We are in for an early-season tilt between two of the top teams in the NFC as the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints matchup on Sunday Night Football. Dallas has made easy work of their first three opponents. With Ezekiel Elliott under a new contract, the team has been able to rely once again on the triumvirate of Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper offensively. With one of the top offensive lines in the league, it allows for the three superstars to really excel and that is what keeps the Cowboys among the elite teams in the league. The Saints had their own star-studded offensive trio in Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas, however, they lost Brees to a thumb injury two weeks ago. Yet, with Brees playing at such an advanced age, the team had taken the proper precautions to ensure that they had quality players behind him to keep things going. Teddy Bridgewater was the highest-paid backup quarterback and Sean Payton has used Taysom Hill as a jack-of-all-trades endlessly. Star power and big plays will be the reason that one of these two teams will end Sunday with a very important win.
For the home team, the key to tonight’s game will be establishing the run. It is a cliche among football fans but in this situation taking as much pressure as they can off the shoulders (or should I say arm) of Bridgewater will be a big first step. Against the Seattle Seahawks last week, Kamara touched the ball 25 times–16 rushes–and totaled 161 yards and a touchdown. While they once again rely on Kamara in both the running and passing game, he has to average more than 4.3 yards per carry. The Cowboys defense has a fair share of athletes from Jaylon Smith, to Leighton Vander Esch, to Byron Jones and they’ll be looking to try and stall the All-Pro early and often. If the Saints can’t run the ball that will allow DeMarcus Lawrence to pin his ears back and focus solely on getting to Bridgewater in the pocket. The backup hasn’t gotten consistent snaps since leaving the Minnesota Vikings so his pocket presence might not be at its most alert and he could be susceptible to taking sacks, or worse, turning the ball over. By getting the ground game going Payton can take advantage of play actions and use Bridgewaters ability to throw on the move to orchestrate big plays.
Dallas has had the best of both worlds through three games. Prescott has played his best football to date. No longer a game manager or a system quarterback, he is truly making an impact on games each time he has taken the field. Part of the reason for that is the emergence of Amari Cooper. He had disappointed during his time with the Oakland Raiders but since joining the Cowboys last season he has looked every bit the part of the first-round pick he was when he was taken in the 2015 NFL Draft. Michael Gallup had emerged as a true number two option for the team but he is healing for a meniscus injury and will miss this game too. Jason Witten is back and his chemistry with Prescott is evident with each passing game. Add to that arguably the best running back in the league in NFL in Elliott and the offense truly cause headaches for opponents. It isn’t a one-horse backfield anymore either as rookie Tony Pollard has looked dangerous when filling in for the All-Pro runner. The major change that they made to their offense was bringing in Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator and so far the former NFL quarterback has passed with flying colors.
PREDICTION: Cowboys 28 , Saints 23
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