4 Saints who need to thrive in Week 2 vs Cowboys

After a dominant Week 1, the New Orleans Saints will try to move to 2-0 on Sunday, as they take on the Dallas Cowboys. Going on the road against a really good football team, the expectation is this game will be tough. However, New Orleans already proved in Week 1 things don’t always go as expected.

The Cowboys are much different than the Carolina Panthers, though, and Dallas is coming off a dominant Week 1 win as well. If the Saints are going to move to 2-0, they’ll need some strong performances from these key players.

3. Saints need Marshon Lattimore to thrive against Cowboys

Marshon Lattimore is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, and it kept him out of practice on Wednesday. However, the veteran corner has downplayed the issue, making it seem as if he’s going to play on Sunday. New Orleans definitely needs him to, because CeeDee Lamb will be on the opposite side of the ball.

The Cowboys have an explosive offense, but Lamb is the focal point of the unit. In 2023, he caught 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s why he recently signed a four-year extension worth $136 million. In his first game this year, he caught five passes for 61 yards.

New Orleans has a ton of talent and depth in the secondary, but if Lattimore is available and can limit Lamb, that would slow down the Cowboys offense.

2. Saints need Derek Carr to thrive against Cowboys

As the quarterback, New Orleans always needs Derek Carr to play well. On Sunday, though, the team specifically needs him to protect the football. If he gets careless, the Dallas defense will take the ball away.

Forcing turnovers is a specialty for the Cowboys. Last season, they had 26 takeaways, including 17 interceptions. They picked up where they left off, with Trevon Diggs recording an interception in Week 1. He and the other Dallas defenders are definitely looking to capitalize off any bad decisions from Carr.

1. Saints need Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning to thrive against Cowboys

Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning are the two obvious x-factors in this game. They both played tremendous in Week 1, but they’ll be facing another level in Week 2 when they lineup against the Cowboys. On one end of Dallas’ defensive line is Micah Parsons and on the other end is DeMarcus Lawrence.

If Fuaga and Penning show any weaknesses, the Cowboys pass rush could wreck the game. Dallas is coming off a six-sack performance in Week 1, so it’ll try to keep the momentum rolling. The Saints can’t allow that if they want to win. Penning and Fuaga don’t have to win every rep and shut them out, they just can’t allow them to takeover the game.

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