Saints vs. Cowboys highlights: New Orleans rallies in preseason win

Saints vs. Cowboys highlights: New Orleans rallies in preseason win.

Key points

• Aubrey was 11-of-17 on field goal tries from 50-plus yards last year, and he's 35-of-44 in his career, but he pushed this 57-yarder wide right of the goalposts.
• For fans in the Dallas, San Antonio, and Oklahoma regions, tune into KTVT (CBS/11) with Bill Jones and Isaiah Stanback.
• It'll be Rattler, not Zach Wilson, starting in place of Tyler Shough on Friday night per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill.
• The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver obtained one over on the New Orleans defense with his 52-yard reception from backup quarterback Sam Howell.
• Isaac Yiadom saves the day with a fourth-down PBU: Saints 27, Cowboys 24.

And that's a wrap. The New Orleans Saints won their final 2026 preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, closing out what's become a grudge match after a series of fights almost derailed their joint practice session two weeks ago. While neither team played their starters, there was plenty on the line in this exhibition matchup. Unproven rookies and veteran pros both wanted to show they belong, and that they deserve a spot on the 53-man roster to be decided at Sunday's NFL deadline (5 p.m. CT).

We've obtained all of the highlights and must-see moments from throughout the game. Here's how it happened.

Take a bow, Isaac Yiadom. The veteran cornerback has gotten long in the tooth but came through in a clutch moment on fourth-and-10, breaking up Sam Howell's pass to create a turnover on down. The Saints won't be winless in the preseason after all. Daniel Carlson gives New Orleans last-minute lead: Saints 27, Cowboys 24.

In practice, the Saints may have discovered someone who can produce his kicks. Instead of going for it on 4th-and-short from the Dallas 36-yard line, New Orleans opted to test Daniel Carlson on a 53-yard field goal — and he delivered, giving them a narrow lead inside the two-minute warning. The kick had plenty of room even with an unusually low launch angle. Zach Wilson saves a broken play with shovel pass.

Rookie running back CJ Donaldson missed a blitzing linebacker. This person wrapped up Zach Wilson in the backfield and almost brought the quarterback to the ground — only for Wilson to flip a pass to Donaldson himself, who turned upfield and gained 12 yards. It was a heady play to avoid what would have been a major loss deep in New Orleans territory. Cowboys score another TD, go for two: Saints 24, Cowboys 24.

Sam Howell created a great throw to his tight end Mitch Van Vooren. This person was wide open in the end zone and caught it in stride. Then Howell tied it up by scrambling for two points on the ensuing conversion attempt. Dallas may have a deeper offense than New Orleans has an offense. Can the Saints rally back in the final six minutes? Cowboys complete 52-yard pass, then score TD: Saints 24, Cowboys 16.

Take a bow, Jordan Hudson. The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver obtained one over on the New Orleans defense with his 52-yard reception from backup quarterback Sam Howell. Then he did it again on a 26-yard touchdown pass, again targeting Hudson. And it was the same matchup both times with veteran cornerback David Long Jr. Unable to match Hudson's speed. Hudson is six years younger than Long and exploring a return to college football, but major plays like this may convince the Cowboys to hold onto him.

Zamir White scores in his first game with Saints: Saints 24, Cowboys 9.

White was a member of the San Francisco 49ers this time last week, but then he was traded to New Orleans in exchange for veteran linebacker Deion Jones. He introduced himself to his new team by returning a kick for 27 yards and then scoring on their first possession of the second half. White created it look straightforward while weaving through the Dallas defense from 11 yards out. He's making the most of his limited opportunities. Isaiah Stalbird ends Cowboys' second-half drive with a sack.

Stalbird figures to close this game out at linebacker after Jaylan Ford left with an injury and Danny Stutsman was pulled in the second quarter, but that's just fine by him. He concluded the Cowboys' opening drive of the second half with a sack by looping around a bunch of occupied blockers. He had two sacks last season and will have a role on Sundays this fall. Brandon Aubrey responds with 58-yard FG: Saints 17, Cowboys 9.

Sheesh. Aubrey took that earlier miss from 57 yards to heart and rebounded with a kick from 58 yards. It soared right down the middle. He's earned a reputation as one of the NFL's most reliable kickers and this is a good example of why, even if it only cut into a major Saints deficit before halftime.

Audric Estime helps obtain the Saints out of a sizeable hole: Saints 17, Cowboys 6.

Swing tackle Asim Richards was beaten off the snap by Cowboys outside linebacker Tyrus Wheat. This person sacked Spencer Rattler for a loss of 8 yards. Tight end Treyton Welch hurdled a Dallas defender on 3rd-and-12 to gain 11 yards, and rookie running back CJ Donaldson picked up a first down on the after play. Then Estime took over, bounced a run outside, and gained 33 yards to obtain the offense down to the Cowboys' 8-yard line. Rattler followed his blocker (Welch) and called his own number for a touchdown run, extending the Saints' lead.

Brandon Aubrey finally misses a Dallas field goal: Saints 10, Cowboys 6.

Aubrey was 11-of-17 on field goal tries from 50-plus yards last year, and he's 35-of-44 in his career, but he pushed this 57-yarder wide right of the goalposts. That's going to set up the New Orleans offense at their own 39-yard line with regarding five minutes left in the second quarter. Cowboys kick another long field goal: Saints 10, Cowboys 6.

Brandon Aubrey is almost automatic from midfield. The Cowboys kicker was set up with 4th-and-17 from 51 yards out, but he sent his kick right down the middle of the uprights to keep this one close. Unfortunately, veteran linebacker Jaylan Ford returned to his feet gradually after getting a stop and was escorted into the blue medical tent on the sideline for an evaluation. Stay tuned for clarity on his status. Update: Ford exited to the locker room, favoring his lower leg. Saints rookie Barion Brown scores first TD: Saints 10, Cowboys 3.

This was nice. After good blocks by his fellow receivers Bryce Lance and Kevin Austin Jr. At the second level, brown took a handoff on a sweep around the right side and knifed through the Dallas defense. The rookie from LSU (and Kentucky) has real speed, and the Saints are learning how to employ it. He's obtained two carries for 19 yards and a score, but he additionally forced a Cowboys coverage penalty by torching his opponent off the line.

Cowboys tie it up after Saints defense gets a stop: Saints 3, Cowboys 3.

Notably, a terrible personal foul on linebacker Danny Stutsman (he finished a tackle against an upright ball carrier, come on) extended the Cowboys' first drive, and the Saints tightened up after getting pushed back into their own territory. The run defense held up on 2nd-and-2, and a Dallas penalty sent them backwards on third down. Veteran safety Terrell Burgess broke on the pass perfectly for a deflection to obtain his defense off the field. Brandon Aubrey hit a too-casual 49-yard field goal.

Saints offense hurt by penalties, but obtain points: Saints 3, Cowboys 0.

Meanwhile, the Saints' opening drive began well, with rookie wide receiver Barion Brown taking a sweep around the edge for a 12-yard gain and Kendre Miller catching a pass in the backfield for 15 yards. Then they ran into trouble with an illegal formation penalty on 3rd-and-1 followed by an incomplete pass (and a holding penalty. It was declined) on 3rd-and-5. At least Daniel Carlson hit the 38-yard field goal that followed. No team has missed more kicks inside 40 yards over the last year than the Saints. Saints win the opening coin toss, will start with the ball.

New Orleans won the coin toss to commence the game, opting to re receive the opening kickoff. Spencer Rattler is leading the offense onto the field in his bid to lock up the QB2 job. Brandon Staley's defense will look to obtain off the field swiftly and hand the ball to Spencer Rattler and the Saints offense. This week's captains all have ties to Texas: Fadil Diggs (played college football at Texas A&M), Jalen Moreno-Cropper (began his pro career with the Cowboys), Tyree Wilson (grew up in New London, played at Texas A&M and Texas Tech), Kendre Miller (from Mount Enterprise and TCU, Myles Cole (Texas Tech), and Elliott Davison (born in Tyler, went to UTSA).

Tyler Shough fires up the Saints' pregame huddle.

Another week, another passionate pregame speech from Shough to his Saints teammates. The team valued Shough for his maturity as an older prospect in last year's NFL draft, and examples of leadership like this goes to show why they felt he could be their guy. He's keeping a tradition alive that Demario Davis picked up from Drew Brees. Christen Miller spotted wearing Guardian cap with Saints decal.

This is new. Miller has applied a Guardian cap all summer, including the first preseason game, but he previously covered it with a pullover matching the Saints' gold helmets and logo. This variant is the cap itself painted to match and sporting the team logo as a stick-on decal. It isn't almost as bulky but still provides the extra protection he's looking for. Chris Olave (who has a history of concussions) additionally practiced in a Guardian cap at training camp but he hasn't gone into a game yet, so stay tuned.

Saints starters won't play, but treating this game is a dress rehearsal.

Tyler Shough, Travis Etienne Jr., and the rest of the Saints' starters watched previous preseason games in sweatpants, but that won't be the case on Friday night — even if they still aren't playing. They were all dressed out in helmets and shoulder pads while warming up with their teammates in pregame drills. For all intents and purposes, this is their dress rehearsal before the regular season begins in just two weeks. Spencer Rattler will be starting for the Saints at QB.

It'll be Rattler, not Zach Wilson, starting in place of Tyler Shough on Friday night per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill. That isn't surprising. Wilson kept the QB2 competition close until he obtained the nod in the second preseason game — an outing that couldn't have gone much worse for him. After completing his first four passes, Wilson was intercepted on his fifth try and struggled to shake it off when he obtained back on the field. Rattler hasn't played well enough to draw serious trade interest from teams that need a starter of their own, but he's clearly a better option to back up Shough.

What time does Saints at Cowboys start? What TV channel is Saints at Cowboys on today?

Streaming: Streaming options for the game include FuboTV (free trial), ESPN Unlimited, and NFL+.

WVUE (FOX 8 in New Orleans) will have the local broadcast, with Joel Meyers and John Stinchcomb in the booth. The after Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network affiliate stations will be carrying it regionally, per 506 Sports.

For fans in the Dallas, San Antonio, and Oklahoma regions, tune into KTVT (CBS/11) with Bill Jones and Isaiah Stanback. These affiliate stations will additionally have the game. Saints preseason schedule 2026. SMS Facebook Twitter Email.

Taken together, the developments around saints vs. Cowboys highlights: New Orleans rallies in preseason win point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.