Saturday stunner highlighted Saints weaknesses, Cowboys strengths

In their upset of New Orleans on Saturday, the Cowboys played probably their best game of the season. The questions going forward are can the Cowboys do it again, and have the Saints' weaknesses been exposed?

Games are about matchups and right now the Saints have some matchup problems that the Cowboys exploited. In fact, the Redskins exploited the Saints' issues to a degree too, but didn't win the game.

Malcolm Jenkins coudn't stop Jason Witten from making another play for Dallas. (Getty Images)

The first matchup problem the Saints have is at the corners, in particular rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. I had some questions about Jenkins playing man to man in off coverage when he came out of college. He doesn't have the hips, turn speed and acceleration to make the quick adjustments athletically to cover a wide receiver. I saw this in both the Redskins and Giants games. The Saints are also struggling with Mike McKenzie when he plays at corner.

They have tried to cover their deficiency at corner with multiple defensive looks that try to confuse the offensive pass protections. Against Dallas they were able to get pressure on Tony Romo, his major weakness. In other words, he is not an effective passer against the blitz if you keep him in the pocket. He ranks in the bottom half of quarterbacks in that category. Although when you do blitz him, if Dallas gets it blocked and he can settle himself he is effective because he can move around and cause problems for the defense.

The Saints will likely improve in this area by getting healthy. Tracy Porter played last Saturday and they have a chance to get Jabari Greer back before the end of the season.

Another area the Saints struggle in on defense is their linebackers' coverage ability. They do not match up well with tight ends and backs in coverage.

During the course of the season teams have been able to run the ball on the Saints. Defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant are more pass rushers then run defenders. But the real problem Saturday was the inside. Without their best defensive lineman, Sedrick Ellis, the Cowboys exploited the middle and moved the pile, leading to an effective night running the ball.

The Saints defense has overachieved thanks to the team's explosive offense, which has allowed them in many games to play from ahead. Even when behind they knew the offense could score points. They are a gambling defense that, especially at home, can play better as a unit then when you break down their talent.

Another key to the Cowboys' win was their defense's ability to hold the Saints in check. Even more impressive was that they did it on the road where they didn't have the benefit of crowd noise to help their pass rush. The Cowboys had a good plan. They had an advantage with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer in their matchups with Saints offensive tackles Jermon Bushrod and Jon Stinchcomb, who really struggle against pass rushers. If they play again, the Saints will need to have their backs chip on Ware and Spencer to slow their rush down, something that was not part of their plan last Saturday.

Another part of the Cowboys' success in slowing the Saints offense was to play tight man coverage and disrupt the timing of their routes. The Saints are a precision-passing team and the way you need to play them is to disrupt their routes and to make Brees hold the ball. With the Cowboys having the edge with their pass rushers, this strategy worked well for the most part.

When the Saints began to move the ball later in the game the Cowboys had switched to zone defense for the most part to protect against the big play.

The question going forward is, will the Cowboys be able to duplicate their effort and execution over the last two games? If they can, they will be a formable team in the playoffs. What the Cowboys did well on Saturday is use all of their weapons effectively thanks to a balance running and passing attack. They rotated their backs well and used Jason Witten in the underneath passing game and got the ball to Miles Austin, their big-play threat. But the most important part of the Cowboys' offense is Romo's ability to avoid turnovers. If he can do that and the Cowboys keep defenses off-balance they can not only make the playoffs, but win in the playoffs.

On defense, Ware and Spencer give them edge rushers who can be effective against anybody they will face. The defense plays the run well with their aggressive front. Mike Jenkins has emerged as a fine corner to help them in the secondary.

The final key to the Cowboys' chances in their last two games will be their mental approach. They must play with a sense of urgency and mental discipline and the two guys who must lead them, Wade Phillips and Tony Romo, must lead the way in those categories. The Cowboys showed last Saturday what they are capable of. They beat the team with the best record in the NFC.