You could feel the tension in the air among Saints fans way before the game even started. With QB Drew Brees out and uncertainty about his replacement there was good reason. The Saints however pulled off a cliff hanger with a 12 to 10 win thanks to Saints kicker Will Lutz.
The Saints are surviving their record-setting QB’s absence with effective defense and special teams, and making it clear that they won’t relinquish their status as NFC contenders.
“It’s sweet when you get a victory like that, with that type of team, when they have that type of mentality, when they come in and try to out physical you,” said Saints middle linebacker Damario Davis. “When you know it’s going to be a dog fight, to be able to hit back and come out on top, that’s the type of win that feels real good.”
Dallas came in with the NFL’s third-ranked running attack, averaging 179 yards, and had scored no fewer than 31 points in a game. But the Cowboys met much more resistance then they had with previous teams so this was a real test for the Cowboys who managed just 45 yards on the ground.
“Hats off to the defense,” said Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who improved to 2-0 as starter in place of Brees. “In this league we know how hard it is to win football games and no one said it had to be pretty.”
Bridgewater went 23 of 30 for 193 yards. He was intercepted for the first time this season, albeit on an accurate pass that bounced off of Ted Ginn Jr.’s hands near midfield in the first quarter.
“I don’t care about the numbers,” Bridgewater said. “My job right now is just to help this team win football games.”
The Cowboys scored the game’s only touchdown in the third quarter to give Dallas a 10-9 lead.
“They have first-round picks all across that defensive front. They’re a talented group and they did a good job moving up front and not allowing us to consistently run the ball,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “Obviously that’s a big part of what we want to do, and we weren’t able to sustain drives.”
Prescott finished 22 of 33 for 223 yards.
Kicker Will Lutz was the only one to put up points for the Saints connecting from 40, 42, and 19 yards in the first half and 26 yards in the fourth quarter.
The Saints were in range of a field goal that could have put them ahead by five but Jaylon Smith sacked Bridgewater back at the 47-yard line, forcing New Orleans to punt with 1:45 to go.
It looked like the game was over but defensive tackle David Onyemata came up with the Saints’ only sack of Prescott on the first play of Dallas’ final drive. The Cowboys briefly recovered with a first down, but were pushed back on a Dallas offensive pass interference call with 30 seconds left.
The game ended with a desperate “Hail Mary” by Dallas that was intercepted by the Saints with a too close for comfort win. It looks like the Saints are a real contender.
Until next time, GEAUX SAINTS!
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