Saints Get Leg Up

Four field goals and a stingy Saints defense shut down a Cowboys offense that previously looked unstoppable. One-quarter of the way into the NFL season, it’s virtually impossible to tell which team is the NFC’s best.

The Dallas Cowboys had their chance Sunday night in New Orleans to stake their claim. But they failed to do it. Their once-powerful offense was shut down and they lost to the Saints, 12-10, at the raucous Superdome.

“No one said it had to be pretty,” Teddy Bridgewater, the Saints’ fill-in starter at quarterback while Drew Brees is sidelined, told NBC after the game. “But we were able to come away with a win tonight. The defense, hats off to those guys…. Overall [it’s] a great team win and we’re all excited.”

It was the Saints’ first touchdown-less victory since 1998. They scored only on four field goals by kicker Wil Lutz. The New Orleans defense, improbably, made certain that was enough.

The Cowboys entered this week’s play ranked third in the NFL in total offense and fourth in scoring offense. First-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore looked like a rising star in the coaching ranks. Quarterback Dak Prescott very much resembled a league MVP candidate. Wide receiver Amari Cooper was tied for the league lead with four touchdown catches. Tailback Ezekiel Elliott was coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing performances.

The Saints, meanwhile, were ranked 28th in the league in total defense and 26th in scoring defense.

But nothing was easy for the Dallas offense Sunday night. The Cowboys managed only 257 yards of total offense and reached the end zone only once, on Elliott’s one-yard run in the third quarter.

Elliott ran for only 35 yards on the night. Prescott managed a modest 223 passing yards and had his desperation throw on the game’s final play intercepted. The Cowboys had first-half turnovers on fumbles lost by Elliott and tight end Jason Witten. Cooper had only five catches for 48 yards.

The Saints improved to 3-1 and won their second straight game with Bridgewater starting at quarterback in place of Brees. With Brees watching from the Saints’ sideline with his surgically repaired right thumb in a brace, Bridgewater threw an early interception and took an ill-advised sack at game’s end to keep Lutz from attempting a field goal that would have pushed the lead to five points. It wasn’t perfect. Far from it.

But now the Saints have beaten the Seahawks and the Cowboys without Brees. It was reported on the NBC broadcast Sunday night that Brees believes he can return to the lineup around Week 8. The defensive performance against the Cowboys certainly was uplifting. Saints Coach Sean Payton acknowledged that there is much that must be improved. But at least his team will be trying to clean up its mistakes while winning, not while losing.