New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 29
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Channel: Fox/NFL Network
Streaming: Amazon Prime and Yahoo! Sports app
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The hottest team in football is coming to JerryWorld on Thursday night.
The Cowboys (6-5) host the New Orleans Saints (10-1) with playoff implications on the line.
What’s at stake?
Dallas enters the matchup riding a three-game win streak, with a Thanksgiving victory over the Redskins returning the Cowboys to the top of the NFC East. But if they lose tonight, they risk 6-5 Washington pulling ahead with a win over the 5-6 Eagles on Monday. The Cowboys fall behind the Seahawks for the last wild-card spot, too, in that scenario.
The Saints, on the other hand, are a comfortable four games ahead of Carolina in the NFC South. A win wraps up the division and make New Orleans the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season. But a defeat could prove costly in the pursuit of home-field advantage in the playoffs, as it would give the 10-1 Rams control of their destiny for that NFC perk.
The Saints are 7.5-point favorites.
Here are three things to watch for in the game:
1. Ezekiel Elliott is key
Sure, the Cowboys’ star running back is important every week. In Cowboys wins this season, he’s rushing for 121.7 yards. In losses, he’s tracking barely half that at 68.8. The more Dallas’ scheme and offensive line create opportunities for Elliott, the better the Cowboys’ chance at an upset.
Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen knows that.
“Ezekiel Elliott is a premier back in this league,” Allen told reporters this week. “He’s outstanding. He’s got great vision, patience as a runner, extremely powerful.”
But Elliott, who leads the league with 1,074 rushing yards, will face the league’s best run defense.
New Orleans is allowing a league-low 73.2 rushing yards per game. No other team is containing opponents to fewer than 80 on the ground.
One major factor in that accomplishment: the Saints’ early leads. With opponents playing from behind on 67.8 percent of plays this season, New Orleans has frequently forced opponents to become one-dimensional. Teams are averaging just 20.3 rushing attempts vs. New Orleans (also a league-low), on which they’re gaining a league-low 3.6 yards. The Saints want to score early and place the game in the hands of Dak Prescott.
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