It was an impressive defensive performance from the Saints defense Sunday night as the Black and Gold gave up just one touchdown in a 12-10 win over Dallas. It was a long night for Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliot as he was held to 35 yards on 18 carries. The defense also forced three turnovers.
“There’s an old saying that it doesn’t have to be an aesthetically pleasing to be effective, I think we did what we needed to do to win tonight, but we are going to have improve in a number of areas,” said Coach Sean Payton.
The Saints offense did not find the end zone, but they owned the time of possession, possessing the ball for 36-minutes. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for 193 yards and one interception. He was also sacked five times.
New Orleans was also penalized nine times for 80 yards. Payton says they need to clean up the penalties, it’s becoming too hard to overcome.
The Saints 12 points came on four field goals from Wil Lutz. Thomas Morestad had another good night punting the football, with two punts inside the Dallas 20 and an average of 44 yards a punt.
The Saints are now 3-and-1, one game ahead of Tampa Bay and Carolina. The Bucs stunned the Rams and the Panthers defeated the Texans. The Saints will host the Buccaneers this Sunday for a noon kickoff in the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
