It was another team effort for the New Orleans Saints (3-1) on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys (3-1) and it resulted in a 12-10 victory thanks to the foot of Wil Lutz.
How It Happened:
After the defense stuffed the Cowboys offense on their opening drive, it looked like the Saints were going to take control of the matchup. However, that quickly turned when Bridgewater threw a high pass intended for Ted Ginn that fell into the hands of Chidobe Awuzie to give Dallas the football with great field position. The Saints defense once again stepped up on the following drive, stopping Dak Prescott and forcing them to settle for an easy field goal by Brett Maher.
The Saints offense started to get going on the next drive but much like the last couple of weeks, holding penalties stifled their momentum and Wil Lutz tied things up with a 40-yard field goal to start the second quarter.
After another three-and-out by the Saints defense, Bridgewater continued to find Michael Thomas, but a third-down sack by Maliek Collins forced them to settle for another Lutz field goal to take a slim lead.
The Dallas Cowboys looked to be driving down the field, but a Jason Witten fumble gave the Saints hope to extend their lead. However, the Saints were forced to punt with under two minutes left in the first half.
Dallas’ misfortunes continued late in the first half when Ezekiel Elliott fumbled on 4th and 1, giving the Saints a big chance to get one more score headed into the locker room. They did just that, but it was just another field goal from Lutz, making it 9-3 at the half.
The Cowboys made a lot of second-half adjustments, forcing a three-and-out on defense and marching down the field on an 11-play drive that took 5:44 off the clock and ended with a one-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott to give them a one-point lead.
The Saints then responded with an even more methodical drive that ate up 9:06, but still couldn’t find the endzone and settled for a fourth field goal from Lutz that secured the team’s third win of the season.
Big Number: 4
The defense was great on Sunday night and it was obvious that they caused problems throughout, especially on third down. The Cowboys went four-for-seven on third down, which was a far cry from what they had done in the previous three games.
Player of the Game: Vonn Bell
The defensive performance of Bell was nothing short of outstanding. Not only did he record 10 total tackles, but he also forced a fumble and recovered both fumbles and that led to an outstanding victory over a previously unbeaten Dallas team.
Next Up: Sunday vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Kickoff at 12 pm
