Takeaways: Kamara, Saints demolish Cowboys, 44-19
The Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints were riding high after blowout wins heading into Sunday's rare noon tilt at AT&T Stadium after blowout wins in Week 1. But it was the Saints who kept the good vibes rolling, blowing out the Cowboys, 44-19.
Here are some takeways from the game:
Saints dismantle Cowboys defense:
The Saints offense, led by new offensive coordinator Clink Kubiak, came into Week 2 looking to prove the doubters wrong that their offense is the real deal after they smacked the lowly Carolina Panthers in Week 1. And they did just that on Sunday, absolutely shredding the Cowboys' defense.
The Saints were 5 for 5 on their first five third-down conversions and scored touchdowns on their first six possessions.
Dating back to the home playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers in 2023, Dallas allowed 92 points in their last two home games, their most over a 2-game span since 1960, per Todd Archer of ESPN.
Alvin Kamara burns Cowboys for four touchdowns:
The Cowboys' defense had no answers all afternoon for Saints running back Alvin Kamara. Kamara had 173 yards from scrimmage and a whopping four touchdowns.
Cowboys pass rush disappears:
After sacking Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson six times in Week 1, the Cowboys defensive unit couldn't break the Saints' offensive line, generating 0 sacks. The lack of pressure allowed quarterback Derek Carr and the offense to get whatever they wanted, including a 70-yard bomb to Rashid Shaheed for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage on their second drive.
Cowboys red zone woes continue
The Cowboys had one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL in 2023, and it reared its ugly head on Sunday as Dallas was 0 of 3 in the red zone against New Orleans.
While Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had a mostly productive day, he was intercepted twice - one due to Jalen Brooks falling down coming out of his route, and the other coming on a ball he tried to force to CeeDee Lamb when the receiver was blanketed by two Saints defenders.
