Cowboys have reason to think big after ending Saints’ streak
Leighton Vander Esch howled through the open retractable roof after his booming tackle on a huge third-down stop was negated by a potentially crushing roughing-the-punter penalty.
Jourdan Lewis answered an ominous fumble by quarterback Dak Prescott that gave Drew Brees another chance by intercepting the MVP contender, putting the Dallas Cowboys in position to finish off a victory that stopped New Orleans’ 10-game winning streak.
When owner and general manager Jerry Jones talked of the season changing in a 13-10 win over the NFC’s hottest team Thursday, he had the rookie linebacker whose nickname is “Wolf Hunter” and a confident backup second-year cornerback in mind.
That’s just to name a couple of players on a team that might now dare to think an NFC East title is just the beginning. The Cowboys (7-5) face another important game in pursuit of that division crown on Dec. 9 against Philadelphia.
“When you win a game like this, it changes you,” Jones said after Dallas’ fourth straight victory guaranteed at least a share of the division lead and the inside track to a home wild-card playoff game going into the final quarter of the season.
“I’m just so proud for them because they’re not going to be the same kids that looked in the mirror this morning.”
The defence kept the Cowboys in games, and ultimately in the playoff hunt, while the offence mostly struggled through the first half of the season.
While the score against the Saints indicated a similar formula, Prescott had 194 yards passing at halftime and finished 24 of 28 without an interception. The third-year pro led a nearly sevenminute drive in the fourth quarter before he fumbled with the Cowboys in position for a field goal.
The Cowboys held the ball for more than 21 minutes in the first half and had 100 yards rushing against the NFL’s No. 1 run defence. Making Brees a spectator fit the signature of the Dallas offence, and the same objective will be in play when Carson Wentz visits.
Vander Esch shared credit for the tackle with Daniel Ross when Mark Ingram was dropped for a one-yard loss on third-and-2 late in the third quarter. But Randy Gregory ran into punter Thomas Morstead, and Brees threw his only touchdown pass two plays later.
The Cowboys forced a punt on the next New Orleans possession and Brees didn’t get another chance after Lewis’ interception with 2:08 remaining.
“The battle is won, but the war has just begun,” said defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. “The rest of the league sees how we’re playing football and they ’ll want a piece of us. We have to stay focused and get to work every week.”