Dallas City News

The Cowboys got a healthy helping of humble pie in Week 2 in the form of a 44-19 beatdown from the Saints in AT&T Stadium. The defense, which looked so good a week ago, was unable to get a stop until the start of the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the offense was much improved from a week ago, but they struggled to convert in the red zone.

It takes a lot of things going wrong for a beatdown like this, but these five plays were huge in getting distance between the Cowboys and Saints. Also, all of these plays occurred in the first half, as the Saints had this one locked up before halftime had even begun.

Derek Carr finds Rashid Shaheed on early third down

It’s easy to forget, but things looked mildly positive for the Dallas defense early in this one. The Saints started with the ball and were immediately stopped on first down with a run for one yard. They followed it up with a seven-yard gain from receiver Rashid Shaheed on a jet sweep, bringing up third and two.

Derek Carr dropped back and had a clean pocket, with Alvin Kamara walling off Micah Parsons on the edge. That gave Carr plenty of time to find Shahid on a shallow crosser, just outrunning rookie Caelen Carson. Shahid picked up a total of 17 yards before Carson brought him down, easily converting the first down.

Three plays later, Carr hit Chris Olave for a huge gain and, a play later, Kamara ran in for the first of many touchdowns. But Shahid’s first down catch on the third play of the game made it all possible.

Missed facemask call leads to Cowboys settling for field goal

Following the Saints’ opening touchdown, the Cowboys offense got to work trying to respond. They looked good too, moving the ball with relative ease. However, rookie Tyler Guyton got called for holding once they moved into scoring territory, bringing up a first and 20 on the Saints’ 45-yard line.

The Cowboys handed it off to Rico Dowdle, who plowed through for three yards. As the replay flashed up on the jumbotron, though, the fans became audibly irate. That’s because Dowdle had been very clearly brought down by his facemask, yet no flag had been thrown.

Had the penalty been assessed here, the Cowboys would have been given a first and 10 at the Saints’ 30-yard line. Instead, they were looking at second and 17 on the cusp of field goal range. It proved to be too much, and they had to settle for a field goal. But that blatant missed penalty could have drastically changed the outcome of this drive.

Jalen Brooks misses a block on would-be Brandin Cooks TD

Following Brandon Aubrey’s first field goal, the Saints only needed one play to go up 14-3 and hand the ball right back to the Cowboys. Once again, the offense moved the ball down the field with relative ease, getting inside the red zone following a pass to CeeDee Lamb.

On second and seven at the New Orleans 12, Mike McCarthy dialed up a reverse to Brandin Cooks, who looked to have the backside sealed off for an easy touchdown run. As he started to turn the corner, though, Jalen Brooks was bowled over by the defensive back he was blocking, and Cooks was tackled for a three-yard loss as a result.

The recurring theme of this game was that the Cowboys failed to do the little things right, and this play in particular emphasized that. Brooks has been one of the team’s better run blockers on the perimeter, but he got beat bad here and it cost the Cowboys four points, as they ultimately settled for a field goal a play later.

Alvin Kamara has wide open hole on third down

The Cowboys eventually found their way into the endzone, thanks to a big play by CeeDee Lamb after the catch. That trimmed the deficit to 21-13, and a defensive stop would make it a real game again. As the Saints went marching down the field, one such opportunity came up.

New Orleans had a third and three at the Dallas 38, right on the cusp of field goal range. A stop here would be huge, but it never came. Alvin Kamara got the handoff and immediately sliced through a wide open hole to pick up 15 yards in a blur, easily moving the chains.

The Saints didn’t face another third down on that drive, and they were celebrating in the endzone just four plays after Kamara’s big conversion. With the lead now at 28-13 and the two minute warning approaching, the Cowboys were put in a spot of having to force things offensively.

Jalen Brooks loses footing, gives Saints easy interception

The Cowboys would get the ball back to start the third quarter, so scoring a touchdown before halftime and then doubling up in the second half presented a real opportunity – the only opportunity – for them to get back in this game. After a sideline toe-tap to Brandin Cooks, the Cowboys picked up a first down right at midfield.

With roughly 90 seconds left in the half, the Cowboys needed some big plays. Dak Prescott saw Jalen Brooks coming open across the middle of the field and launched the ball to him. However, Brooks tripped and stumbled as the ball left Prescott’s hands, allowing the defender to easily pick it off and return the pass 47 yards.

That not only killed the Cowboys’ chances for a double-double, but it set the Saints up right at the edge of the red zone. Three plays later, they scored yet another touchdown to go up 35-13. The fact that the Cowboys mustered a field goal before halftime made no difference: this game was over.