A kick from Daniel Carlson settled things Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
New Orleans beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-24 to close out the preseason, and it came down to the final minutes.
Carlson drilled a 53-yard field goal with 1:55 left on the clock. Zach Wilson led the drive that set it up, and that kick turned out to be the difference.
The Saints needed this one. New Orleans finished the preseason at 1-2, but the win kept the club from posting its first winless preseason since 2015.
Dallas didn’t get what it wanted either. The Cowboys finished 2-1 and missed a shot at their first perfect preseason in 20 years after New Orleans erased a big early lead.
Spencer Rattler got things rolling for New Orleans in the first half. He scored on an 8-yard keeper to the pylon and steered three scoring drives before halftime.
Rattler finished 8 of 10 passing for 79 yards. He and Wilson are both chasing the backup job behind starter Tyler Shough, and neither one pulled ahead in this one.
Wilson went 9 of 12 for 93 yards and opened the third quarter by driving the offense down the field. That drive ended with Zamir White punching one in from 11 yards out.
Saints coach Kellen Moore liked what he saw from both passers.
“Both these guys are capable of playing and being really successful quarterbacks,” Moore said. “Spencer and Zach are going to provide excellent depth for us.”
Running game gave New Orleans a boost
New Orleans leaned on its backfield too. Audric Estime broke off a 33-yard run that set up Rattler’s touchdown and finished with 46 yards on just four carries.
Kendre Miller carried the ball nine times for 42 yards as he keeps battling Estime for a depth spot behind Travis Etienne Jr.
Rookie Barion Brown scored the game’s first touchdown on a 7-yard run. The sixth-round pick has been getting extra chances at receiver with first-round pick Jordyn Tyson out with a hamstring injury.
Dallas answered late. Sam Howell threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and added a gutsy 2-point conversion run to tie the score at 24, fighting off multiple tacklers to get in.
Howell got one more chance to win it for Dallas but couldn’t finish the job. Four straight incomplete passes ended the threat and locked in the Saints’ win.
There was a scuffle in the end zone right after Howell’s 2-point run. Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the pushing and shoving.
What comes next for both teams
This preseason matchup came 10 days after a fight broke out at a joint practice between the two teams in California. Both clubs were fined $500,000 over that incident.
Dallas also dealt with an injury blow.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said linebacker Marist Liufau broke his left forearm in the first half, though it may let him start the year on injured reserve instead of getting cut.
The backup quarterback race in Dallas stays wide open too. Joe Milton went 8 of 15 for 92 yards but had a quieter night than his first two preseason outings against Sam Howell.
“It’s neck and neck,” Schottenheimer said of Milton and Howell. “What I love about them both is both guys want to win the spot. Both guys want to compete, but both guys are really happy for each other when they do well.”
Both teams now shift focus to Week 1.
New Orleans opens the regular season on the road against Detroit, while Dallas travels to face the New York Giants in a Sept. 13 prime-time game.
