Saints beat Cowboys, set 1st-down record
NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees completed 34 of 41 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints demolished the 5-5 Dallas Cowboys, 49-17, Sunday night.
NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees completed 34 of 41 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints demolished the 5-5 Dallas Cowboys, 49-17, Sunday night.
The Saints (7-2) had an NFL-record 40 first downs and a franchise-record 625 total yards.
Brees connected with Kenny Stills on a 52-yard touchdown pass, with Marques Colston on a 22-yard scoring strike, with running back Pierre Thomas for a 1-yard score, and with running back Darren Sproles for a 28-yard score with five seconds left in the first half.
Saints 49, Cowboys 17
Dallas 3 7 7 0 - 17
New Orleans 7 21 7 14 - 49
First quarter
Dal-FG Bailey 37, 8:14.
NO-Colston 22 pass from Brees (Hartley kick), 3:23.
Second quarter
Dal-Murray 7 run (Bailey kick), 14:05.
NO-Thomas 1 pass from Brees (Hartley kick), 5:09.
NO-Sproles 3 run (Hartley kick), 1:32.
NO-Sproles 28 pass from Brees (Hartley kick), :05.
Third quarter
NO-Ingram 4 run (Hartley kick), 2:12.
Dal-Williams 21 pass from Romo (Bailey kick), :41.
Fourth quarter
NO-Stills 52 pass from Brees (Hartley kick), 12:43.
NO-Thomas 1 run (Hartley kick), 5:44.
A: 73,018.
Dal NO
First downs 9 40
Total Net Yards 193 625
Rushes-yards 16-89 38-242
Passing 104 383
Punt Returns 0-0 4-18
Kickoff Returns 6-132 0-0
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 10-24-0 34-41-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 3-24 1-9
Punts 8-50.4 1-33.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 11-82 6-44
Time of Possession 20:28 39:32
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Dallas, Murray 16-89. New Orleans, Ingram 14-145, Thomas 17-87, Sproles 5-12, McCown 2-(minus 2).
Passing: Dallas, Romo 10-24-0-128. New Orleans, Brees 34-41-0-392.
Receiving: Dallas, Hanna 3-11, Witten 2-27, Bryant 1-44, Williams 1-21, Beasley 1-18, Murray 1-6, Harris 1-1. New Orleans, Colston 7-107, Sproles 7-76, Thomas 7-24, Graham 5-59, Stills 3-75, Ingram 2-15, Meachem 1-17, Moore 1-14, Watson 1-5.
Missed Field Goals: New Orleans, Hartley 37 (WR).