New Orleans Saints (10-1)
v.
Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
Dallas Cowboys 13, New Orleans Saints 10
About one month ago, the Dallas Cowboys looked almost dead in the water. They were 3-5, and looking like they were well out of the playoff picture. Head coach Jason Garrett was on the hot seat, with some suggesting that maybe it was time for him to go. Washington was red hot and had just squeaked out a win over Dallas, moving to 4-2. They would beat the Giants the next week to reach 5-2, and seemed to not only be running away with the division, but perhaps positioning themselves as contenders for home field advantage. Meanwhile, the Eagles looked like they were not as strong as they had been when they had won the Super Bowl last season, but they still looked like as serious contender for the playoffs, and the ‘Boys were only two games ahead of the lowly last place Giants.
Now, all of that has changed. The Cowboys have managed to put together a solid winning streak of four straight, and have not only gotten back into the playoff picture, but have outright taken over first place in the NFC East. Washington does not look as good, and if they appeared on the verge of locking up the NFC East when Dallas was floundering, they now instead appear to be flirting with removing themselves from the NFC playoff picture themselves. The Eagles may be the defending champions, but they have played in a manner that suggests that maybe they were a little too self-satisfied with the Super Bowl championship last season.
The ‘Boys have beaten some impressive teams during this current win streak, all of the teams being playoff contenders. But none of the other teams were anywhere near as impressive as the one that Dallas managed to defeat last night – the 10-1 New Orleans Saints. Behind veteran, future hall of fame quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints had put up some amazing, even historical level numbers, and appeared to be flirting with an elite status that might place them among the all-time great teams in history. They had won 10 games in a row, had been the only team to manage to beat the then undefeated Los Angeles Rams, and they had one of the best defenses against the run. Most importantly, their offense was averaging over 37 points per game.
In the first half, however, the Dallas “D” managed to do something that nobody thought possible, shutting out the Saints offense for the entire half. By keeping constant pressure on Brees, they forced him to hurry some passes and simply to not produce on the elite level that he was used to. The Cowboy offense also did their job, as they held onto the ball for over 20 minutes during the first half, and took a 13-0 lead into the locker rooms by halftime. New Orleans was better in the second half, but they still fell short of doing enough to win this game.
Brees completed 18 of 28 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown, although he also had one INT. Those are very pedestrian numbers for a quarterback of the stature of Drew Brees. Dallas also managed to effectively contain the New Orleans ground game, D as running back Alvin Kamara was held to a mere 36 yards on 11 carries. The Dallas defense managed to stuff Kamara on a crucial fourth and goal situation, completing a goal line stand late in the first half which certainly helped them to win the game.
For Dallas, Dak Prescott completed 24 of 28 passes for 248 yards and one touchdown. The Saints did limit the production of running back Ezekiel Elliott, who picked up 76 yards and 23 carries, which is moderate for him.
This fourth straight win by the Cowboys sees them now alone atop the NFC East for the first time all season. They are 3-1 within the NFC East, and will get to host Philadelphia, and visit the Giants, in their remaining divisional games. Both games seem like winnable contests for them, especially the way that they are playing. They also own a 7-3 overall record against NFC teams, which could help them to catch Chicago or Minnesota in playoff positioning if it comes to that. Currently, Dallas has the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs.
The loss knocks the Saints from the top spot in the NFC race for home field advantage, as they fall to 10-2 on the season. They now have to hope for the Rams – the only team in the league remaining who has not suffered multiple losses - to lose a game if they want to regain the inside route for the number one seed, which would give them home field advantage for as long as they last in the NFC playoffs. The Saints still are too far ahead in the NFC South for any other team there to seriously entertain any hopes of winning that division away from New Orleans.
My pick: Inaccurate
My pick: Inaccurate
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