The New Orleans Saints are coming to Texas on Sunday to face the Dallas Cowboys in a game that will feature two of the most dynamic passing offenses in the game. However, to this point in the season, neither team has been able to stop their respective opponents from throwing the ball against them. For that reason, this huge Sunday Night Football game may be decided not by whether Tony Romo or Drew Brees play better, but rather which team’s secondary can keep it together better and do enough to get stops.
So which passing defense will play better in Week 4? Read on for our breakdown of the issue and don’t miss our complete betting preview of this big game here.
[sc:Football ]Is the Saints’ or Cowboys’ Passing Defense Better?
New Orleans Saints
[sc:NFL240banner ]Believe it or not, the Saints passing defense was second best in the league last season, finishing just behind the Seattle Seahawks with 194.1 passing yards allowed per game. Fast forward to today, that kind of resistance against the pass has barely been felt by the three opponents the Saints have faced. New Orleans comes into the game on Sunday with a defense that surrenders 278.3 passing yards per game, third-worst in the NFL. Through three Saints’ games, opposing quarterbacks Matt Ryan, Brian Hoyer, and Teddy Bridgewater have combined for a 97.7 QB rating.
The Saints will need its defense to step up on Sunday, as they face the duo of Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and dynamic wide receiver Dez Bryant. Take note that the last time the Saints made their way to Dallas, Bryant absolutely crushed their secondary, exploding for 224 receiving yards on just nine (!) receptions with a couple of TDs. New Orleans nevertheless had the last laugh, winning the ball game, 34-31.
Bryant is averaging 82.3 receiving yards per game, and he’ll be the biggest headache for the Saints, who are ranked 21st in the NFL in yielded passing yards to no. 1 wide receivers with 75.6 per game.
The key man in the black and gold on Sunday will be third-year corner Corey White. White stepped into the starting line up in Week 3, replacing Patrick Robinson, who was very-publicly benched after blowing several key coverages against the Browns in Week 2, and played well. White did not allow a reception against the Minnesota Vikings in the Saints’ 20-9 victory, and will likely see the most of Dez Bryant on Sunday.
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Dallas Cowboys
Like New Orleans, the Cowboys have also had defensive problems this season. Where they differ, though, is the length of time this problem has persisted. The Saints were great defensively in 2013, and they were actually projected in the offseason to have one of the toughest-defending secondaries this season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have sucked in this area since last season, when opponents lit them up with an average of 286.8 passing yards per game.
This season, Dallas has been slightly better, but still bad overall. The team is 21st in the league with a passing defense that lets opposing teams rack up 250.3 passing yards per game. Perhaps the biggest issue has been the ‘Boys’ pass rush: the Cowboys finished last season with a league-worst 5.18% sacks percentage (that is, the percentage of passing plays in which the rush sacks the quarterback). This year, without Pro Bowl pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys have an even-worse 2.94% sack percentage through three games.
On Sunday, the Cowboys will be busy all game long with the arrival of Drew Brees, who directs the fifth-best passing game in the league, one that averages 281.3 yards per game. The pass rush has to show up, and so do the secondary, who will be tasked to cover tight end Jimmy Graham and rookie WR Brandin Cooks. Graham and Cooks have combined for an average of 140.7 receiving yards per game this season.
Perhaps the most divisive player on the entire Dallas roster is one of its highest-touted players. Corner Morris Claiborne was victimized against St. Louis last weekend, before coming up with a couple key plays late to help seal the comeback victory. He then proceeded to storm out of practice after hearing he has been replaced in the starting line up for the game against New Orleans. Claiborne’s absense means Drew Brees will have Orlando Scandrick to pick on in the pass defense. Scandrick has 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 89 games with the Cowboys.
Writer’s Prediction
Corey White steps up and keeps Bryant’s day to a reasonable 100 yards with no touchdowns. Meanwhile, Brees takes advantage of communication issues in the Cowboys’ backfield on the way to covering -3.
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