Saints vs. Cowboys: A Complete Guide to Sunday Night Football Week 4

Are you ready for some defense? If so, keep walking, because you aren't getting any here.

What you will get in Sunday night's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys is offensive subplots galore.

There's two of the league's best-known quarterbacks in Drew Brees of the Saints and Tony Romo of the Cowboys. There's a pair of the league's most talented pass-catchers in Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant and Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. And who knows? The Cowboys might even force a punt this time around.

One thing's for sure: This is a game where waiting for the commercials to make that snack run is advisable, lest you miss three touchdowns while grabbing some Funyuns.

With that in mind, here's all you need to know about Sunday night's shootout in the making.

What, Where, When: The Particulars

Dave Martin/Associated Press

What: Sunday Night Football Week 4

Who: New Orleans Saints (1-2) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

When: 8:30 p.m. EDT

TV Coverage: NBC

Line (per OddsShark): Saints (-3)

It wasn't all that long ago that these two teams last met. In fact, it hasn't even been a calendar year since the Cowboys and Saints tangled in the Superdome in Week 10 last year.

Of course, it's a game that Dallas would just as soon forget.

The Saints tied an NFL record with 40 first downs and set a franchise record with 625 yards of offense in a 49-17 rout. Brees threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns, tying a career mark by completing 19 consecutive passes during the game.

Romo, who managed only 128 passing yards on the day, wasn't even a little bit happy about the Cowboys' effort in the game while speaking with The Associated Press (via NFL.com):

"

We have to play better football than this in all facets. We have to figure out what we can do to be a better football team because that obviously was not good enough. It was just difficult. They are a good team. Give them credit. They beat us today. It wasn't a fun game.

"

Of course, Romo's rough outing was nothing compared to the Dallas defense and its putrid prime-time performance.

The Cowboys failed to force New Orleans to punt the entire game.

Not once.

The whole game.

Injury Report

Mike Fuentes/Associated Press

Both of these teams have had their fair share of trouble with injuries during the early-going this season.

Injuries have hit the Saints on both sides of the ball. As ESPN's Mike Triplett reports, New Orleans running back Mark Ingram will miss his second straight game with a broken hand, leaving youngster Khiry Robinson as the team's between-the-tackles back against the Cowboys.

There's hope that the Saints will get a pair of starters back for the game. Center Jonathan Goodwin and inside linebacker David Hawthorne both practiced on a limited basis Friday, but Triplett wrote that "At this point, it's too difficult to predict whether either player will suit up on game day. Coach Sean Payton declined to offer any hints as to their status."

For the Cowboys, injuries on the defensive side of the ball just continue to pile up.

According to Shawn Lealos of CBS Dallas, both middle linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive tackle Henry Melton could miss Sunday night's game after sitting out practice most of the week. However, the pair returned to practice in a limited fashion Friday, leaving the duo as the dreaded game-time decision.

The Cowboys could be getting a pair of other defensive starters back as well. Outside linebacker Justin Durant (groin) and defensive end Anthony Spencer (knee) both returned to practice and are expected to play Sunday night.

Spencer's return is especially good news for a Dallas team that's managed to generate only three sacks in three games this year.

The Stakes

Bill Haber/Associated Press

The 2014 season didn't start according to plan for the New Orleans Saints. After making the playoffs a season ago, the season began with Super Bowl aspirations. However, after losing an overtime thriller to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, the Saints were stunned by the Browns in Cleveland.

The Saints were finally able to secure their first win of the season last week against the Minnesota Vikings, but offensive tackle Zach Strief told ESPN's Mike Triplett that the team's early-season adversity may actually serve the Saints well down the line:

"

That's probably gonna serve us well as the year goes on. There was certainly a huge awareness at the end of that game of the situation and what we needed to do to close it out. I was proud of us for that.

"

Of course, if adversity always paid off, then the Cowboys would be the Bill Gates of the NFL.

As has become their habit, the Cowboys once again can't do anything the easy way in 2014. Just last week, the Cowboys fell behind the Austin Davis-led St. Louis Rams 21-0, before storming back to win the game 34-31.

Romo told The Associated Press (via ESPN) that he was glad to see the team get the win, even while bemoaning the way the Cowboys got it.

"We were able to execute under pressure or whatever you want to say, blah, blah, blah," Romo said. "We got it done."

Frankly, it's been something of a theme with both teams in 2014. Neither the Cowboys nor the Saints have looked especially sharp in any of their games, with a few breaks here and there making the difference between the Cowboys being 2-1 and the Saints 1-2.

Sunday night not only provides them the opportunity to stay on the pace in their respective divisions but also a chance to establish some real momentum with their first truly impressive showing of the season.

The Coaches

Scott Kane/Associated Press

New Orleans head coach Sean Payton has seen it all. He's been to the mountaintop, holding the Lombardi Trophy after a win in Super Bowl XLIV. He's also been to the NFL's nadir, banished for the entire 2012 season as punishment for the Bountygate scandal.

That's all water under the bridge at this point for the 50-year-old. In fact, the team's website reports that Payton has put last year's meeting between these two teams in the rearview mirror as well:

"

I said this in the team meeting this morning, both teams are entirely different. Their defense is different. You see them structurally doing things differently. A lot of the personnel, almost their entire front, looks new. That game took on a certain way and went in a certain direction. I think this will be a real good challenge for us. This is a team coming off of two (straight) wins. They obviously came from behind last week and got the turnovers they needed and won on the road. Both of their wins have been on the road which is tough to do, so you see them playing with confidence. What they’re doing offensively with their commitment to run the football has benefitted their defense.

"

If Payton's career has been filled with the ups and downs of a mountain range, then Jason Garrett has been the coaching equivalent of Nebraska.

Flat and exceptionally boring.

Heading into his fourth full season as the head coach in Dallas, Garrett has yet to lead the Cowboys to the postseason. Entering the 2014 campaign, his career record as head coach was an uninspiring 29-27. Those numbers might be OK in Jacksonville, but in Dallas, that isn't getting it done.

Sure enough, the calls for Garrett's head sound every few weeks, including after the Cowboys were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.

However, Jean Jacques-Taylor of ESPN believes the ice under Garrett may be thicker than many think, and the reason is chilling:

"

We all know Jerry Jones doesn't want to fire Jason Garrett for a variety of reasons.

Reason No. 1? He'd have absolutely no idea who to hire.

Seriously.

Think about the folks Jerry has hired to coach the Dallas Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer were longtime friends. Chan Gailey was an unknown, first-time coach happy to have the job, and Dave Campo was a longtime assistant who was a first-time head coach.

Jerry hired Bill Parcells because he needed star power to help him get AT&T Stadium built with the aid of taxpayer dollars. He's the outlier.

"

Well, hey, there's always Scott Linehan, right? Rod Marinelli?

OK, you're right. That was uncalled for.

When the Saints Have the Ball

Bill Haber/Associated Press

It's been something of a slow start to 2014 for Drew Brees.

The 35-year-old has been solid, of course, throwing for 863 yards and five scores while posting a passer rating of just under 100, but Brees' passing yardage per game is down over 35 yards from last year's pace.

Of course, last year, Brees carved up the Cowboys like a Christmas goose, and as Clarence Hill reported for Bleacher Report, there isn't much to indicate that this year will be any different:

"

Brees still remains one of the league’s most potent passers, ranking second in the NFL in completions, second in completion percentage, fifth in attempts, fifth in yards and eighth in touchdowns through three games.

If the Cowboys (2-1) hope for a breakthrough victory against the Saints, extending their winning streak to three games and giving their fans legitimate hope—they could break away from their win-one, lose-one 8-8 past—the defense must find a way to contain Brees.

The big question then is the same that it is now. Where are the sacks going to come from?

So far the answer is from no where and from no one.

The Cowboys have three sacks as a team, putting them on pace for a franchise-low 16 sacks this season. The current team record for fewest sacks in a regular season is 20, set in 1960 and 1963. The fewest in a 16-game regular season is 23.

The Cowboys could obliterate both marks this year.

"

As if that wasn't enough, there's the small problem of containing tight end Jimmy Graham. Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News expects that to be a group effort, writing that "I imagine the Cowboys' safeties and linebackers will try to bracket Graham."

The operative word there, of course, is "try."

Mind you, Graham is hardly the only weapon at Brees' disposal. In fact, it was veteran wideout Marques Colston who was the pick of the National Lead and Division Lead Writers here at Bleacher Report for Week 4's breakout performance at the position.

Regardless of where Brees looks, he shouldn't have too much trouble finding open receivers against a Dallas secondary that ranks 21st against the pass despite playing three teams (San Francisco, Tennessee and St. Louis) that aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard right now.

Except when they play Dallas, that is.

When the Cowboys Have the Ball

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Don't look now, but the Cowboys are changing on offense.

Despite the presence of new play-caller Scott Linehan (who led some very pass-happy offenses in Detroit), the Cowboys have morphed into a run-heavy team.

Of course, that's been as much by necessity as by design. Romo's back is clearly still an issue for the 34-year-old, who has as many interceptions as touchdowns. His current passer rating of 86.1 would be a career low if the season ended today.

Meanwhile, running back DeMarco Murray has excelled, pacing the NFL with 585 yards on the ground while averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per carry.

Granted, the Cowboys have paid lip service to emphasizing the run in recent years, but it's never been anything more than talk. This time, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas thinks it could be the real deal:

"

You can’t call the Cowboys’ offense soft anymore. Not with three first-round picks on the offensive line paving the way for the NFL’s leading rusher. And not with a coaching staff committed to punishing opponents on the ground, regardless of the circumstances.

"

This isn't to say that the Cowboys don't have weapons in the passing game. Quite the contrary. In wide receiver Dez Bryant, Dallas has one of the very best in the game.

Sean Payton admitted to the Saints' website that New Orleans will have its hands full with the fifth-year pro:

"

He’s big, he’s physical, he’s exceptional with the ball in his hands and so, he’s tough to bring down. He’s a guy that can take an intermediate pass and make it a long one. You can see he plays the ball well over his head and he’s tough to press. He has the dimensions you look for with the size and speed and he’s very good running after the catch.

"

With all that said, though, there could be a hidden benefit to the Cowboys' new ground game.

After all, Brees and the Saints can't score without the football.

Key 1-on-1 Matchups

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Saints ILB Curtis Lofton vs. Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray

Make no mistake. Right now, as goes running back DeMarco Murray, so goes the Dallas offense. Running behind one of the most formidable lines in the National Football League, Murray is laying claim to the title of king of running back mountain.

The Saints haven't been an easy out against the run this year, ranking ninth in the NFL at 101.3 yards per game, and last week, at least ESPN's Mike Triplett laid the credit for the Saints' ability to stuff the run squarely at the feet of inside linebacker Curtis Lofton:

"

Lofton was all over an end-around toss to the dynamic Patterson in the second quarter, slamming the 6-2, 220-pounder for a 7-yard loss. He also showed that same combination of recognition and power to stick Asiata for a 5-yard loss on a screen pass during another red-zone stand in the second quarter.

Lofton had at least four other impressive solo stops that I noted (once shedding a blocker, once reacting to a sharp cutback) as he helped the Saints shut down Minnesota's run game (a total of 59 yards on 22 carries).

"

Of course, there's a slight disparity in the talent level between Minnesota's Matt Asiata and Murray.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham vs. Cowboys SS Barry Church

It says a lot about a defense when the leading tackler is a safety, and none of what it says is good.

That was the case last year in Big D, when Barry Church paced the Cowboys with 135 stops. So far this year, improved linebacker play in front of Church has meant a drop-off in stats, but this week's matchup brings a whole new problem.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham.

As Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, covering the all-world tight end is just a nightmare:

"

He is big, strong and fast. At the 2010 combine, Graham ran a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash and had a 38 1/2-inch vertical. He plays like a power forward, blocking out smaller defensive backs, which is why he is so hard to defend in the red zone. He is a cross between a tight end and a receiver, having lined up either in the slot or out wide on 67 percent of his snaps last season.

"

The Cowboys have struggled defending the tight end position this year, allowing 29 catches for 290 yards and four scores through three games.

Church is going to need help, and you can't completely shut Jimmy Graham down, but Church and the Dallas defense have to get better against tight ends in a hurry. Or it's going to be a long night.

Saints SS Kenny Vaccaro vs. Cowboys TE Jason Witten

Speaking of big-name tight ends, the Dallas Cowboys have one.

Or at least they did. No one's seen Jason Witten for a while.

The 32-year-old has been a non-factor for the Cowboys through the air this season, managing only 95 yards on 10 catches through three games. However, head coach Jason Garrett told Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News that Witten's drop-off in stats has nothing to do with a drop-off in play:

"

You’ve heard me say this many times, he’s the most complete tight end in football and has been for the last 10 years. He’s willing to block from the line of scrimmage, in the backfield, run any kind of route you ask him to run, do anything you ask him to do. It’s all for the team, all as well as he can do it. He’s a great example for the rest of us.

"

Witten told Machota he's all-in on helping Dallas run the ball. “I think we’re committed to running the football,” Witten said. “I think everybody is waiting for that to break and it’s not. There is a complete commitment to running the football and continuing to run the football.”

Witten's attitude is admirable, but like it or not, the Cowboys are likely going to have to dial up the passing game a bit against the high-octane Saints. That means getting Witten involved in the offense as a receiver.

The X-Factors

LM Otero/Associated Press

Cowboys DE Jeremy Mincey

A couple of weeks ago, Dallas defensive end Jeremy Mincey told Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News that things were looking up for the Cowboys' much-maligned defense.

"We’re going to get better from here on out," Mincey said. "Just keep building off things we can be good at. Some good things are coming in the near future.”

So far, those improvements have yet to really materialize, due largely to the Cowboys' inability to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Against Brees and the Saints, that's the kiss of death. Simply put, if you leave Brees back there to read through his progressions at his leisure, he's going to carve your defense to pieces. You know, like he did to the Cowboys last year.

Mincey and the Dallas front four have to play their best game of the year to keep the Cowboys in this one.

Saints CB Keenan Lewis

While speaking with Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune, Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant was effusive in his praise for Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis:

"

He is one of those guys that you have to be on top of your game. You are not just going to beat him. He is a physical corner. This is a game where you have to be well-prepared because if you are not you are going to get beat.

"

However, the cornerback to whom Bryant is referring has been missing in action to this point in the season. Lewis has struggled mightily so far in the 2014 campaign, ranking 88th among 97 qualifiers at the position at Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Lewis is allowing 65 percent of the passes being thrown his way to be completed, and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of over 100 when throwing in his direction.

Not the kind of things you want to hear heading into a matchup with one of the NFL's best wide receivers.

Cowboys MLB Anthony Hitchens

It might seem a bit odd that this week's X-factors are all defensive players, but it shouldn't. After all, nothing would be a bigger surprise Sunday night than if somebody actually plays defense.

With middle linebacker Rolando McClain an iffy bet at best for the game with a groin injury, there could be an enormous amount of pressure on rookie Anthony Hitchens.

According to Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News, it's pressure that head coach Jason Garrett thinks Hitchens handled well in making a team-high 13 tackles in his first career start against the St. Louis Rams a week ago.

“Hitch got more comfortable as the game went on,” Garrett said, "and was around the ball more.”

Of course, there's a bit of difference pressure-wise between facing Austin Davis and Drew Brees.

Just ever so slight.

It's hardly noticeable, really. 

Prediction

Bill Haber/Associated Press

If only I could have some faith, any faith, in the Cowboys' ability to slow the Saints down.

But I don't.

The front four hasn't been able to generate anything resembling a consistent pass rush. Any more linebackers get hurt and the Cowboys will be starting Sal from section 7A on the weak side.

Hey, you should see Sal make a nacho run during a TV timeout. He's got the quicks.

One of the team's cornerbacks (a former top-10 pick, no less) literally took his ball and went home earlier this week after being demoted from the starting lineup.

Remember, this is a Dallas defense that couldn't force a single punt from the Saints when these teams met last year.

The Cowboys may be a little better defensively than last year's mess, but it's not nearly improvement enough.

Saints 34, Cowboys 20