Saints close preseason with 27-24 win over Cowboys, sharpening QB2 competition

The New Orleans Saints closed their preseason on a positive note, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 27-24 to end the exhibition portion of their schedule with a 1-2 record. The final margin was narrow, but the storyline was clear for coach and roster planners alike, the Saints found ways to sustain drives and finish enough possessions to overcome a Cowboys response.

According to the game report, the Saints’ offense leaned into run production to create efficiency during key stretches. In preseason settings, that matters beyond the scoreboard because it gives the coaching staff a clearer view of the depth chart’s reliability, particularly how second and third units handle gap control, tempo, and short-yardage situations.

A central subplot was the quarterback battle behind the starter. The report indicated that each backup quarterback made a final push for the QB2 job, a theme that typically comes into focus when the game’s later drives offer more live reps under situational pressure. Preseason quarterback evaluation often turns on ball security, decision speed, and the ability to manage the pocket without needing perfect protection.

Dallas stayed in the game and made the Saints’ finishing task difficult, which is common in final-preseason matchups where both teams are typically using a mix of veterans and fringe starters to evaluate depth. The 27-24 score also underscores how small execution details, such as third-down conversions or red-zone plays, can swing results even when playcalling is designed to test personnel rather than resemble regular-season game scripts.

The Saints received at least one visible spark early, with a touchdown celebration shown in the game’s photo caption for Barion Brown scoring during the first quarter. While preseason scoring summaries do not automatically translate into roster locks, standout production from depth players can influence how coaches allocate snaps and how they think about roles entering the regular season.

What to watch next is whether the preseason performance gaps become clearer at quarterback and along the run game depth chart. With a preseason record that ended at 1-2, New Orleans is not grading itself on wins alone, but the coaching staff will likely treat a closing victory as evidence that certain combinations can operate efficiently against Dallas’s mix of starters and reserves.

For Dallas, the late preseason loss continues a familiar pattern of the exhibition schedule, where the immediate result is less important than the evaluation process. Still, the 27-24 outcome indicates the Cowboys were not easily removed from the game, which can be read as a positive for their own depth evaluation even as they now shift attention fully to the regular-season roster decisions.