Cowboys vs. Saints: What's the Game Plan for New Orleans?
The New Orleans Saints will entertain the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 4, and coach Sean Payton’s club will look to earn its first win of the season.
New Orleans (0-3) received some encouraging news on the injury front Friday afternoon. Quarterback Drew Brees, who’s been recovering from a shoulder injury, was listed as probable for Sunday’s game on the team’s official injury report on NewOrleansSaints.com.
The Saints signal-caller was a no-go for last week’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, although backup Luke McCown performed well in his stead.
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Even with Brees under center, New Orleans will be in for a big challenge Sunday night. So far this season, the Saints haven’t proven themselves to be anything but inadequate in numerous key areas of the game. They’ve failed to establish the run on offense, while their No. 29-ranked defense has been unable to generate a consistent pass rush.
Payton and his staff will therefore need a sound game plan going in. Let’s take a look at what they might do.
Offense
Long-time Monte Kiffin assistant Rod Marinelli is in his second season as Dallas' defensive coordinator, and the former Detroit Lions head coach had his group playing well for the first two games of the season.
The Cowboys were torched, however, in the second half of last week’s 39-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones had tremendous performances against the Dallas secondary, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Saints can follow the Falcons’ blueprint for success against the Cowboys.
For starters, New Orleans doesn’t have a Julio Jones, or anything close to one, for that matter, and the Dallas corners match up much better with the Saints receivers.
There’s also a good chance that Brees’ shoulder isn’t fully healed, and asking him to throw a high number of passes could place stress on his injury.
Another concern is the Dallas pass rush. Marinelli isn’t averse to attacking multiple gaps with zone blitzes, sending both a nickel corner and an inside linebacker, or two linebackers, up the middle.
The more passes the Saints attempt, the more opportunities the Cowboys will have to get a shot on Brees. Given how his offensive line protected him last time out, the Saints would be best served with a different plan of attack.
Instead of taking to the air in typical Saints fashion, Payton should do everything he can to get New Orleans’ power running game lathered up and churning at full strength.
The Saints have struggled to run the ball with any consistency this season, which has been somewhat surprising after they acquired center Max Unger and moved Tim Lelito into the starting lineup at left guard.
Despite the lack of success thus far, New Orleans should pound the ball between the tackles as often as possible, even if there isn’t much success in the early going. If the Saints show a firm commitment to the run, Marinelli will eventually have to get his safeties involved in run support.
As a result, Brees should get better looks on the outside, as the Cowboys will then have to play some man coverage. This could lead to Brees finding Brandin Cooks in a favorable matchup, which hasn't happened nearly enough this season.
Execution is obviously important for Brees and Co., but first and foremost, the Saints offensive linemen need to come out with a chip on their shoulder and make a statement at the line of scrimmage.
Defense
With no Tony Romo or Dez Bryant, the Dallas offense will look quite different from the group that lit up the Saints last year at AT&T Stadium.
In its present state, the Cowboys offense will likely rely on its offensive line, which is one of the best units in the league. Despite some difficulties in pass protection against the Falcons last week, Dallas managed to grind out 127 yards on the ground at six yards per carry.
Quarterback Brandon Weeden was efficient with a 22-for-26 passing performance, but it’s running backs Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden that should be the Saints’ chief concern on defense this week.
With his team on the road in a hostile environment, there’s no reason to think Dallas coach Jason Garrett won’t decide to test the New Orleans defensive front right off the bat with a heavy dose of Randle.
Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan should therefore bring an extra safety into the box and sell out to stop the run.
By stacking the box, the Saints will force Dallas to beat them with Weeden, which is a risk worth taking. Weeden’s lost nine straight games as a starting quarterback, dating back to his days in Cleveland.
Additionally, free safety Jairus Byrd and cornerback Keenan Lewis are listed as probable in the latest Saints injury report. If both are able to go, this would put the Saints secondary at full strength for the first time this season.
A decent pass rush would be icing on the cake, but with the way that the New Orleans front seven has struggled to get after the quarterback this season, that can’t be counted on.
Stopping the run and putting the game in Weeden’s hands should be the Saints’ chief objective come Sunday night, however, and they shouldn’t hesitate to put extra defenders in the box to get it done.
Prediction
Look for New Orleans to come out and try to establish a running game, while mixing in some quick throws and an occasional shot down the field.
On defense, Ryan’s group will have to stop Joseph Randle, first and foremost, and take its chances with Weeden and the Cowboys passing attack.
New Orleans may be able to pull all of this off, and the home team will no doubt receive a big boost from the raucous crowd in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Saints have displayed glaring weaknesses in multiple areas throughout the first three games, however, and they haven’t provided any reason to think that they can go out and earn a win over a solid squad like the Cowboys.
Cowboys 27, Saints 20.
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