How far can this Saints team go without Drew Brees?
Last week, the New Orleans Saints pulled off a convincing win against Seattle, but against the Dallas Cowboys, they will have their biggest challenge yet.
Teddy Bridgewater has performed admirably so far subbing for Brees and may spend as long as six weeks starting in New Orleans. The Saints’ strategy seems to be avoiding asking too much of Bridgewater while winning with star running back Alvin Kamara.
Kamara had over 150 total yards and two touchdowns last week. So far so good.
The other units on the Saints have also stepped up in Brees’ absence. Excellent special teams play and a strong pass rush helped boost New Orleans over Seattle last week. Thomas Morstead may be the best punter in the NFL, which makes a difference at a time when this team needs all the help they can get.
Though things have gone well for the Saints so far, it’s hard to imagine a game managing strategy paying off against this Cowboys team. Even if Drew Brees were healthy, this would be a difficult game for New Orleans. Without him, it is hard to imagine them coming out on top.
Dallas has started the season by crushing weak opponents. Every week, the Cowboys have topped 30 points. Prescott is averaging over 300 yards a game. Elliot has topped 100 yards rushing in two of first three weeks.
On defense, the Boys have been good enough. Jaylon Smith led a decent defensive unit with 10 tackles and a forced fumble against Miami. Nonetheless, Dallas should have been able to get to Josh Rosen more often. If the pass rush stays soft, it could be a liability.
Teddy Bridgewater, however, is not a world-beater. If the defense turns in another okay performance Sunday night, it should be enough to allow Dak and company to build a comfortable lead.
| HOW TO WATCH COWBOYS VS. SAINTS WITHOUT CABLE | |
| SLING TV | TRY NOW |
| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
| FUBOTV | TRY NOW |
Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints
- When: Sunday, Sept. 22 at 8:20pm ET (coverage begins at 7pm ET)
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Streaming: Sunday Night Football airs exclusively on NBC and is available on any platform that carries the network. Fans have a number of options for streaming the week’s marquee game.
Cowboys vs. Saints live stream: How to watch Sunday Night Football online
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Both Sling Blue ($25 per month) or Sling Orange + Blue ($40 per month) include NFL Network and a number of sports channels—like three ESPN channels and NBCSN—and it’s still a nice perk that Sling subscribers can order a la carte packages. Sling TV also offers a special Latino package for bilingual viewers. Sling TV is currently offering a deal where you can subscribe for 40% off the regular price for the first month of your subscription. That means Sling Blue would cost $15, and Sling Orange + Blue would cost $25. (Here’s a complete guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.)
Unfortunately, due to a contract dispute, as of Sept. 26 Sling no longer carries Fox, FS1, and FS2. But there is a workaround.
For $10 extra per month, you can get NFL RedZone via the Sling Blue Sports Extra package.
How to use AirTV with Sling
AirTV solves one of the Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.”
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels. While select NFL and college football games (on Fox, FS1, and FS2) are no longer on Sling, you can still catch Fox games with AirTV.
2) FuboTV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- FuboTV local channels: Fox, NBC, CBS (check local availability here)
If you’re a big-time sports fan, FuboTV is your best streaming service option. If you love international soccer and you’re a Spanish speaker, FuboTV also offers various add-on packages, including Fubo Latino and Fubo Português. FuboTV’s basic plan showcases nearly 100 channels and includes NFL Network. At $54.99 per month, you’ll also get FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBA TV, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network, BeIn Sports, and CBS Sports Network, along with premium channels like FX/FXX/FXM. The only notable omission for sports fans is ESPN. You can add Fubo’s Sports Plus package for an additional $8.99 per month, which allows you to stream NFL RedZone, (Here’s the complete FuboTV channels list.)
3) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
If you’d like to watch live NFL games directly from your PS4, PlayStation Vue is your best bet. PlayStation also works with streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire products, but what separates PlayStation from the rest of the streaming services is that it’s also compatible with Kodi. No matter how you stream, you’ll get to choose from four tiers of channels—all but the cheapest include NFL Network. From there, you can also add NFL RedZone as part of the $10-per-month Sports Pack, which also unlocks ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Classic, Longhorn Network, Outside TV, and NBCUniversal regional sports networks. You can see the full list of PlayStation Vue channels here. Two other great perks: You can stream on up to five devices at once, and there’s also unlimited cloud DVR.
4) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
5) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for college football fans, including ESPN and FS1. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
6) NBC Sports app
Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox, iOS and Android devices
If you have cable, or one of the aforementioned live TV streaming services, you can download the NBC Sports app and watch Sunday Night Football there in HD. If you’re using a web browser, you may need to install the latest version of Adobe Flash and your browser will need to be current enough to support HTML5 Media Source Extensions. You’ll also need a minimum internet connection of 10-plus Mbps. (Here are some tips for faster WiFi.)
Fantasy Football: Who should I start?
Cowboys
Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver: Cooper is the number four wide receiver in the entire league through three games. While Dallas has played soft competition, Cooper should be an every-week option in any league.
Saints
Alvin Kamara, Running Back: Obviously, you are starting Kamara. But we list him here, because with Bridgewater under center, it is hard to tell who else will be reliable from week to week. Michael Thomas was quiet last week, and while it is often the case that back-up quarterbacks rely on tight ends, Jared Cook hasn’t been a great option so far.
Cowboys vs. Saints: Why it matters
The Saints have to stay afloat until Drew Brees recovers from surgery. The win last week against the Seahawks was impressive, but a victory in Week 4 is going to be tough to pull off. New Orleans has a softer schedule going forward, but games against the Falcons and Jaguars look harder than they once did with Bridgewater at the helm.
If you are New Orleans, you want to see Brees come back to a team that is at least at .500.
As the NFC East looks softer and softer, this isn’t exactly a must-win for the Cowboys. However, when your sights are set on a playoff bye week, every game matters. If Dallas wants to maintain dominance in the NFC, they need to stack wins and leave teams like the Rams and the Packers in the dust.
Expect the Cowboys to beat the Saints, but if the Dallas defense looks a little softer than usual, this game could be competitive. If this one comes down to the wire, we might see that the soft early schedule created a false sense of security in Dallas.
READ MORE:
- How to watch NFL RedZone without cable
- How to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without a DirecTV satellite
- How to watch NFL Network online (without cable)
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