The place to look at Cowboys vs. Saints: TV channel, NFL kickoff time, reside stream, unfold, odds, Week 2 prediction

FRISCO, Texas — The 1-0 Dallas Cowboys welcome the 1-0 New Orleans Saints to AT&T Stadium for his or her residence opener after each groups kicked off the 2024 season in model, every profitable by no less than two touchdowns. 

New Orleans smoked the Carolina Panthers 47-10 for its most factors scored in Week 1 in franchise historical past. Saints quarterback Derek Carr compiled an environment friendly outing with 200 yards and three passing touchdowns on 19 of 23 passing whereas operating again Alvin Kamara cruised to 110 scrimmage yards (83 speeding on 15 carries and 27 receiving yards on 5 catches) and a speeding landing on 20 touches. 

Nonetheless, they must take care of a Cowboys protection that led the league in Week 1 with six sacks and 24 quarterbacks pressures. Three-time All-Professional Micah Parsons led the way in which with co-league-leading 11 pressures to associate with a sack, because of the newfound “free will” new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s scheme has offered him. New Orleans may very well be short-handed in coping with that stress as 2024 first-round choose rookie left deal with Taliese Fuaga is questionable with a again harm. 

The Saints will likely be going through the NFL’s finest residence staff within the common season on Sunday with Dallas taking a 16-game common season residence profitable streak into Week 2. Sure, the Cowboys are conscious the final time they performed at AT&T Stadium was a 48-32 NFC wild-card spherical loss versus the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers. 

“It is at all times vital,” Cowboys All-Professional vast receiver CeeDee Lamb mentioned on Thursday when requested about taking part in and profitable at residence. “We had a streak that we ruined. Clearly we’re very conscious of that, and we’re seeking to put that factor again on.”

Count on AT&T Stadium, a venue that averaged an NFL-best 93,594 followers a house recreation final season, to be rocking. 

“The followers. Camaraderie. Vitality within the constructing. Clearly, we like it,” Lamb mentioned. “We feed off it. I imply it helps us play higher. It is good to know that we’re making Cowboy nation proud.”

Cowboys’ residence/highway splits (2023 common season)

*Prime three in NFL

Let’s break Sunday’s matchup down and undertaking a victor. 

All NFL odds are by way of SportsLine Consensus.

The best way to watch Saints at Cowboys

Date: Sunday, Sept. 15 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Channel: Fox Stream: fubo
Comply with: CBS Sports App   
Odds: Cowboys -6; O/U 46.5

When the Saints have the ball

The New Orleans Saints have a model new offensive playbook beneath offensive coordinator Klink Kubiak, who came to visit to the staff after working because the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers passing recreation coordinator beneath head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2023. The Shanahan offensive ideas ooze from this Saints staff. 

The Saints lined up beneath heart greater than some other offense within the league in Week 1, on 61.3% of their performs to be precise, and so they used play-action on over a 3rd of their dropbacks (39%) for the primary time since signing Derek Carr within the 2023 offseason, based on NFL Professional Insights. The Saints additionally utilized two-back formations at an NFL-high charge of 37%, and so they despatched a participant in movement on 74.2% of their snaps, the fifth-highest charge within the league. Because of this, New Orleans scored on its first 9 drives within the 47-10 Week 1 win towards the Panthers. 

“It is so much totally different,” Cowboys Professional Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs mentioned on Wednesday. “He is an excellent offensive coordinator. I received to be in the proper place as a result of he can trick you and make you see one thing that you simply suppose you wish to see after which one thing’s going behind you. They put up a variety of factors final week [47], so it may be a very good problem for us. Particularly with all of the shifts and motions.”

Carr has discovered his footing in New Orleans after a rocky begin. 

Derek Carr Saints profession

* Finest in NFL since Week 15 of 2023 season

Nonetheless, based on Micah Parsons, Dallas’ prime focus is shutting down Kamara and the Saints operating recreation. 

“He is the primary focus,” Parsons mentioned of Kamara in Week 2. “They have been dominant final week towards the Panthers and I believe it is a nice system. Their OC [Klint Kubiak] got here from San Fran, so it provides us a glimpse of what we might probably see in a while down the highway. Kamara is Kamara, man. What he put up, one other 100 final week? He did not actually have any drop off. It may be an amazing problem. He is nonetheless among the finest backs on this league. He handled accidents during the last couple of years, however so does everybody, however to date we noticed he appears to be like wholesome and I am excited for the primary time to go towards the man.”  

The Shanahan tree offenses have been the Cowboys’ Achilles heel within the playoffs with losses to Shanahan’s 49ers in 2021 and 2022 and to Matt LaFleur’s Packers in 2023. 

“Yeah, these offenses are annoying,” Diggs mentioned. 

When the Cowboys have the ball

By way of one week of the 2023 common season, the New Orleans Saints (10% third down conversion charge allowed) and McCarthy’s Cowboys (13.3% third down conversion charge allowed) are the 2 stingiest third-down defenses. One week of information would not actually matter to McCarthy, although. New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen’s unit being a top-10 scoring protection in 2023 (19.2 PPG allowed, eighth-fewest within the NFL) plus rating fourth in third-down conversion charge allowed (34.5%) and takeaways (29) does catch Dallas’ offensive play-caller’s consideration. 

“I do not do the comparables, frankly, with the staff and even in our situational breakdowns and within the recreation plan a part of it as a result of I believe when you get previous 4 weeks patterns are developed,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy mentioned Wednesday when requested about New Orleans’ third down protection in Week 1. The quote may very well be prolonged to the entire staff. “Frankly, after I discuss concerning the Saints, I talked extra about what they did final yr, their profile, their staff and their strengths and the way all these issues carried into. Should you take a look at the way in which they play final, proper? I assumed they have been a playoff-caliber soccer staff simply primarily based off what they placed on movie. The personnel I’ve been very impressed with the personnel and when you take a look at the manufacturing comparables final yr. So there’s so much there to be impressed with.”

Final season, quarterback Dak Prescott, who led the NFL with 36 landing passes, and vast receiver CeeDee Lamb, who led the NFL with 135 catches, impressed. That is why each Prescott (4 years, $240 million) and Lamb (4 years, $136 million) received PAID this offseason. Nonetheless, Lamb wanted to carry out to get his cash, which barely affected the duo’s timing in Week 1 in Cleveland. Prescott linked up with Lamb on solely half of their targets 5 catches on 10 targets, an abnormally low charge for them. 

“There’s a number of issues, I believe CeeDee would say the identical,” Prescott mentioned Thursday. “However some issues that have been most likely understood have been going to come back up after we have not had the time that we had [in previous years]. Possibly it is me simply not trusting a bit of bit on the prime of my throw, no matter it’s. Possibly bleeding a bit of on a route. A few of these issues simply occur naturally.”

“Week 1 was clearly very totally different for me carrying pads for the primary time,” Lamb mentioned. … “It wasn’t a lot of a drop off, however clearly there’s room for enchancment. We received higher this week and [that] needs to be on show this Sunday … “I am again. I am again into the factor.”

The extra rust Lamb knocks off, the higher Dallas will likely be on third down. They transformed simply 4 of 14 third-down makes an attempt (28.6%) in Week 1, a far cry from their 48.3% conversion charge final yr, the second finest within the NFL. Lamb may not have to fret about Saints four-time Professional Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore since he did not apply all week with a hip and hamstring harm. New Orleans lists him as questionable. Even when he does play, going up towards Trevon Diggs daily in apply has Lamb feeling geared up for the problem. 

I am already going towards a [No.] 1, so there isn’t any shock if i see one other one,” Lamb mentioned. “Clearly, Tre has the higher ball expertise [his 16 interceptions since 2021 are the most in the NFL], he has a knack for the ball, so I really feel like Tre has extra of a bonus as a result of after we see one another, he is aware of my tendencies and vice versa. It is a pleasurable second. I cherish it. and I embrace it each alternative I get, and so does he.

Prediction

New Orleans might battle to guard up entrance with a restricted model of Fuaga or with out him in any respect, which ought to have Parsons and four-time Professional Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence licking their chops. On the opposite facet of the ball, Lattimore clearly not being 100% and attempting to defend the Prescott-Lamb connection at AT&T Stadium might spell hassle for the Saints. 

Mike Zimmer’s subtle protection filled with disguises and pre-snap motion mixed with the Cowboys’ defensive expertise and potent offense has Dallas being SportsLine’s new favourite to win the NFC East with their complete wins projection rising from 10.3 wins to 11.5 wins and their division win share climbing from 40.3% to 56.7%. The Cowboys get one other win this week to get a step nearer to being the NFC East’s first repeat champion since Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb’s Philadelphia Eagles did so from 2001-2004. 

Prediction: Cowboys 31, Saints 20