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Dallas Cowboys 27, New Orleans Saints 17
Both teams came into this one feeling that they had problems that needed to be rectified, and quickly, at that. The Saints in particular had their backs against the wall, having gone from a seeming NFC favorite after a hot start, to out of the playoff picture currently. In reality, both teams needed to find a little bit of their swagger again.
In the end, the Cowboys pulled through, which was predictable. They are the better of these two teams, and they have played better, even during their recent bad stretch. So it was no real surprise that they controlled this game and, ultimately, earned the crucial victory.
The Saints actually held slight advantages over the ‘Boys in some key statistics. They held onto the ball for slightly longer, outgained Dallas with 405 yards to 377, and had the same number of first downs. Dallas, however, converted their opportunities better. Also, New Orleans committed too many mistakes, particularly turnovers.
Taysom Hill was at the helm for New Orleans, but he really looked bad at times. In fairness, he did injure his finger early in the game, and this did seem to have an effect on him for the rest of the game. Overall, he completed 19 of 41 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw four INT’s, which accounted for all of the Saints turnovers on this game. That included a horrific looking pick six in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach for the Saints. Not exactly a banner game.
With the win, Dallas improves to 8-4, and takes an important step towards reestablishing their dominance in the NFC East, or at least they strengthened their hold on first place. They will have some tough games in the coming weeks, ones that will determine whether or not the Cowboys are as good as some people still believe them to be.
As for the Saints, they were handed their fifth straight loss. A season once filled with promise after an impressive 5-2 start is now spiraling out of control, and fast. They were on the ropes entering this game, and this felt almost like a knockout punch. Perhaps they can recover, but they really look awful at the moment, and not at all like a playoff team.
My pick: Accurate
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