Saints-Cowboys Takeaways: 3 Things We Learned From New Orleans’ Win

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The New Orleans Saints finally broke their preseason losing skid as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 27-24 on Friday night.

It’s the first preseason win in two years as the last time New Orleans won a preseason game was on Aug. 10, 2024, when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals 16-14 in Glendale.

There were plenty of positives throughout the game, especially on offense. Here are our three takeaways from the game.

Backup Quarterbacks Made Case for Final 53-Man Roster

While there were questions about who would take the backup spot while the other goes to the practice squad, there’s a chance the Saints might add both Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson to the final 53-man roster.

Grading the Saints' units. See our scores here.

After poor performances by both quarterbacks last week, they were efficient, completing 75% of their passes and committing no turnovers.

Rattler started the game and had his best performance of the preseason, completing 8 of his 10 passes for 79 yards and scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run.

Wilson came in for Rattler in the second half and completed 9 of his 12 passes for 93 yards.

While who will be the true No. 2 behind Tyler Shough has yet to be determined, it wouldn’t surprise us if both quarterbacks end up making the full roster.

Healthy Backfield Ignites Saints’ Offense

While New Orleans’ run game struggled with consistency during the preseason, the team showed its potential against the Dallas Cowboys with a healthier backfield.

The Saints rushed 32 times for 169 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, with three different players scoring. Audric Estime led the team with 36 yards on four carries, while Kendre Miller added 42 yards on nine attempts.

Wide receiver Barion Brown demonstrated his versatility, rushing twice for 19 yards on jet sweeps. Brown scored the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard run.

Rattler added the second rushing touchdown, his first of the preseason, on an 8-yard scamper.

Zamir White capped the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown rush up the middle, finishing with 23 yards on four carries.

Looks Like the Vet Wins Out

The Saints brought in former All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson earlier this week to do one thing: kick the ball through the uprights. That’s exactly what he did even before he made both of his field-goal attempts from 38 and 53 yards Friday to seal the deal.

His performance effectively ended the kicking battle, one that started with Tanner Brown and the incumbent starter Charlie Smyth.

Brown looked the better of the two, but he struggled with inconsistency at times and has missed four field goals of fewer than 40 yards throughout both training camp and the three preseason games, including missing a 39-yarder against the Rams last week.

Smyth, who finished last season by making 12 of 16 field-goal attempts, struggled throughout the preseason. Brown appeared to be the clear winner before his own inconsistencies emerged.

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