Cowboys Keys to Victory Against Saints

The Cowboys will head into the Superdome nursing a 2-1 NFC East leading record, but they’ll need to get the victory over the Saints in order to stave off the rest of the East. It’s a cliché to say this game is a must win, especially this early in the season, but the Cowboys have been hit with serious injuries that can derail a team’s long-term aspirations — that’s where the Cowboys are right now.

Here’s what the rest of the East is facing this Sunday:

Giants (1-2) @ Bills (2-1)

Eagles (1-2) @ Redskins (1-2)

A Cowboys win would help the Cowboys immensely for the long-term goal, but a loss will really put them on the outer cusp of trouble if the other NFC East teams win and create a possible 3-way tie. Obviously the Cowboys could still be in 1st by owning wins over the Giants and Eagles. It’s not panic mode, but then again, maybe it is.

After the Saints here are the Cowboys next six games:

Week 5: New England Patriots; 3:25pm (CBS) 10/11

Week 6: — BYE WEEK —

Week 7: @ New York Giants; 3:25pm (FOX) 10/25

Week 8: Seattle Seahawks; 3:25pm (FOX) 11/1

Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles; 7:30pm (SNF)** 11/8

Week 10: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 12pm (FOX) 11/15

Week 11: @ Miami Dolphins; 12pm (CBS) 11/22

Dez could be ready by week 7 on the very optimistic side. This could help the offense out immensely especially in the passing game; however, we don’t want to rush Dez back if he is not completely healed. Will Dallas put a 75% ready Dez out in the field? His 75% is still better than most 100% receivers out there right now, but the long-term implications should be heavily considered — a injury relapse would be devastating.

If the Cowboys can steal one in New Orleans, the 3-1 record would keep them in the race until we get Tony Romo back. Staying above .500 or better would be the ideal situation for whenever Romo returns, and that mission begins against the Saints.

Here are my keys to victory:

— Cowboys Defense

Knee jerk reactions from last week, including my own would say last week’s loss was primarily on Weeden. We know that he was only part of the issue, the squad that played the poorest was the defense. We looked like the 4-3 Kiffin defense last week, and we all remember how that season ended up. The Cowboys need to get the defense back on track above all else. I’ll take Weeden’s dink and dunking as long as the defense can hold the Saints offense in check. If that doesn’t happen we’re in trouble, no doubt about it.

— Create turnovers

The Cowboys have been quiet in forcing turnovers and this is a Marinelli staple, so it needs to get back on track as well. Our defenders need to be knock out the ball and come up with INTs that hit them in the hands, it’s a must the rest of the season. The Saints have a bad offensive line and with Evans missing the game, the opportunities should come in forms of sacks, strip sacks, and forced INTs.

— No Weeden turnovers

Weeden excels from the pocket, but as we saw last week, if Weeden is flushed out and on the run, watch out for the bonehead pass. I cringe every time I see Weeden flushed from the pocket because this is when he’ll turn the ball over in horrific fashion and you can bet Rob Ryan will do his best to accomplish this.

— Establish and maintain running game

The Cowboys dominated the Falcons in the 1st half, but they did a great job of shutting down the Cowboys running game in the 2nd half. Ryan will probably go aggressive and attempt to shutdown the run from the start of the game, so this could be another game where Weeden will need to get the ball to his receivers and throw the ball away if nothing is there. The running game needs to be a balanced attack to keep the Saints defense in check and on their heels. We need to be more physical up front as well, and that includes physical running from the backs, and this is where we could finally see Christine Michael. Part of the reason the Cowboys were able to run down defenses was the mauling offensive line and the physical style Murray had. Defenders don’t like to deal with those types of conditions. Right now we are a finesse running team. I like what Randle has done, but we need the physical element, we just do.

— Contain Brandin Cooks

Without Jimmy Graham the Saints offense has taken a bit hit in production and we’ve seen that the past three weeks, they clearly miss him. The next play making player in the passing game will be Brandin Cooks, and he’ll likely be guarded by Claiborne and Patmon, depending where he lines up. Cooks will be used to draw coverages in his directions which will in-turn open up opportunities for their other guys.

— Stop the Saints running attack

Payton saw what the Falcons did to the Cowboys line, and you can bet he’ll sprinkle in those same aspects. The defensive line will need to hold their point of attack with their run defense. Getting Jeremy Mincey back will be a huge difference in this game overall. Mincey does everything good, but excels in run defense. I think we’ll see Mincey have a nice game against the Saints depleted offensive line from the nickel and base formation. Where the Saints will put pressure on the defense is with all the looks Payton will give them with their running backs. Similar to the Cowboys, the Saints have pass catching backs that can hurt you. So, the defense will need to give the backs equal attention as they would the receivers.

What are you keys to victory over the Saints? What are you predicting for this game?

Let’s go Dallas!