Dallas’ 24-17 win over New Orleans was a beat down. Not so much by stats but by desire.
The Cowboys won in every phase of the game and left not only Saints fans, but teams in the NFC thinking the Black and Gold are no longer invincible come playoff time.
It’s not an emotional reaction to a game that fans had hyped to playoff game status, facts are just facts. The Saints simply were not the better team on the field Saturday night. Dallas, playing for their division and post season lives, out played and out coached the home team.
Sure the ingredients were there for another bow of “wow” coming from a pot of magical gumbo that’s fed the Who Dat Nation this season. A missed field goal to keep hope alive. A late offensive surge to get back into the game, and defensive stops that at times were putting the Cowboys quarterback on his rump. There also however were signs that lady luck wasn’t in the building. An interception that kills a good looking offensive drive. A dropped pass by Devery Henderson in the end zone. Reggie Bush pulling up lame and injuring himself after a catch in the open field.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees looked uncomfortable, and much of the credit goes to a Dallas defense that held him to 29-45 for 298 yards and a interception, but also blame must go to the game plan, and in my opinion the game was lost in the first quarter.
Heading into the game stats and common sense said Dallas had to posses the ball and establish the running game. That the Cowboys would look to establish they came to play on defense, meaning they’d likely pressure the heck out of Brees. Also looking as the past two games, the Redskins and Falcons defenses played umbrella like coverages to not let the Saints beat them deep. Not to mention both of those teams moved the heck out of the ball on the Saints defense, a defense that has been banged up, and seen corners Malcolm Jenkins and Mike McKenzie been picked on.
You counter that by running the football. The Saints however not only didn’t establish the run, but really made no bones about it. 13 carries for 65 yards for the Saints running game. Dallas had 10 first downs via the run, while the Saints had just four. Overall, the Cowboys had 24 first downs and the Saints had 23. Dallas ran the ball 36 times, averaging four yards per carry, totaling 145 yards.
Brees and the offense had three possessions in the first quarter and it seemed that Air Payton was back. The Saints open up with three straight pass plays and Dallas was ready for each one. On first down the Cowboys left defensive end didn’t even rush, as Brees called for the ball, he turned left and went straight for Bush, gain of a yard, tackle made by corner Terrance Newman. Second down Brees, due to coverage down field, dumps a pass to Pierre Thomas who is surrounded immediately over the middle for a 2 yard pick up. Third down under some pressure, Brees has to get rid of it to David Thomas for 6 yards and is tackled short of the first down. Three and out, mission accomplished. The Cowboys head off the field feeling good, and confident, while Brees was already forcefully ripping his chin straps off, something that he’d do all night, close up after close up during the game.
Dallas would silence the crowd and send the first shot over the Saints undefeated bow five plays later when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo connected with Miles Austin for 49 yards, touchdown ‘Boys and a 7-0 lead.
In the next possession, two runs that netted 5 and 2 yards setting up a manageable 3rd and 3. Brees in the shotgun was pressured and threw incomplete to Bush. Punt. Dallas again showing for the second straight series, deep coverage, pressuring from the edges and taking their chances with an open middle.
Dallas then goes on an eight play, 60 yard drive that takes 4:28 off the clock. In the drive, the Cowboys rushed for five of those plays. Add two rushes from their opening drive, Dallas of their first 13 plays had run the ball 7 times and jumped out to a 14-0 lead. More importantly they had established rather quickly, the tempo and physicality they were looking for.
Saints third possession, Bush starts it with a run that goes for 29 yards. Mike Bell follows with a carry for no gain. Brees then is sacked for a 10 yard loss, then follows with an incomplete pass. Punt. I realize the Saints were down but in the past, Payton at times abandons the run too quickly. If you wanted to throw, where were the screens of the previous weeks to counter the obvious plan by Dallas to attack an offensive line that had four of the five starters on the injury report this week for crying out loud?
13 runs for 65 yards on Saturday night. Look I may be totally off base, but you can blame the defense all you want and yea they deserve some, Dallas for crying out loud converted eight of 15 on third down, put up 439 yards and Romo was under center 73 times, but the offense has to do their part. Payton’s offense was 1-7 on third down. The Cowboys also controlled the clock, keeping the ball for 36:26 and keeping Brees on the bench.
At the start of the 4th quarter, while making the point of how the Saints needed to run more to someone watching the game with me, I glanced at my phone for stat verification of something I believed to be true . I said, I bet we’ve only run the ball 11 times and averaged about 5 yards a carry. During the timeout between the 3rd and 4th quarter, the Saints had rushed 11 times for a 4.7 yards per carry average. Brees finished the game with 45 passes people and the Saints lost by just seven. It’s frustrating knowing that Bell, who finished with 4 carries for 8 yards, and Thomas who finished with 6 carries for 20 yards, have the ability to get big chunks at a time running in between the tackles.
And please don’t give me this, we were down and had to throw the ball to get back in it. Miami game anyone? The Saints were down big at the half and did what to start the second half? Go back and look at the comebacks this season, in the second half, the Saints ran the ball more than they did in the first half in those games and won.
The Saints ran the ball just four times in the second quarter against Dallas, in a game they were still very much in, a quarter in which the Saints snapped the ball 24 times.
I understand the Saints offense is like a video game, and gets the fans up, or gets national commentators drooling, and keeps the team in games thanks to a quick striking capability. In the playoffs however you better be able to run the ball. Especially when your defense isn’t playing great and teams in January are they to play smash mouth football, because history has shown the Saints prefer another kind of ball.
Early in the season, the Saints ran the ball, and establish toughness (remember the Jets and Giants game), as of late however signs of a return to Air Payton have teams thinking the Saints are not only vulnerable, but again predictable.
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