Saints at Cowboys preview: offensive line, QB play in the spotlight

A few weeks ago, a tweet (if we can still call them that) went viral.

accidentally became important at work n its ruining my life

— kanoa (@ih4tedrugs) July 30, 2024

Hello, Trevor Penning. As a reward for his undisputed best day of work yet, the much-maligned tackle gets a 245-pound bowling ball up next in Micah Parsons. Important at work is right.

The spotlight is firmly on Penning and the rest of the offensive line as they march into Dallas and try to build on their best performance in years. The New Orleans line gave up just five pressures and one sack in week one, giving Derek Carr a clean pocket for most of the afternoon. He responded with his best game as a Saint, routinely throwing into tight windows and coming away with over 200 yards and three scores.

The Saints will need another strong performance from both Carr and the offensive line to beat a talented Cowboys team on Sunday. Dallas’ debut wasn’t too shabby either, throttling the Browns to the tune of 33-17.

The cherry atop the proverbial Sundae: Dallas hasn’t lost a regular season game at home in over two full calendar years. The Cowboys’ last home loss came in their 2022 home-opener vs Tampa Bay.

The Saints are -6.5 underdogs on Sunday. Here’s how they can pull off the upset at Jerry World.

Key #1: Cowboys under 7.5 pressures.

The Saints offensive line has to be good to be great.

If you’re reading that and thinking “well, duh,” I don’t blame you. But here’s what I mean; last season, the Saints were awful in pass protection. It led to broken plays, timing issues with open receivers, and an oft-injured starting quarterback.

Derek Carr is clearly at his best when he has a clean pocket. And maybe more importantly, he is not good off script. The line doesn’t have to be as great as it was against the Panthers – but if they can just be good enough, Carr and new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak have flashed the ability to score points consistently and methodically, when Carr isn’t being asked to do too much.

Creating that consistency starts with Trevor Penning vs. Micah Parsons.

Big number 70 had a good game against the Panthers. He mauled in the run game, as he often has since entering the league — but this time, it was complemented by a strong performance in pass protection.

It’s early, but Taliese Fuaga already looks like a three-year starter on the left side. If Penning can hold up with one of the league’s best bearing down on him, the Saints will have opportunities to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers.

Key #2: Rush four, not more.

Dennis Allen pushed all the right buttons against Carolina.

Bryce Young was in a state of chaos all day. With the run game shut down and the Saints offense piling points on the board early, Young had to force the issue, often making ill-advised throws in third-and-long situations.

Young is, well, young, and mistake-prone. That gave the defense opportunities to trot out cover-0 on third down. Alontae Taylor sure enjoyed that, notching a career-high three sacks, all of which came on nickel blitzes.

But Dak Prescott is no Bryce Young. The Cowboys will have a short game dialed up to beat any heavy-pressure looks the Saints want to use. Expect a lot of in-breaking routes for CeeDee Lamb and the occasional quick screen for speedsters Rico Dowdle or KaVontae Turpin, built to keep the defense honest.

The Saints will have to get pressure with a four-man rush. Blitzing against a savvy veteran like Prescott rarely ends well, especially when that veteran has a receiving threat like Lamb at his disposal.

The Saints may have the best trio of linebackers in the league. Dropping them in space to eat up the middle of the field will significantly limit what the Cowboys can do offensively – but only if the pass rush can put Prescott on a timer.

Key #3: Find Chris Olave.

There was one blemish on an otherwise jubilant Sunday for the Saints offense; Chris Olave had two catches on just two targets.

Those numbers have to go up against Dallas. Outside of the ageless Alvin Kamara, Olave is by far the most reliable weapon the Saints have. When Olave eats, it opens up the offense for everyone else. Look no further than Rashid Shaheed’s first touchdown against the Panthers, when a Chris Olave cross route attracted three defensive backs, opening up the seam for Shaheed.

Expect the Saints to try and get the ball to Olave early and often. Some Olave chunk plays, with some Kamara-outside-zone sprinkled in, is the recipe for a fruitful day for the Saints offense.

Now let’s see if they can bake the cake.