After winning a National Championship, Louisiana legend Angel Reese stared into the camera and asked a simple question: “What they gonna say now?” The New Orleans Saints can borrow that question from the LSU alum after they delivered another dominant performance, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 44-19 in a Week 2 matchup.
The Saints looked just as dominant in Week 1 when they won 47-10 against the Carolina Panthers, but critics downplayed New Orleans’ performance, instead focusing on how bad the Panthers are. Everyone wanted to see if New Orleans could do it again, specifically against a worthy opponent.
The critics didn’t have to wait long since New Orleans played the Cowboys in Week 2. The Saints went on the road against Dallas, a perennial playoff team that has won 16 straight regular-season games at home, and absolutely dominated from start to finish. If you still can’t acknowledge New Orleans is just a good team, you’re a hater.
Saints dominate Cowboys behind another offensive explosion
Simply put, New Orleans did whatever it wanted to do from kickoff until the final whistle. The offense put the entire league on notice, scoring over 40 points in back-to-back games. Beyond the points, it was clear new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had a plan, and the players executed that plan almost flawlessly.
On the ground, not including Jake Haener’s three kneels, the Saints ran the ball 36 times for 193 yards and four touchdowns. Alvin Kamara led the way with 115 yards and three rushing touchdowns— he also had a receiving score.
Through the air, Derek Carr completed 11-of-16 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Most impressively, he was sacked just once.
Lost in the offensive explosion is how great the defense played. Giving up just 19 points, the Saints defense limited a really talented offense. New Orleans only gave up 285 passing yards and 68 rushing yards, while recording three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. Additionally, the lone touchdown allowed was somewhat of a fluke play where Tyrann Mathieu missed a tackle on CeeDee Lamb that the legendary safety makes nine times out of 10.
Beyond the box score numbers, the Saints defense absolutely bullied Dallas. From the defensive line to the secondary, there were a ton of big hits, and New Orleans played with a level of physicality and intensity that the Cowboys simply couldn’t match.
Now, after establishing itself as a top team in the league, New Orleans has to continue playing at this level. The Saints will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, another good team. While the Eagles are a challenging opponent, they represent an opportunity for the Saints to further prove they are a contender.