Cowboys vs. Saints: Can Dallas shock the world Thursday night?

Facing the hottest team in the NFL, a resurgent Dallas Cowboys team will face its biggest challenge of 2018. Can they shock the world and beat the Saints?

One month ago, Thursday night’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys had all the makings of a slaughter in wait. Just two days away from kickoff, the Cowboys are one of the three hottest teams in the NFC, loading up on both wins and confidence.

Does that change the perception of this game? Probably not. It does make things more intriguing, however. There is certainly more optimism that Dallas will have a shot and the best team in football. However guarded or realistic that hope is, at least there is hope that a win could be salvageable.

Can the Cowboys shock the World and pull off a major upset on Thursday Night Football? Here are three things the Dallas Cowboys must do in order to pull off such a miracle.

Control the clock

The conventional wisdom would be to immediately look at running back Ezekiel Elliott and want him to have 30 carries against New Orleans.

While that would be nice, it’s not realistic, nor am I too keen on putting that much bodily attention on a guy this team will need down the stretch.

There are plenty of other ways to manage the clock appropriately and make the Saints offense watch the game from the best seats in the house.

Coaches need to emphasize to quarterback Dak Prescott that all snaps must come with five seconds or less on the play clock. Speaking of Dak, five to seven designed runs or keepers on run/pass options would be optimal.

The Dallas Cowboys should also use a couple of wide receiver screens and other quick-hitting, high percentage throws to move down the field.

If the Dallas Cowboys are to win this game, they will need to possess the ball for 35 minutes or more. This sort of game plan will help greatly towards that goal.