Cowboys defense grounds Saints high-flying offense in shocking win
It was the no-fly zone in AT&T Stadium as the Dallas Cowboys defense was able to ground the Saints high-flying offense in a shocking Thursday night win.
Admit it. This was a game you had marked as an “L” on your calendar for the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the fact the team was in the midst of a three-game winning streak, posting impressive victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons, the 10-1 New Orleans Saints were a different animal.
The Saint came into AT&T Stadium riding a league-best 10-game winning streak. In their last four contests alone, their high-flying offense behind MVP candidate and future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees has averaged an incredible 43.75 points of offense in each game.
As for the Cowboys, their season seems all but over a mere four weeks ago. A disappointing 28-14 loss to the struggling Tennessee Titans in Week Nine following their bye indicated America’s Team trajectory pointed to yet another disappointing season.
Yet, Dallas was able to defeat those high-flying Saints on Thursday night, 13-10, behind a legendary effort by their dominate defense. The Cowboys were able to blank the league’s top scoring offense (37.2) in the first half and allowed just 10 points in the second.
Brees would end his disappointing night completing only 18 of his 28 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His lone score coming on a missed pass interference penalty by wide receiver Keith Kirkwood on his only reception of the game.
The Cowboys offense did just enough to win Thursday night. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 24 of his 28 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown. Running back Ezekiel Elliott had 76 rushing yards on 23 carries. Zeke also had six catches for 60 yards and a score. And wide receiver Amari Cooper led the team with eight receptions for 75 yards.
Defensively, rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch led the team with 10 combined tackles. Fellow linebacker Jaylon Smith posted nine total tackles as well. Both defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and cornerback Anthony Brown registered sacks. Second-year corner Jourdan Lewis had an interception.
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The 7-5 Dallas Cowboys now sit alone atop the NFC East with the 6-5 Washington Redskins and the 5-6 Philadelphia Eagles set to face each other Monday night. Up next for the Cowboys are those same Eagles in a Week 14 matchup at AT&T that could determine which team is crowned division champions. That pivotal matchup is scheduled for Sunday, December 9th at 3:25 p.m. CST on FOX.