The Dallas Cowboys (6-5) welcome the red-hot New Orleans Saints (10-1) into AT&T Stadium for a Thursday Night Football game that will have big playoff implications for both teams.
The Cowboys are playing good football as of late as they have won three in a row to climb back to a first-place tie with the Washington Reskins atop the NFC East.
That, of course, pales in comparison with the Saints’ 10-game winning streak and the explosiveness of their offense, which has scored 45 or more points in three of the Saints last four games.
One of the main reasons why both of these teams are excelling right now is the great level of their quarterbacks. Both the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and the Saints’ Drew Brees have been outstanding.
What makes Brees so dangerous is his capability of working the ball around the entire field. He’s a passer that even though he has some star playmakers he distributes the ball evenly to find his other weapons. He will find the open man to take advantage of what opposing defenses give him, keep those chains moving, and score often.
Brees this season has been extremely efficient, amassing a 127.3 QB rating, and accurate, completing 76.4 percent of his passes.
Most importantly he’s continued to excel offensively (3,135 passing yards, 29 touchdowns) but what has turned him into is a prime MVP candidate is how well he’s been taking care of the ball as he’s had only two interceptions and one lost fumble all season long.
If the Cowboys want to upset the Saints tonight, they’ll need to find a way to pressure Brees, force him to turn the ball over and make sure they get points off of those takeaways.
Although Brees is considered an elite quarterback and has played at a high level all season long, Prescott is currently playing like a player ready to take a huge leap into an upper echelon performance wise.
Dallas’ signal-caller has been especially efficient and accurate during the current winning streak, but he’s also been taking care of the ball recently. Dak has had no turnovers in the Cowboys’ last three games, and he needs to make sure that trend continues against the Saints if they want to win.
His youth and athleticism should also create problems for the Saints, as those assets allow him to escape when the pocket collapses to create spectacular runs that extend the play.
The addition of wide receiver Amari Cooper has also helped Dallas passing game as they now have a true number one target. Cooper helps keep balances honest to create running room and provides Prescott with a dependable target he can throw to on clutch situations.
If the Cowboys offensive line can expand that running room for tailback Ezekiel Elliott and he can continue to take advantage of it like in the last three weeks (at least 121 yards and a rushing touchdown in each of his last three games) then the Cowboys could win this huge NFC matchup.
Realistically that is unlikely to happen against the NFL’s number one run defense, so expect the Saints to win their 11th straight game and continue to lead the race for the number one seed in the NFC.
Prediction: Saints 31 – 20 Cowboys
