The New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys met in their NFL clash on Sunday Night Football at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Saints were coming into the game off a defeat in week nine to the New York Jets while Jason Garrett's side were flying high following a last-gasp win over the Minnesota Vikings.
However, the home side dominated the match from the off and they demolished the visitors with outstanding offensive play, breaking the NFL record for the amount of first downs in match, as they strolled to victory to move to 7-2 in their season.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Saints will be looking to respond after suffering their second defeat of the season last time out when they lost to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Sean Payton's side will be under pressure to deliver following the Carolina Panthers's win today which leaves them at 6-3, if the Saints lose this game the teams will have equal records as they are yet to face each other this season.
All the more reason for Drew Brees and his offense to find their form again following a difficult outing against the Jets where they scored 20 points but the quarterback was harassed all game and took a beating on a few sacks from the fearsome defensive line of Rex Ryan's side.
Fortunately for the Saints the Cowboys D-Line has a plethora of injuries so it's unlikely they will be able to generate the same rush as the Jets did last week, which will be music to Brees's ears.
If his offensive line hold up this week it will give him to link up with tight end Jimmy Graham, who he has connected with for 49 passes for 746 along with 10 touchdowns with leads the NFL. The duo are almost unstoppable when they are allowed to hook up and if the Cowboys don't stop them, they're in for a long night.
Brees has also found a connection with his rookie wideout Kenny Stills as the 21-year-old has racked up 362 receiving yards this season as well as three touchdowns. So Brees has other options if Graham is covered.
One of the major storylines coming into the game was Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan coming up against his old team for the first time. Ryan was fired by the Cowboys last season in the same role, and his outgoing and vocal personality would suggest that revenge is on his mind.
That might be easier said than done as Tony Romo is quietly having a good season for the Cowboys. As he has thrown for 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions and has a passer rating of exactly 100.
One of the reasons Romo is having such a good year is his wide receiver Dez Bryant, who hit the headlines over the past couple of weeks for an outburst on the sidelines during his side's loss to the Detroit Lions in week eight. Despite, his sometimes questionable behaviour, there's no denying his talent as he has 51 receptions for 708 yards and eight touchdowns. These two are an excellent match for Brees and Graham in this showdown.
SAINTS INACTIVES: Griffin, Jenkins, Robinson, Sweeting, Harper, Armstead, Walker.
COWBOYS INACTIVES: Austin, Claiborne, Wilcox, Holloman, Weems, Smith, Hatcher.
Brees will start off for us in this game at the 20 as Bailey's kick goes out of the endzone.
Brees gets the chains moving immediately for his side as he hits Colston for a six-yard completion on second after Thomas ran for seven on first. The Saints mix up to start on offense, they can't become to predictable.
Thomas gets the first down himself this time as he runs over the left-hand side of the line as Grubbs opens up a hole in the Cowboys defense and the back speeds through it for the eight-yard gain after Sproles got two on the first carry.
The Saints' drive comes to and end as Brees's completion to Thomas goes for only six yards on third and 10 and that forces Morstead to punt the ball away and his kick lands out of bounds at the Cowboys' 16 where Romo will begin.
The Cowboys go three and out as Murray falls short of the first down by a yard on third down and six but the Saints do well to stuff him up before he could break three. That will force Jones to punt.
FUMBLE!
Sproles drops the punt and Harris races down to gather the ball before the Saints man can get it back. The Cowboys will have possession at the New Orleans 22.
Murray finds nine yards on two carries to set his side up for third and one on the Saints' 16 but Romo is forced to burn a timeout due to communication issues because of crowd noise inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Two penalties cost Dallas as they fail to convert on third down as they initially had the first down when Romo found Murray but that was chalked off and then his second pass fell incomplete. Bailey will now have a 37 yarder to give his side the lead.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Bailey knocks his kick through the posts and the Cowboys lead in this game by 3-0.
Brees will once again begin at the 20 as Bailey's kick goes for a touchback.
Brees gets his side moving as he finds Colston for the second time of the game this for a first down as he runs a hitch route and the quarterback drills the ball at him for a six-yard gain.
On third down and one Brees goes back to Colston who peels off his man with a well run corner route and he makes a catch for a 21-yard reception to move his side to the Dallas 37.
Thomas gets the first down again as he powers through the middle of the line to get a pick up of nine yards after getting six on first. The ground game is working for the home side at the moment.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints take the lead as Brees fires down the middle of the field for Colston and he catches the ball on the three-yard line and powers through a tackle to leap into the endzone for the 22-yard score. The receiver was wide open on that play.
Harris returns Morstead's kick back to the 28 but is injured on the play. So there is a slight delay while he is treated.
Murray moves the chains for the Cowboys and gets a whole lot more as he sprints over the left-hand side of the line and finds space to get the first down and then cuts back to get all the way to the Saints' 30 for a run of 35 yards.
Romo hands the ball off to Murray again and he powers through the middle of the line this time for a gain of eight yards and then gets it again on second to get another set of downs for his side with a gain of five.
Murray runs for one more yard on first down to set the Cowboys up with a second and nine at the Saints' 19 when the second quarter starts.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Dallas Cowboys 3-7 New Orleans Saints
The Cowboys start the second quarter like they ended the first as Romo hands off to Murray and he churns up the middle of the line and finds a gap to get the first down and few more yards with a 14-yard run, to set his side up at the seven-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys take the lead and it's that man Murray again as he gets the ball on a sweep play and he runs behind his line who shift to the left and he coasts through a gap to get into the endzone for a seven-yard score.
Bailey kicks the ball out of the endzone and Brees will start at the 20.
The Saints get moving as Brees fires the ball off a play-action to Watson on an out cut and he gets the six yards needed on second down for another set of downs. Worryingly for the Cowboys, linebacker Sean Lee has been forced to leave the game and doesn't look in good shape.
Brees gets time in the pocket from good protection on third down and seven and he manages to get the first down for his side as he throws a strike to Stills on a crossing route for 19 yards to move them to the Dallas 47.
The Saints manage to overcome a penalty to earn another set of downs as Brees fires to Sproles on second down to get 12 yards over the middle of the field after getting a pass for seven on first.
Ingram gets the handoff this time and he runs through the middle of the line and reels off about 20 yards before he's brought down by several Cowboys defenders, but five of those yards are taken away by the officials for him slamming the ball to the ground in celebration.
Brees connects with Graham for the first time on a curl route down the left-hand sideline and it's good for an eight-yard pick up as he beats the tackle of Heath to get the yardage he needs for a first down.
The Saints get a break as Church is flagged for pass interference on Meachem that moves them to the nine-yard line, where it will be first and goal.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints retake the lead as Brees fires to Thomas on swing pass on the five-yard line and he sprints into the endzone despite the best efforts of Heath to bring him down. Brees took a shot after releasing the ball, he got up clutching his hand. That's something to monitor.
The Cowboys will start at their own seven after a penalty on the kickoff reduces Harris's 14-yard return.
The Cowboys go three and out as Romo's pass on third down falls incomplete after he his throw on second was also short of the mark, while Murray was stopped on first for no gain. Jones's punt is gathered at the 42 by Sproles who takes it to the 49.
Brees fires over the middle of the field again to get the chains moving for his side to the move them to the Dallas 31 with a 20-yard completion to Colston for his fifth reception of the night.
Brees bounces back after being sacked on second down for a seven-yard loss to find Moore for a 14-yard gain on third and 12 to move his side inside the redzone at the two-minute warning.
A facemask penalty against the Cowboys moves the Saints inside the five-yard line again.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints go into the endzone again and Sproles gets the handoff on third and goal as he manages to find a crease in the defense and run in from three yards out, untouched by any Cowboys defender.
Romo will start at the 20 as Morstead kicks the ball out of the endzone.
Romo gets only six yards as his passes on second and third down fall incomplete which forces Jones to punt the ball away to Sproles at the Saints' 25.
Brees fires over the middle the field to Sproles for 11 yards to move his side to their own 42 with two timeouts left.
Another 10 yards for Sproles this time over the middle and he cuts outside to run out of bounds to kill the clock.
Colston gets the reception down the seam and he takes the ball to 28 to move his side into field goal range with a 19-yard reception. There's time for a couple of shot at the endzone for Brees.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints extend their lead as Brees checks down to Sproles on screen pass and he runs all the way into the endzone through several defenders for the 28-yard score. That was criminal defense from the Cowboys.
HALF-TIME: Dallas Cowboy 10-28 New Orleans Saints
The Saints score twice in the last two minutes to take command of this game thanks to some terrible defense from the Cowboys. Brees picked them apart with some accurate throws and took full advantage after linebacker Sean Lee left the game with a hamstring injury.
The Cowboys offense has just 100 yards to it's name in the first half and bar a good drive involving DeMarco Murray it could have been worse as Romo just hasn't been able to get anything going in the passing game.
Jason Garrett will need to organise his side to get back into the game as that was a dreadful final 10 minutes of football by his team. Sean Payton will be delighted with what he saw from his quarterback after he took a late hit, which would have had his heart beating a bit faster.
Romo has completed just three of his nine passes for 20 yards in this game and despite facing criticism for not running the ball enough, the reason for their slight success this season is because of the quarterback. They need to get the ball back into the hands of him and receiver Dez Bryant.
On the other hand Brees is 26 of 30 for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He is putting on a clinic here and if he can keep up this level of performance the Saints should cruise this given their lead.
Harris returns the ball to the 21 where Romo will begin.
The Cowboys get a break as Greer is flagged for defensive holding on Williams which earns them a new set of downs after their third down pass fell short of the marker.
Romo fires deep down the seam to Beasley and he gets 18 yards over the middle of the field before's brought down by Bush at the Dallas 46.
SACK! Romo goes down for a huge loss on third down as Foster gets to him in the pocket and sacks him for a six-yard loss, which kills the drive and forces the punt from Jones which is caught by Sproles at the Saints' 17.
Ingram gets the carry on first down and he powers over the right-hand side of the line to rip off a 13-yard run to move the Saints to the 30.
The hand off to Ingram again and it looks to be the same play as he powers through the middle and races downfield for a 34-yard gain to move his side to the Dallas 34 before he's knocked out of bounds by Heath.
Brees moves the chains again for his side as he drills the ball on an out route to Graham for his second reception of the night that goes for 12 yards and moves the Saints inside the redzone at the Dallas 19.
The Cowboys finally force the Saints into something less than a touchdown as Heath makes a crucial breakup in the endzone on a pass to Watson and the Saints shoot themselves in the foot with a five-yard penalty on third, which stops a conversion and Sproles can't get the yardage for the first which forces Hartley into a 37-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL NO GOOD!
Hartley shanks his kick to the right allowing the Cowboys to take over at their own 27-yard line.
The Cowboys go three and out and Romo is very lucky not to be intercepted by Bush as he tried to squeeze a throw into Williams but the safety couldn't come up with the ball. Jones punts to the 16-yard line and a penalty on the Saints will back them up to their own eight.
Brees gets the chains moving for his side with a big completion to Graham down the right-hand sideline on an out route for 26 yards to move the Saints to their own 34.
Ingram gets the handoff again and he bursts through a hole on the left-hand side of the defense and picks up 15 yards and you can add 15 more to that as Sims is penalised for a facemask penalty to move the Saints to the Dallas 36.
Another penalty on the Cowboys who appear to be in complete meltdown as Carr is caught holding Colston and that moves the Saints to the 31.
Brees moves the chains as he fires to Meachem this time down the right-hand sideline on a comeback route and he makes the catch and then turns and runs down to the eight before he's brought down on the 17-yard reception.
The Cowboys are penalised for the third time in the drive as Carter is guilty of dragging down Sproles by the collar and that moves the Saints to the four-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
Ingram takes the handoff and powers through the middle of the line to coast in for the four-yard touchdown. They don't come much easier than that for the former Alabama man, as he reached the endzone on his feet.
Dallas will begin at their 11 as they are penalised for unnecessary roughness on the kickoff. These penalties are getting out of hand now.
The Cowboys move the chains for the first time in an age as Romo fires to his tight end Witten on a crossing route for a 19-yard gain before he's pushed out of bounds at the Dallas 30.
Romo fires deep downfield and Bryant gets open for the first time in the game and makes the catch acrobatically and he's forced to dive to make the grab on the second attempt but he keeps moving and turns the reception into a 44-yard gain that move them to the Saints' 21.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
Romo fires deep again and this time he finds Williams in the endzone for a 21-yard score after the receiver beat Greer with a good route with a double move to get open on a zig-go route.
ONSIDE KICK!!
The Cowboys surprise the Saints with an onside kick and the hands team of the home side can't bring the ball in and Lawrence gathers for Garrett's side at their own 48.
The Cowboys can't use their good play on special teams to secure any points as Romo is penalised for intentional grounding on second down forcing a third and 21 situation, and his pass to Witten falls incomplete. Jones kicks the ball out at the Saints' 17.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Dallas Cowboys 17-35 New Orleans Saints
Thomas powers through the middle of the line to move the chains with a five-yard run after Ingram got nine on first on checkdown from Brees.
Brees drops back and fires to Colston on a curl route down the right-hand sideline and the receiver makes the catch and turns and beats a tackle to make it an 11-yard reception and good enough for a first down.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
OH BOY! The woeful pass defense of the Cowboys gets worse as Brees is allowed to step up in the pocket and launch the ball downfield to Stills, who Pellerin allows to be wide open, Heath moves across from to try and prevent the touchdown but misses the ball completely and Stills walks in for the 52-yard score. Not good from the Cowboys at all.
Romo will begin at the 20.
The Cowboys go three and out as Romo's pass to Williams on third and five falls incomplete and Jones is forced to punt yet again and his kick is caught for the fair catch by Sproles at his own 22.
Ingram powers through the middle of the defense again on second down and five and picks up 15 yards to move the chains after getting five on first down.
Brees hands the ball off to Ingram and he finds acres of space again and runs for 31 yards down the middle of the field to the Dallas 27 before he's tackled by Heath.
Thomas gets the carry this time and he finds another huge hole and runs it for 11 yards to earn another set of downs at the Dallas 16. If there was a mercy rule in this game, now would be the time to call it.
Ingram powers through the line again on third and one at the five-yard line and he gets to the one before he's brought down. Another score here looks a certainty.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
Thomas has the simple job of running through the line again and he dives into the endzone for the score. That is also an NFL record for first downs as the Saints have 39 of them in this game. Unbelievable carnage.
Harris returns the ball to the Dallas 21.
SACKS! Romo is sacked on back-to-back plays as Johnson then Haralson drop him for losses of 10 and eight yards respectively forcing the Cowboys to punt. Jones's punt is caught by Sproles and taken to the Saints' 47.
The Saints are denied the NFL record for first downs for now as they can't get the 10 yards they need as Thomas is stuffed for negative yards on second and third. Brees is out of the game at the moment to avoid him getting injured at this stage and has been replaced by Luke McCown.
NFL RECORD!
Thomas runs through the middle of the line to get the first down. That is the Saints' 40th first down of the game and they solely hold the NFL record for the amount of first downs in a single game.
McCown kneels down to end the game.
FULL-TIME: Dallas Cowboys 17-49 New Orleans Saints
Well that was utter carnage. The Saints have absolutely demolished the Cowboys in this game by putting 626 yards of offense up against them, that is incredible. They also set the NFL record for the amount of first downs in a game with 40. A truly remarkable effort and quite humiliating for Garrett's side.
The Saints dominated the line of scrimmage in that game and took advantage of a lot of holes in the Cowboys defense. They desperately needed that win after the Carolina Panthers closed the gap on them in the NFC South, and if that isn't a statement game, I don't know what is.
The Cowboys will still lead the NFC East with a 5-5 record but they have every team in their division breathing down their necks which creates an interesting end to the season. They go on their bye week now and boy do they need it, with the injuries they have suffered. They need to regroup as they face the New York Giants in two weeks who incredibly could go top of the division after starting the year 0-6 with a win in that game.
Thanks for joining our coverage this morning. We'll be back tomorrow with all the action when the Miami Dolphins face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
