New Orleans @ Dallas preview
AT&T Stadium
Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2021 ) Dallas 27, New Orleans 17
For the first time in 364 days, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will sprint out of the tunnel at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
Diggs and Dallas entertain the New Orleans Saints in a matchup of 1-0 teams and the All-Pro's first game in his home stadium since Sept. 17, 2023. Four days later, Diggs tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in practice and missed the rest of last season.
After grinding through rehab to return for Week 1, Diggs celebrated with his 19th career interception as the Cowboys dominated the Cleveland Browns 33-17.
"It felt good," Diggs said. "Emotions were high. Just being able to go out there with my teammates and stuff, I missed them. So just being able to go out there and be able to compete, it just felt good to be back. I'm comfortable. Game 2, I'm going to be 100 percent better. That's about getting better every day, every game and just keep growing."
If Diggs picks off Saints quarterback Derek Carr on Sunday, Diggs would become the fourth cornerback since 1990 with 20 interceptions in his first 50 career games. The others are Hall of Famer Ed Reed (21 interceptions), Richard Sherman (20) and Marcus Peters (20).
Carr threw three touchdown passes and led New Orleans to points on nine consecutive drives in a 47-10 rout of the Carolina Panthers. The Saints then quickly shifted into storm preparation as New Orleans braced for Hurricane Francine.
"Everything was the same with (game) preparation, we just started earlier," Carr said.
Late-week practices were in peril and subject to change, head coach Dennis Allen said. He and Carr were reviewing Dallas' defensive effort at Cleveland, when the Cowboys had an NFL-high 24 quarterback hurries against Deshaun Watson.
"They're just really good, really talented," Carr said of the Dallas defense, pinpointing "11" or pass rusher Micah Parsons as the player to find pre-snap. "You turn on the tape and he reminds me of Von Miller with that explosiveness, that get-off. And he plays off the ball, too. He can really play off the ball, too. ... For a guy to be able to do all of those things, he's one of the better football players I've ever seen in my life."
Dallas originally feared Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson had torn knee ligaments in his left knee in Week 1, but he received good news on that front.
"They went through a bunch of stuff, looked at it, did a couple more tests, and they were like, ¡®It's not ACL,'" Ferguson said Wednesday. "Thankfully, just a little bone bruise and MCL, but ... I don't even think it's a Grade 1 (sprain)."
The Cowboys held Ferguson out of practice all week and labeled him doubtful to play the Saints, but he said he was at zero pain on a scale of 1-10 as of Wednesday.
Parsons said he felt he could've had four sacks of Watson. He totaled 11 pressures on the Cowboys' coaching tape of the game and recorded one of the team's six sacks. Then he arrived for practice on Wednesday and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer revealed a brand new set of pressure packages that sparked another flame in Parsons.
"I just want to test everyone's water. I just want to test the pot," Parsons said. "I want to see which guy I can, I feel like I can manipulate. But I really don't care who it is. It's just about me feeling like I'm the best and I can just go against whoever."
Carr and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott are leaning on proven hands in the backfield. Alvin Kamara led the Saints with 15 carries and had a team-best five receptions in Week 1. Dallas started Ezekiel Elliott, back after one year with the New England Patriots, and he caught two passes and led the Cowboys with 10 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.
"Definitely fresh," said Elliott, who is 144 offensive snaps shy of 6,000 in his career. "Just got to continue to build on that and take care of my body. And we want to be feeling good in December and January."
The Saints ruled out linebacker D'Marco Jackson (calf) and listed five players as questionable: rookie tackle Taliese Fuaga (back), star cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), rookie linebacker Jaylan Ford (hamstring) and defensive linemen Bryan Bresee (illness) and Isaiah Foskey (back).
One player was ruled out for Dallas -- tight end John Stephens (hamstring), meaning the team could be thin at that position.
--Field Level Media