Skip to main content
Saints News Network

Saints Show Up Cowboys, 27-24, Closing out the Preseason with a Victory; Now the Countdown to 53 Begins

Saints finish preseason 1-2 with big field goal toward the end to win it against the Cowboys.
Doug Joubert|
Aug 28, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Adedayo Odeleye (96) tackles New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (5) during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Aug 28, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Adedayo Odeleye (96) tackles New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (5) during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sign up for the daily Saints Newsletter by clicking here.

In the course of what an NFL season is, the third preseason game looks to some as meaningless.

It's not meaningless to the almost 40-men who will not be on the team by Sunday evening.

And, whether it's preseason or not, victory tastes sweet.

Building a 24-9 advantage going into the fourth quarter, then allowing the Dallas Cowboys to climb back into it to tie the game, the New Orleans Saints showed some moxie, traversing the field in the last six minutes of the game under the direction of quarterback Zach Wilson to give them a chance to take back a lead they had never given up.

Daniel Carlson did just that.

With just under two-minutes to go in the contest, the former All-Pro Raiders' kicker nailed a 53-yarder that might have been good from 60. The Cowboys tried to find a drive in the last 2-minutes of the game, but the Saints bend-but-don't-break defense did it again giving the Saints a 27-24 victory.

"Proud of our guys," head coach Kellen Moore said immediately after the game, "the effort, the energy our team provided for the game. These are challenging games. There are a lot of decisions that have to be made after this game," alluding to the cut down to 53-players by Sunday. "Everyone knows that, but for out guys to lock-in and play with really good effort (makes me) really proud of them."

Solid Start through Thirty Minutes

Under the leadership of quarterback Spencer Rattler, the Saints moved up and down the field at will in the first half.

Check out our Biggest Winners and Biggest Losers here.

Though only 8-of-10 for 79-yards, Rattler was able to show good decisions moving the ball down field, checking down a number of times to other receivers, and side-stepping defensive

"Felt good," Rattler shared after the game. "Scored points. I feel like we left one opportunity out there." The Saints scored on four of their five possessions under Rattler's direction.

"I'm proud of the guys," Rattler smiled. "They were making good plays after catch. They (the Cowboys) did a good job of taking away deep shots, so we had to take what they gave us.

"We ran the ball really well," Rattler shared. Which they did, including Rattler himself on this 8-yard touchdown run.

Audric Estime led the team with 46-yards on 4-rushes, his longest going for 33. Kendre Miller had a solid night with 9-carries for 42-yards, his longest a 13-yard jaunt.

But the 1st half rush that got the Saints their first TD belonged to wide out and returner Barion Brown.

Solid First Half for the Saints

Carlson would start the scoring after an opening drive of 47-yards, kicking a 38-yard field goal.

The Cowboys would answer with a FG to tie it up, until Brown's above mentioned 7-yard touchdown jet sweep.

Another Dallas field goal is followed by Rattler's 8-yard TD run.

Then another Cowboys FG, as the Saints head into the locker room up 17-9.

Second Half, Not So Good...Until the End

The third quarter has the Saints bend-but-don't-break defense doing its job again. After Dallas is forced to punt on its opening possession of the second half, Wilson steps in at quarterback, leading the team on an 8-play, 64-yard possession, leading to an impressive shuffle run by another new guy, Zamir White, for an 11-yard touchdown.

But that would be it for the Saints, as the offense went stagnant while the Cowboys came alive, scoring 15-unanswered points in the 4th quarter to tie up the game at 24-all, leading to Carlson's heroics.

With under two minutes showing on the clock, the Saints defense did bow up to stop the Cowboys on downs with less than 30-seconds remaining to seal the victory.

The clock now begins for those players on the bubble as NFL teams decide who will stay and who will go. Those decisions have to be made by 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Saints Mailbag

Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Doug Joubert
DOUG JOUBERT

Doug has been around Saints football since its inception. He was in Tulane Stadium when John Gilliam ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown in 1967. Though he was in attendance for the Tom Dempsey field goal in 1970, he left early, something he regrets to this day. He covered the Saints at their training camp in Ruston, Louisiana in 1985 while he was working in Monroe, Louisiana as an award-winning radio sportscaster. He was the host of the New Orleans Saints Pre-Game and Post-Game show on Sports 1280, WQUE in the early 1990s. Doug is also the publisher of the Tulane site for On SI.

Home/News