Saints-Cowboys: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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After every game, we strap on the six-shooter and venture into the Wild West of recollection to give you what was...well...like the picture says.

The Good

The offensive line for the Saints took a big leap forward Friday night. There were gashes for New Orleans running backs, legal containment blocks that set the edge, some pressure on their quarterbacks but not enough to disrupt the game, and an almost complete lack of penalties. We liked what we saw.

How did we grade the Saints in the preseason win over the Pokes? Find out here.

Daniel Carlson nailed it. Not just his 38-yard field goal or the game-winning 53-yarder. The two-time former All-Pro nailed the kicking slot for the Saints. The question now is who will end up on the practice squad: Tanner Brown or Charlie Smyth? Smyth's advantage is the Saints practice squad can bump up a notch to 17 if the Irishman Smyth makes it through waivers because of the international player exemption.

The running back room is in good hands, no matter who the Saints keep. We have been waiting for this version of Kendre Miller, and we saw it Friday night. In limited action, Miller showed his strength and break away speed. Audric Estimé doesn't have Miller's speed, but what he does have is a head of steam every time he runs the ball. He is a joy to watch.

The Bad

These come with caveats.

The Saints offense was a snooze-fest after their first drive of the second half. That's the bad. However, when the O had to move the ball with six minutes remaining and the game tied, Zach Wilson led his troops to field goal range for the aforementioned Carlson's eventual game-winning 53-yard field goal. Wilson and wide receiver Ronnie Bell had an almost Zen-like connection in that drive.

4 important things head coach Kellen Moore said after the game can be found here.

The Saints defense, like the offense, went on its own "Which way did he go, George?" move in the fourth quarter. After stellar bend-but-don't-break play for three quarters, the D gave up 15-points as the Cowboys tied it up with under seven minutes to go in the game. Kudos to the defense for forcing Dallas to run out of downs with less than a minute to go to seal the game.

The Ugly

Replay assist my....well...the first three letters of the word "assist." This is a family-friendly platform, after all.

When quarterback Spencer Rattler was forced out of bounds on a scramble in the first half, a Cowboy defender hit the Saints QB a good yard-and-a-half out of bounds. Was it egregious? No. But it was a hit, nonetheless. A flag was thrown, and a penalty assessed. Then the announcement that it was reversed because of "replay assist."

Overreaction Saturday: QB #2 slot set? RB room through with the shuffling? Read about it here.

The TV folks joked about it a few times as the game wore on, suggesting replay assists for silly reasons, but the point was made. The possibility of an ankle injury because of the tackle was raised by the announcers. Apparently that did not factor into the reversal.

That was downright ugly.

Mailbag Submissions

Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.