Mike Zimmer's honeymoon phase with Cowboys ends in horrific loss to Saints

It was hard for Dallas Cowboys fans to not get excited about Mike Zimmer's defense after it suffocated the Cleveland Browns to open the season. Zimmer dialed up a perfect game plan that produced standout games from Micah Parsons, DeMarvion Overshown and DeMarcus Lawrence.

Essentially the entire defense brought its A-game. While the win generated palpable excitement, it was important not to overreact. Deshaun Watson turned in one of the worst QB displays in recent memory. It's easy for a talented defense to look elite against a terrible quarterback.

How Zimmer's group look against a functioning and good offense was always going to be the real litmus test. With Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints coming to town on Sunday, Parsons and Co. had a chance to send a statement to the NFL that they should be taken seriously.

In a dumbfounding turn of events, the Cowboys' played worse defensively than they did in the January playoff loss to the Packers. That is not an exaggeration. To say the Zimmer honeymoon phase is over after New Orleans pummeled Dallas would be an understatement.

Mike Zimmer's defense was a disaster in the Cowboys' loss to the Saints

Zimmer's defense allowed the Saints to score a touchdown on each of their first six possessions. They did not force a punt until the game was decided in the fourth quarter. With 9:30 left in the second quarter, Dallas had allowed touchdowns of 70 and 57 yards.

What was so demoralizing about the performance is that the Cowboys were gashed against the run. They ran into similar problems during Dan Quinn's time as defensive coordinator. Sunday proved that those same problems still exist even with Zimmer at the helm.

Alvin Kamara is still a dynamic playmaker in the league, but he turned 29 in July and hasn't made a Pro Bowl in three years. He looked like a Hall of Famer against the Cowboys, finishing with 115 rushing yards and four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) on a healthy 5.3 yards per carry. He had not rushed for more than 100 yards since Week 17 of the 2022 season, per Pro Football Reference.

Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak coached circles around Zimmer. Between New Orleans' outside run scheme and quick-hitting crossing patterns, everything Kubiak did was to take Parsons out of the game. Parsons and Dallas' pass rush were hardly heard from on Sunday, if at all.

Awful game plan aside, Zimmer also did not use DeMarvion Overshown until the second quarter. The final snap counts aren't out yet, but late in the second half 35-year-old nose tackle Linval Joseph had played more snaps than Overshown, who was arguably Dallas' best player last week.

Zimmer's defense is so complex that growing pains were expected. It's another thing entirely to surrender a TD on six straight possessions. The Week 1 performance was clearly a mirage and a product of Deshaun Watson's terrible play.

Cowboys fans shouldn't turn on Zimmer after one bad game, but his defense better have a better outing next week. That will be easier said than done with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens coming to town.

More Cowboys news and analysis