Tom Brady defends Dak Prescott, blasts young Cowboys WR after costly gaffe vs. Saints

So, about that Mike Zimmer defense, huh? After a flawless Week 1 showing, the Dallas Cowboys' allowed the New Orleans Saints to score a touchdown on all of their five possessions in the first half. Not even FOX color analyst Tom Brady could make sense of the no-show.

Much like the January playoff loss against the Packers, the Cowboys' defense hasn't given Dak Prescott and the offense a chance. Prescott has done everything in his power to keep Dallas within striking distance if the defense gets it together in the second half.

Yes, the Cowboys trailed 35-16 at halftime, but 16-point first half against a talented Saints defense should at the very least have them in the lead or within one score.

Having said that, there was a back-breaking sequence late in the second quarter that deflated Cowboys fans' hope of a comeback. Trailing 28-13 and driving, Prescott looked in the direction of Jalen Brooks. The second-year receiver slipped on his route and the pass was intercepted.

The mistake capped a nightmare first half from Brooks, which prompted Brady to say that Prescott should not look the WR's way again.

Tom Brady calls out Cowboys WR Jalen Brooks after Dak Prescott interception

That is the seven-time Super Bowl champion in Brady. Credit to FOX play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt for asking Brady how he would approach the situation.

Prescott did not listen to Brady's advice, but that was out of his power. He targeted Brooks on the Cowboys' next possession before halftime. Brooks made the play and help get the offense in field goal range, but it's easy to understand why Brady would not looks Brooks' away again.

It's impossible to say if the Cowboys would have scored a TD had Brooks not slipped. However, it was a two-posession game at the time. The turnover gave the ball back to a scorching Saints offense, which swiftly scored another touchdown to extend their lead to 35-13.

Prescott has helped keep the game marginally competitive. The lopside score is not indicative of Prescott's performance. He is playing at an All-Pro level. Brady recognized that and was quick to defend the 32-year-old QB from the box-score watchers who will get on their soapbox Monday morning and attempt to drag Prescott for committing a crucial turnover.

As for Brooks, it might be time for the Cowboys to give sixth-round rookie Ryan Flournoy a look next week. An end-around to Brandin Cooks in the first half would have gone for a touchdown if Brooks didn't miss his block. Dallas settled for a field goal, so it was a four-point mistake.

Brady was right to call out Brooks, who has not received a target from Prescott in the second half as of this writing.

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