Saints take a 17-9 halftime lead over Cowboys in preseason finale as Rattler scores

The New Orleans Saints entered the third week of the 2026 preseason with a chance to fine-tune their late-game looks, and they carried momentum through the first half against the Dallas Cowboys. In a preseason finale Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Saints took a 17-9 lead at halftime.

According to the team’s halftime update, New Orleans scored on its first two drives of the half, a sequence that matters in the preseason because it often reflects how well the offense handles adjustments after the opening period and how cleanly the first plays of the second half are executed. With the game still within reach, the Saints used those early scores to create a clear, if not comfortable, buffer.

The Saints’ scoring included a rushing touchdown by Rattler, who ran for a score in the first half. A quarterback run for a touchdown can be a brief but revealing snapshot of how a team’s play-calling, run-game discipline, and quarterback awareness come together, especially in a preseason game where coaches typically search for multiple ways to win the down.

Dallas did not go away, and it was able to keep the deficit to single digits by halftime. The Cowboys closed the gap enough to reach 9 points at the break, setting up a second half where both teams could continue evaluating situational play, third-down patterns, and red-zone execution with the regular season opener still ahead.

For New Orleans, a halftime lead like 17-9 is also a roster-evaluation checkpoint. Preseason finales tend to spotlight players on the edge of the depth chart, and teams look for signs of reliability under time pressure, not just scoring flashes. The Saints’ ability to convert early in the half, then add a touchdown run, gives them something tangible to build around as the preseason winds down.

For Dallas, a two-possession swing at halftime means the Cowboys will likely focus on what allowed the Saints’ first-half surge and whether their own early adjustments can prevent another slow start. In the second half, the emphasis typically shifts to how well backups and fringe starters handle game management, including third-down decision-making and maintaining rhythm when drives tighten up.

What to watch next is whether New Orleans can carry its first-half identity into the second half, especially on the opening drive and in the red-zone. Just as important, the Cowboys will be looking for immediate answers, since preseason games often compress a team’s evaluation window quickly after the halftime break.