The Dallas Cowboys earned a little bit of payback on Sunday night with a stomping performance over the New Orleans Saints 38-17.
What many expected to be a shootout between the two high profiled offenses, turned out to be a dominant one-sided performance that consisted of the Cowboys defense holding the Saints without a touchdown until early in the fourth quarter.
Tony Romo had his best game thus far this season and looked the part too as he threw for three touchdowns, two of which went to Terrence Williams and one to Dez Bryant. Romo's back issues seem to be a thing of the past as he looked every bit the elusive quarterback he's been throughout his career.
DeMarco Murray had a pair of rushing touchdowns while having fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, the first Cowboy to do so since Emmitt Smith in 1995.
Not only was the offense clicking on all cylinders but the defense held the Saints to just three points through first quarter before giving up a pair of Drew Brees passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This is the same defense that gave up 48 points and set an NFL record for most first downs given up to a team when these two teams faced each other last season in New Orleans.
The Cowboys linebacker group of Rolando McClain, Justin Durant and Bruce Carter were more than impressive against the Saints and helped force two turnovers.
A defense, that many predicted to be the worst defense in the league, has looked vastly improved thanks to defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli.
Without Mark Ingram, the Saints had trouble Sunday night establishing a running game and were forced air it out after digging themselves a 31-3 deficit. It was evident early on that the Saints were focused on stopping the running game by stacking the box with eight or more defenders but it allowed Tony Romo to throw to his receivers in one-on-one coverage.
The Cowboys were able to keep the Saints offense off the field and allowed their defense to remain fresh and make big plays.
This is the first time in the Jason Garrett era that the Cowboys have started 3-1. The Saints, on the other hand, couldn't sustain the momentum from their win over Minnesota and lost to the Cowboys in Texas for the first time since 1991.
The Cowboys will now look to keep their momentum coming when they welcome the Houston Texans (3-1) into town. The Saints will look to bounce back at home against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3).