Cowboys vs. Saints: Score and Twitter Reaction for 'Sunday Night Football'

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees picked the perfect time to throw his 400th career touchdown pass, hitting C.J. Spiller in stride down the sideline in overtime for an 80-yard score that boosted the Saints to a 26-20 home win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

The NFL shared the game-winning play on Twitter:

The win was the Saints' first of the season and also snapped a six-game losing streak at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It was a frenzied finish to the game after three-plus quarters of mostly plodding football.

With the Saints ahead 20-13 late in the fourth quarter, Brandon Weeden marched the Cowboys 91 yards to the end zone. He completed five passes on the drive, capping it off with a deft 17-yard throw on 4th-and-7 to Terrance Williams in the back of the end zone. The NFL showed the play on Twitter:

It was the kind of play team executive Stephen Jones likely envisioned when he gave Weeden a vote of confidence earlier in the week. 

"He's got the skill set to do it. Brandon's got a really live arm. He's definitely got the skills to do it," he said, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

Brees, back calling the shots for New Orleans after missing Week 3 with a shoulder injury, quickly drove the Saints into field-goal range, but Zach Hocker's 30-yard try with 16 seconds remaining hit the upright and fell harmlessly to the turf. The Saints won the overtime coin toss, and on the second play of their opening drive, Brees made his historic throw.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The 36-year-old became just the fifth QB to hit the 400-touchdown milestone, joining the likes of Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and Tom Brady, who tossed No. 400 last week against Jacksonville. Brees also hit the 5,000-completion mark in the game.

Brees finished with 359 passing yards and two touchdowns. However, nearly all of his throws were of the short-yardage variety and did little to stretch a vulnerable Cowboys secondary that had been torched by Atlanta in Week 3. Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted Brees' passes lacked zip: 

Mark Ingram put in a solid shift with 128 all-purpose yards, while Khiry Robinson added 16 rushing yards and one touchdown. Wideout Brandin Cooks, touted as a potential star before the season, finished with just four catches for 25 yards and drew this pessimistic review from NFL Network analyst and former coach Brian Billick: 

Aside from the late game-tying drive, Weeden was mostly uninspiring, although he did protect the football. He completed 16 of 26 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown.

It didn't help Dallas that injuries kept taking away Weeden's weapons at the skill positions. Lance Dunbar led the Cowboys with 54 rushing yards but left in the second half with a knee injury and missed the rest of the game.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Wideout Brice Butler left Dallas dangerously thin on the flanks after hurting his hamstring on a long third-quarter reception.

Dallas came into the game missing its two best players in Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. The Cowboys are now 0-2 with Weeden as the starter, although he might've done well enough to hold on to his starting role for another week. However, rumors swirled before the game regarding his job security, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Working with Weeden's limitations at quarterback, Dallas put together drives of 74 and 80 yards, with a Brees touchdown pass to tight end Josh Hill coming in between, to take a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.

The vaunted Dallas offensive line sprung Dunbar and Joseph Randle for solid gains, and Weeden managed the game effectively. The NFL shared a replay of Randle's leaping touchdown in the first quarter on Twitter: 

Dallas did have a setback in the first quarter, losing linebacker Sean Lee to a concussion:

The second quarter devolved into an exchange of punts. Both Brees and Weeden remained accurate but struggled to find players open downfield. With neither team able to stretch the field, the defenses did well to clamp down and stifle the running games. ESPN's Skip Bayless noted the Cowboys started to lose the battle at the line of scrimmage:

The Saints rushed the ball just six times in the first half with little success, and Dallas went into the locker room with its 10-7 lead intact.

Following a Saints field goal on their opening drive of the second half, Weeden impressed with one of his few deep throws of the game, a 67-yard bomb to Butler. The big gain brought the Cowboys within nine yards of paydirt, but two incompletions and a sack relegated them to a field goal and a 13-10 advantage. Blogging The Boys wasn't a fan of one of those curious play calls: 

The Saints answered with a 13-play, 69-yard drive that led to another Hocker field goal, setting up the frenetic finish. 

New Orleans now has a glimmer of hope at 1-3, but it already has plenty of catching up to do. Carolina and Atlanta are both off to 4-0 starts in the NFC South. With that said, this was the NFL's weakest division last season, and it's too early to say the Falcons and Panthers are built to last.

Weeden has hardly been dynamic, but he's not the sole source of blame. Randle has disappeared from the rushing attack in the second half for the second straight week, potentially hamstringing Dallas' ground game.

Injuries aren't giving Weeden much to work with. The offensive line is still excellent, but it's going to be a tough slog for Dallas in a competitive NFC East.


Postgame Reaction

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett commented on what went wrong on the game's final play, per NFL GameDay:

Indeed, Spiller was much too quick for the Dallas coverage, easily outrunning linebacker Damien Wilson on the wheel route.

As for the Saints, Brees insisted after the game that his bruised rotator cuff didn't bother him, although he hedged slightly in his assessment.

"It felt fine. Felt good enough, got the job done, so we're all good," he said.

The 15-year veteran expressed hope that the emotional, back-and-forth battle would give the Saints something to draw from in weeks to come.

"We had to really earn it on both sides of the ball, all the way around. These types of wins really strengthen you, really bring you together, help build confidence."