ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cowboys were no match for the Saints offense on this day. New Orleans had a perfect game plan from the start, scoring on its first six possessions by using a combination of big plays in both the passing and running attacks in dominant fashion.
Maybe they wouldn't have made a difference in a one-sided game like this, but here are a handful of plays that could've changed the outcome.
No-calls on first drive – For a moment, it looked as if the Cowboys were going to have first-and-goal inside the Saints' 10-yard line when the refs threw a flag for pass interreference. But after a discussion, the flag was picked up for an uncatchable pass. To make it worse, the Cowboys were called for holding on Tyler Guyton, and the Saints didn't get what could've been a roughing the passer penalty for a hit on Dak Prescott. And then, on the very next play, Rico Dowdle had his facemask grabbed with no call. The Cowboys settled for a field goal, but in a game where they needed touchdowns, that was a rough sequence of events.
Missed Lamb down the seam, settling for a FG – Down 14-3, the Cowboys had the pressure on them to score on their second drive. Early in the second quarter, on a first down from their own 28, Prescott had a streaking CeeDee Lamb down the middle of the field, but his pass was way off to the right, showing a clear miscommunication between the receiver and quarterback. The offense picked up one more first down but eventually settled for a field goal. That missed opportunity was a chance to score a much-needed touchdown.
Tolbert blasted for an incomplete pass – The Cowboys were trying to drive down before the half to cut into the Saints' 28-13 lead. Prescott had Jalen Tolbert open around midfield for a pass that took a little long to get there. Just as Tolbert was ready to make the catch, he was hit by Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu for an incomplete pass. The Cowboys then threw an interception that led to a New Orleans touchdown. Dallas did come back with a field goal for a 35-16 halftime deficit, but that incomplete pass was the precursor to perhaps a 14-point swing.
Prescott misses Elliott in the flat – Early in the third quarter, the Cowboys' only shot of coming back was to score as quick as possible coming out of the half. And Dallas had a nice drive going after a great catch by Tolbert. But on first down from the 11-yard line, Prescott rolled out and faced heavy pressure, which caused him to underthrow Ezekiel Elliott in the flat for what would've possibly been a touchdown or at least a first down. Instead, the incomplete pass led to another Brandon Aubrey field goal to cut the lead to 16.
Kamara gets 10 off the edge – This is a take-your-pick in plays of when New Orleans got Alvin Kamara around the edge because it was a theme all day. Let's go with late in the third quarter, and the Cowboys had just seen a Saints touchdown called back because of a penalty. So it was first-and-15 at the Dallas 31-yard line. Again, it was a toss to the left edge for Kamara, who was hit by Trevon Diggs after about 4 yards, but Kamara bullied his way for 10 yards. That made it easy for the Saints to again move the sticks and go on to score for the sixth straight possession.
