Staff Predictions for Cowboys vs. Saints

The Cowboys are coming off an impressive 33-17 win over the Browns in Week 1, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. The Saints dominated the Panthers 47-10, scoring the most points of any NFL team.

In fact, the Saints’ last two regular season games were high-scoring, as they scored 48 points in Week 18 of the 2023 regular season.

But let’s see how they fare against Mike Zimmer’s new defense, which features a revamped linebacker team, the return of Trevon Diggs and a hungry Micah Parsons who isn’t satisfied with just one sack last week.

Let’s see what the editors think about Sunday’s game against the Saints:

Patrick Walker: I just can’t forget how badly the Cowboys need to wash the taste of January out of the mouths of the teams and fans on Sunday. It’s the first time they’ve taken the field at AT&T Stadium since being embarrassed by the Packers, who dominated every home game before that. In that regard, it’s time to get back to business, and they’ll be eager to pressure Derek Carr in a way the Panthers would only hope. Taliese Fuaga is dealing with a back injury (against Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, of all people) and the Cowboys’ linebackers are ready to contain Alvin Kamara on what will likely be numerous outside runs and bubble screens. Meanwhile, despite Jake Ferguson, Dak Prescott has enough firepower to get going against a capable defense. This game is so close, it’s not even that close anymore. 44-20, Cowboys

Nick Eatman: If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 100 times… Week 2 is always an important game for me and this is no different. The winners in Week 1 need to figure out how to string together wins and they need to learn to deal with success. So both teams need this game because it will also be the toughest test either team has faced this year. I think the Saints will have a loud fan base supporting them and that will make for a fun atmosphere, even at kickoff at 12. I can see the Saints getting off to a fast start, but once things settle down, I see the Cowboys pulling away. Malik Hooker will throw an interception, Luke Schoonmaker will score a touchdown and Deuce Vaughn will have more yards from the scrimmage than in any other game of his career. Those are my fun predictions, but give me the Cowboys 34–23.

Kyle Youmans: This should be an exciting game! Two teams that had an impressive performance in Week 1 but are looking to prove they’re the real deal in Week 2. Overall, that just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Especially when the Saints have played as well as they did down the stretch in 2023 and last week against the Panthers, this is not an easy opponent for Dallas. Again, the Cowboys will have to take care of the football and limit the running. Two things they did really well against Cleveland and need to do right by this week. I think home field advantage plays a role and Dallas gets the start they need, pulling off a 34-24 win in Arlington.

Mickey Spagnola: Judging by what we saw not only in the 33-17 win over the Browns in the season opener, but also in the two scrimmages against the Rams, the Cowboys’ run defense appears to be improving from last season. It couldn’t be worse than it was in their only five losses of this 12-5 season, but also in the playoff loss to Green Bay. But think about this. If Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson hadn’t rushed for 39 yards in the season opener, they would have held the Browns to just 54 yards in the run game, but 23 in the first half. My gut tells me the Cowboys will hold the Saints to a reasonable total of rushing yards after they amassed 180 yards in the opener against the Panthers. If they can do that, the Cowboys move to 2-0 with a 28-17 win.