Dallas City News

Saints destroy Cowboys defense in Week 2 blowout – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star

An embarrassment all around.

First Half Malaise

You would think after such a great Week 1 win, the Cowboys would come out firing in the first half of their home opener.

That could not have been more incorrect.

The first half was a nightmare for Dallas, and it started with a 7-play, 80 yard touchdown drive that would hand Kamara the first of his four touchdowns on the day.

After a long drive that resulted in a field goal, the Saints responded with a one-play, 70 yard touchdown drive. Dallas never recovered from that point on.

In total, the Saints had five offensive drives, and they came away with five touchdowns for 35 points. The Cowboys defense forced just three 3rd downs in 26 first half offensive plays.

There were two bright spots in the first half for Dallas, and those were CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aubrey.

The superstar wide receiver came down with an impressive 65-yard touchdown catch.

On special teams, Aubrey picked up the offenses slack, going 3/3 in the half on field goals, including a 52-yarder.

Eatman: Driven by Carr and powered by Kamara, Saints ran every stop sign – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

New Orleans was rolling in every facet of the game.

With 9:43 to play in the game, the Saints brought out their punter – for the first time all day. And for that matter, they hadn’t even brought out their field-goal kicker either, except to tack on extra points to all these touchdowns.

If that doesn’t symbolize a bad day for the defense, nothing does. The Cowboys simply couldn’t stop the Saints – in anything they tried to do.

Give New Orleans a ton of credit. Whatever Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara wanted to do, they did it with success.

Attack the middle of the field with crossing routes? Yes, did that to open the game.

Deep ball down the seam? Yes, touchdown on the second drive.

What about attack the edge with Kamara? Yes, all day long – over and over and over and over.

I know Micah Parsons has a podcast called The Edge. The Saints basically lived there for four quarters, and the Cowboys couldn’t do much about it.

Man, to think the Saints didn’t even get a full week of practice due to Hurricane Francine, but you wouldn’t have ever noticed. New Orleans looked so much better prepared on both sides of the ball – but especially on offense.

I was asked a few times during the week if the Cowboys’ Week 1 win over the Browns was a product of a great defense or a terrible quarterback performance by Deshaun Watson. I took the easy way out and said, “Both.”

But I think it’s very clear what the answer is now. We knew it would be a different story with Carr in the pocket, especially if he had time to throw. And too many times in the game, Carr got to stand back there and pick the Cowboys apart.

Micah Parsons passionately defends Mike Zimmer after Cowboys’ Week 2 massacre – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat

The lion responds to the defensive ineptitude.

It is hard (basically impossible) to come to Zimmer’s defense after a performance like that, but Parsons led that charge on social media with a passionate response to a tweet from our friends at Blogging The Boys.

Micah Parsons passionately defends Mike Zimmer after Cowboys’ Week 2 loss

Those are very strong words from Parsons. It is impossible to say on first watch if it was Zimmer’s scheme or the players’ performance that caused the meltdown. Perhaps it was a combination of both, but Zimmer cannot be blamed for Dallas’ nose tackles playing like their feet are stuck in mud.

The Cowboys ran into a similar problem last year. While the linebacker room is much-improved relative to 2023, it’s impossible for Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown and Maris Liufau to fill gaps and get downhill when the nose tackles are hanging them out to dry.

It brings into question why Dallas only signed one external free agent before August. Adding vets Jordan Phillips and Linval Joseph bolstered the depth of the defensive line, but it’s possible that Cowboys fans were a little too bullish projecting their respective impacts.

Dak Prescott looks ahead after disappointing loss at home – Ali Jawad, Sports Illustrated

Dak is looking for redemption.

Despite a disappointing home opener loss quarterback Dak Prescott expressed confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back.

“We’re gonna learn from it,” Prescott stated after the game. “That was a good team. Gotta give them credit. This is the NFL.

The Cowboys’ offense struggled to find its footing against a stout Saints defense, scoring less than 20 points at home for the first time in two years, and Prescott acknowledged the challenge they faced.

However, the veteran QB emphasized the importance of focusing on the process and responding to adversity.

“It’s about trusting the process and responding,” Prescott said. “I know we have the guys to do that.”

Prescott’s optimism reflects the resilience within the Cowboys’ locker room. While the loss stings, the team will be eager to get back to work and correct the mistakes that led to their Week 1 defeat.

“Honestly excited to get back to work and turn this page,” Prescott concluded.

The Cowboys will look to rebound next week when they welcome the Baltimore Ravens who fell to 0-2 after a shocking loss of their own against the Las Vegas Raiders.

4 Dallas Cowboys to blame for total embarrassment at hands of Saints – Cody Williams, FanSided

There is plenty of blame to go around in this one.

3. Trevon Diggs didn’t play anything close to like a superstar

Trevon Diggs returning to the Cowboys after missing all of last season was supposed to be a boon for Dallas. He had been a Defensive Player of the Year candidate previously and, especially after the DaRon Bland injury, this team needed him to step up and be that again if they were going to continue their impressive defensive run.

On Sunday, Diggs was anything but impressive. His normal style of play that can get him caught gambling was exacerbated facing the motion of the Saints offense and he was burned quite often throughout the game. That’s kind of the trade-off you take with Diggs, to some degree, but what made it exponentially worse was that the veteran corner wasn’t defending willingly or capably against the run, making him doubly a liability for this defense.

Diggs is being paid to be a superstar. That’s easy to buy into when he’s coming up with interceptions and paying off his gambles. It’s much harder to justify when he’s putting forth effort like this while getting burned in coverage.

3 Cowboys Who Should Be Embarrassed by Pathetic Week 2 Performance – Joe Summers, SportDFW

A few more names.

1. Mike Zimmer – Defensive Coordinator

Dallas fans were thrilled with Zimmer’s defense in Week 1, smothering Deshaun Watson and the Browns. Zimmer quickly forfeited that goodwill though, putting forth a pathetic effort in Week 2 and making Derek Carr look like the best QB in the league.

Going into the fourth quarter, New Orleans scored on every single drive en route to a lead over 20 points. The Saints were impressive against the pathetic Panthers in Week 1, yet no one saw this demolition coming. Unfortunately for Zimmer, the terrible effort somehow made Cowboys fans yearn for the Quinn days.

Alvin Kamara is seemingly Zimmer’s kryptonite. The defense as a whole now faces significant questions moving forward. If Carr and Kamara can make Micah Parsons and company look like swiss cheese, just imagine what two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ stout unit will do.