2 weeks Ago
Oh when the Saints ...
come marching in ...
Mike Zimmer and the Dallas Cowboys' defense were hapless and humiliated against the New Orleans Saints in a 44-19 loss Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium. "Who Dat?!" indeed. Our Top 10 Whitty Observations: 10.
WEST COAST WOES - Zimmer was hired, in part, because of his expertise in playing against - and stopping - the league's plethora of "West Coast" offenses. In recent years the Cowboys have produced eye-popping sacks and turnovers and Pro Bowl players and ..
. disappointing results against the likes of the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. But against the Saints' multiple-formation, quick-hitting system, Dallas again had no answers.
This was a clear KO by Saints' offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak over Zimmer. 9. DEJA BOO - This one reminded us of an ugly Sunday night in December 2006.
In that one - billed as the mentor (Cowboys' coach Bill Parcells) vs. the pupil (Saints' coach Sean Payton) - Drew Brees threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns as New Orleans embarrassed Dallas, 42-17. This Sunday it was Alvin Kamara doing most of the damage with four touchdowns as the Saints rolled up 432 yards on offense.
8. HOME SOUR HOME - The loss snapped (obliterated) Dallas' 16-game home winning streak. The Cowboys went 8-0 in the regular season last year and hadn't lost in Arlington since the 2022 opener to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The biggest home loss in franchise history remains 44-0 against the 1985 Chicago Bears. This didn't feel far off. Cooper Rush relieved Dak Prescott with five minutes remaining.
7. AT LEAST WE HAVE A GOOD KICKER? - In two games the Cowboys have scored three touchdowns and eight field goals. Yes, the defense was abysmal.
But the offense isn't exactly a well-oiled machine either. Prescott threw two interceptions, fumbled once and was sacked three times. Yuck.
6. BRADY BUMMER - So disappointed in new FOX lead analyst Tom Brady. The dude has seven Super Bowl rings and is widely considered one of the greatest minds in the history of football.
His "key" to the game? "The Cowboys' defense has to get the Saints into third-and-long ...
obvious passing situations." Really?! Every fan could say that about every team on every Sunday. Like, didn't the Saints' defense need to do the same to the Cowboys' offense? Third-and-long isn't a strategy or a game plan, it's the result of good defense on first and second down.
Expecting unique insight from Brady, instead all we get is generic, painfully obvious tropes you can hear from your simpleton buddy at the end of the couch. 5. SCORIGAMI! - Hey, at least we can say we witnessed history.
There have been 17,682 games played in the history of the NFL and only one - Sunday at AT&T Stadium - have ended with a final score of 44-19. 4. KAMARA CRUSH - The Saints' running back destroyed Dallas with 180 total yards and four touchdowns.
He scored a career-high six touchdowns in a game against the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 when - sure enough - Zimmer was their head coach. 3. HORRIBLE HALF - The Saints scored five touchdowns on five first-half possessions.
The 35 points were the most ever scored against Dallas in a first half, tying the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 and Denver Broncos in 1998. Related: Cowboys vs. Saints Halftime: Zimmer's Defense Hits Hurdle 2.
MICAH M.I.A.
- Micah Parsons can dominate a football game. Sunday he proved he can also totally disappear. While the Saints scored at will, the Defensive Player of the Year candidate made two tackles and spent way too much time standing on the sideline while New Orleans had the ball.
1. DE-FENSE-LESS! - Can't blame Quinn for this embarrassing performance. Nor Prescott.
Not enough fingers to point at Dallas' laughable defense. Unfortunately we've seen this movie before ..
. last January. Then: Green Bay Packers 48 points; Now: Saints 44 points.
In their last two home games - under two different coordinators - the Cowboys' defense has coughed up a combined 847 yards, 13 touchdowns and two lopsided losses. Against the Packers they trailed by 32 points early in the fourth quarter. Sunday they lost by 25.
.
