Streaking Saints Stopped Short

The Dallas Cowboys had everything to gain and lose Saturday. A loss to the undefeated Saints in the Superdome would further diminish their slim playoff chances. A win would keep their post-season hopes alive and summon them the first team to beat New Orleans this season. Dallas delivered a defeat dramatically to dash the Saints, tarnish their record and stop their winning streak. The Saints were handed their first loss of the year after falling short at midfield in the final minute. Defensive standout, DeMarcus Ware, sacked New Orleans quarterback, Drew Brees at the Dallas 48 yard line with .12 second left. Brees fumbled the football and the Cowboys recovered to seal the 24-17 victory. New Orleans is now 13-1. The Indianapolis Colts are the only team with an unblemished record in 2009. The Cowboys are 9-5 overall and improved to 4-3 on the road.
Dallas ended a two game skid and built and early 14-0 lead. The Cowboys scored on their first two possessions of the game. Tony Romo, the 29 year old quarterback, put a halt to the Cowboys’ recent December swoon. Romo burned the Saints with a 49 yard touchdown pass to a streaking Miles Austin down the left sideline for the early 7-0 Dallas advantage. Miles led all receivers with 7 receptions for 139 yards and eclipsed 1,000 yards with his first half grab. Marion Barber scored on a three yard rushing touchdown to make it a two touchdown lead for the visiting team before the end of the first quarter. Romo threw for 312 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 21 yards and went without an interception as the Dallas offense finally stepped up the challenge. Wade Phillips’ defense also rose to the occasion, holding New Orleans to one first down in the opening quarter.
The second quarter wasn’t much better for Brees and the unbeaten Saints. Brees threw a pick and fumbled the ball as New Orleans fell behind 17-3 at the break. The Saints pieced together a 75 yard drive in the middle of the second quarter. Garrett Hartley drilled a 34 yard field goal to provide the only Saints points in the first half. New Orleans’ NFC East opponents added a field goal when Nick Folk notched one from 44 yards with .4 seconds before halftime.
The Cowboys overcame some penalties and poor kicking in the second half to withstand the suddenly emerging Saints. New Orleans held the Cowboys scoreless the last 23 minutes of Saturday’s contest. Barber’s second touchdown of the day increased the Dallas lead to 21. The Cowboys’ pass rush continued to apply pressure and stymie the high octane Brees-led offense. The offense used a nice balance of run-pass plays to put the early dagger in the hosts’ hopes for perfection. Still, the comeback Saints put up a pair of scores in the final quarter. Brees found David Thomas for 13 and 18 yard completions to set up Mike Bell’s one yard touchdown run. Lance Moore lifted the Saints on their next possession. Moore caught a seven yard pass on a three minute drive to cut New Orleans’ deficit to 24-17 with eight minutes remaining. Brees finished with 298 yards through the air.
The Superdome crowd lit up when Folk missed an easy 24 yard field that would have put the game away for Dallas shortly before the two minute warning. Brees had one last crack at preserving an undefeated season for the Saints, but the Big D’s defense held strong. Ware stuffed Brees for a six yard loss and sent the packed Superdome fans home silent. Sean Payton’s Saints couldn’t get anything going early on and the Dallas lead was too much to overcome, even for the MVP-caliber quarterback Brees. Romo was highly efficient and hit his receivers when he needed to most. The visiting offense was 8-of-15 on third downs. The home team converted just one of seven third downs. Dallas relied on the depth of their offense to overpower the highest scoring NFL team. Romo used nine different receivers during his 22 completion night. The Cowboys also dominated time of possession while getting dominant performances from key players. Second year cornerbacks, Orlando Scandrick and Michael Jenkins, had seven and four tackles, respectively. Linebacker Anthony Spencer and Ware both picked up a pair of sacks and the offense outgained New Orleans 439 to 336 in yards. Marques Colston secured a handful of receptions for 86 yards. Thomas hauled in eight for 77 more, but the Saints struggled to move the ball the entire game. This Saturday wasn’t the Saints’ lucky day. Devery Henderson dropped a potential touchdown pass, and tailback, Reggie Bush, pulled up lame for an early exit. Dallas ended the Saints’ run at perfection by playing a near perfect game on the road in late December. Just like the 2009 Saints losing, that rarely happens.

Parting Points: My New Mexico Bowl prediction was entirely off. I guess this is why I don’t bet money on sports.
Band of the day- Toad the Wet Sprocket