.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak and improved Dallas’ record to 8-4 as they began the final stretch of their season against six straight NFC opponents.
Dallas struggled to establish the run against a stout Saints’ defensive front while New Orleans’ passing game was mostly non-existent against a suffocating Dallas secondary. The Cowboys were able to capitalize on several big plays and with an advantage through the air, they were able to methodically snuff out the hopes of Sean Payton’s club pining for the upset.
Tony Pollard’s 58-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Dallas the breathing room they were looking for to stretch a small lead into a comfortable one.
Dallas saw the return of several star players out for various lengths of time prior this game. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence played for the first time since Week 1, while receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb came back after missing two and one game each.
Quarterback Dak Prescott had an up and down performance that included a few bad decisions and once again a refusal to run when lanes were there for him and receivers were covered. All in all, despite a few big plays, the offense certainly looks out of sync, especially compared to how well it was running earlier in the season.
What makes it even more confusing is that Dallas had their full compliment of players for the first time all season.
The defense is still waiting on several key pieces on the defensive line to return, with Neville Gallimore and Trysten Hill expected back next week, but they were humming.
Micah Parsons got his 10th sack of the season, Trevon Diggs caught his ninth interception and Carlos Watkins had a fourth-quarter Pick-6. Things were impressive despite the club’s inability to adjust to Taysom Hill as a running threat and they began celebrating too soon, allowing Deonta Harris to escape multiple tackles on a late 70-yard touchdown.
Still, with all that went on this week, shifting to virtual meetings and COVID protocols throughout the organization, Dallas was able to come together for a 10-point win.
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