The Dallas Cowboys pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season beating the 10-1 New Orleans Saints 13-10 to move to 7-5 on the season. Here are our four reasons for tonights win.
1. Defense
The Cowboys defense has been a force all season and was the case again tonight. They made Saints quarterback Drew Brees uncomfortable all game causing Brees his only 0-of-4 start in his career. They held them to just 59 yards in the first half, their lowest total since 2002 and limited Brees to 39 passing yards his lowest as a Saint. The zero points allowed was the first time in 72 games the Saints failed to score in a half ending the leagues longest streak. The notched two sacks and safety Jourdan Lewis recorded his first interception. The defense has been the key to the win streak and will continue to do so moving forward.
2. Dak Prescott
Despite his two fumbles, Prescott had a heck of a game setting the teams single-game record with 17 straight completions. He finished 24-of-28 for 248 yards and one touchdown while having a big scramble for a first down late in the fourth quarter. While he didn’t do it by himself he made enough plays when it counted to help pull out the win. Expect more moving forward.
3. Receiving Core
Rookie Michael Gallup was the unlikely go-to target early as the Cowboys picked on Saints corner Eli Apple early and often. It worked as Gallup led with 76 yards on five catches. Amari Cooper hauled in eight catches for 75 yards and running back Ezekiel Elliott chipped in six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. This is by far one of the best performances of the season from the receiving core and will need more games like this moving forward.
4. Offensive Line
Seven. That’s the number of sacks the line allowed tonight and was a huge reason why the offense failed to score in the second half. On the ground, Elliott only averaged 3.3 yards per carry and had 76 yards on 23 carries. Sure the Saints came in with the top rushing defense in the league but there’s no excuse for the number of sacks. It came from both inside and out and has to be fixed moving forward.
