Cowboys defense put to the test by Derek Carr and the Saints

A couple of hours after signing a contract extension that made him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history (four years and $240 million), Dak Prescott had little trouble leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 33-17 victory in Cleveland over the Browns in Week 1.

Prescott was nothing spectacular, going 19 of 32 for 179 yards and a touchdown, a 21-yarder to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter.

In fact, it was the Dallas defense that controlled the game from start to finish, always pressuring Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was sacked six times, with two interceptions and finished with a mediocre rating of 51.1.

Dallas’ suffocating defense did not miss Dan Quinn (now head coach in Washington) and maintained its attacking philosophy under Mike Zimmer. After eight seasons as head coach with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-2021) and a couple of years in college football, Zimmer returned to the Cowboys as defensive coordinator, a position he held in Dallas between 2001 and 2006.

Like Quinn, Zimmer likes his defenses to dictate the tempo and the premise to achieve this is very simple: attack the quarterback.

On Sunday, the Cowboys defense will have to deal with the New Orleans Saints and Derek Carr, who had a remarkable performance in Week 1 against Carolina: 19 of 23, 200 yards and three touchdowns.

The New Orleans offense averaged 6.1 yards per play and generated 379 yards. But that was against the Panthers, a team that will likely have one of the first picks in the 2025 Draft.

Key matchup: Shaheed vs. Diggs

Receiver Rashid Shaheed led the Saints with five targets, three receptions and 73 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter.

Shaheed will be guarded by Trevon Diggs, who had an interception last Sunday after missing 15 games last season due to injuries. When healthy, Diggs is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and it will be interesting to see if Carr will dare to challenge him.

The game plan

The Saints will try to run the ball at AT&T Stadium to keep the Cowboys’ defense honest, and to do so they have a very deep backfield that includes Alvin Kamara (83 yards and a touchdown against Carolina), Jamaal Williams (38-1) and unicorn Taysom Hill (35-0). This trio could cause problems for the Dallas defense, which allowed an average of 112.4 rushing yards per game last season and looked vulnerable against the run at times.

Last week in Cleveland, the Cowboys allowed just 93 yards on the ground, 39 of which came from quarterback Deshaun Watson.

If Dallas controls New Orleans’ ball-carriers, the Saints’ offensive line will have to deal with a very active Cowboys front-7 led by Micah Parsons, newcomer Eric Kendricks and Demarcus Lawrence; the three of them accounted for five of the six quarterback sacks in Cleveland.

When the Cowboys have the ball, head coach Mike McCarthy won’t hesitate to attack the Saints’ perimeter. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are one of the best QB-WR duos in the league, and Lamb’s duel with cornerback Marshon Lattimore could be the difference on Sunday in Arlington.

History and the verdict

Cowboys win the series 18-13, but Saints have won 5 of the last 8. Between 2022 and 2023, Dallas posted an impressive 16-1 regular season record at home. The Cowboys, 6.5-point favorites, will win once again thanks to their dominant defense and Dak Prescott, who will make more big plays than Derek Carr. Dallas 27-19 New Orleans

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