Cowboys beat Saints: 5 players whose stock is soaring

DeMarcus Lawrence, DE

The Cowboys defensive leader and premier pass rusher made some intense comments earlier in the week about hitting the Saints’ offense in the mouth and choking them out. It was a check not many believed his defense would be able to cash against the high-powered Saints.

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But Lawrence and company backed up those statements on Thursday night, making a statement defensive win against New Orleans. Dallas shutdown the league’s best offensive attack in legendary fashion. And Lawrence was at the heart of it, flying off the edge like a man possessed.

Limiting the Saints to a mere 176 yards of offense, the Cowboys defense elevated themselves to elite status on Thursday night, introducing themselves as a brute force in front of a primetime audience. With several doubters having to eat crow Friday morning, Dallas’ epic defensive effort has many thinking playoffs with another month left in the regular season.

As for Tank, Lawrence racked up four tackles and a sack while pestering Saints quarterback Drew Brees all night. A penalty by defensive end Randy Gregory robbed Lawrence of a strip sack, forced fumble and turnover late in the game. Lawrence is now only half a sack away from another double-digit sack season.

DeMarcus Lawrence made some brash comments before the game. And his defense backed up every word.