FRISCO, Texas – Coming off the victory against the Redskins, the Cowboys will need a similar performance against the Saints. New Orleans is coming off their tenth straight win and have one of the hottest offenses in the league. Drew Brees leads the league in passing yards with 3, 125 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.
“He is a great player and has been for a long time, “ Jason Garrett commented on Brees. “ He is playing awfully well right now. He has played well for the past 15 years. He is outstanding and there is nothing on the field he cannot do. He is a great leader, decision maker, has tremendous athleticism, accuracy, confidence, and the ability to deliver the ball anywhere on the field. His command of what they do is incredible; the guys respond to him throughout the game in every situation…I have the upmost respect for him…. hard to imagine he is in his late thirties. His ability as a foot athlete to get himself out of trouble and the way he moves in the pocket is off the charts. “
Dallas’ defense has to have a solid pass rush to limit Brees and cause contested throws. The defense has to keep the Saints offense off the field and the Cowboys’ offense has to focus on long drives and shedding time off the clock. The Saints have averaged 37 points a game and they have to keep Brees, Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas off the field. Thomas is ranked second in the NFL in receiving yardage and Kamara is the second ranked leading scorer (nonkicker) in the NFC.
Against the Redskins, the Cowboys’ defense had three turnovers with DeMarcus Lawrence, Xavier Woods, and Anthony Brown recording interceptions. Brown had a big impact in the ballgame also finishing with a sack on Colt McCoy.
“ Anthony has played well for us right from the start, “ Jason Garrett stated. “ He played a lot of snaps for us as a rookie but he goes about it the right way. He continues to grow and Kris has had a big impact on the entire secondary and no different with AB. He showed up in the game as a tackler, a sacker, and as an interceptor. He is competing well and I think he is getting better and better in his technique. He is becoming more and more confidant and is showing up in the games.“
The Cowboys need a similar effect from the defense on Thursday. They need impact players like Brown to step up and put the offense back on the field for a chance to score. The hotboyz have to create pressure on Brees and force him to make bad throws, as well as blocking passing lanes. They have their work cut out for them, as Brees is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league. They have to have all three phases of their team working at its highest level.
