Hatin' the Saints: 3 ways this non-division rival can get under Cowboys' skin on Sunday

The second week of the NFL season has arrived, and the 1-0 Dallas Cowboys are preparing to host the 1-0 New Orleans Saints. It's the first home game for the Cowboys, which is something to like, but the matchup has three things to hate about playing the Saints in Week 2.

Both teams had blowout wins to open the year and are looking to boost their possible playoff resume by starting out 2-0. The Cowboys won the last matchup, but the two teams have split the last six games, and the Saints are hoping to repeat an opening-week performance where they held their opponents under 200 yards of offense while scoring 47 points. That will be tougher to do against a Cowboys team with a quarterback the caliber of Dak Prescott, and their own strong defense.

This isn't likely to be an easy game for either team and there are reasons for the Cowboys to worry about their home opener. Here are three things to hate about playing the Saints in Week 2.

Alvin Kamara

The offense for the Saints doesn't have many quality players, but they do have one of the NFL's more versatile running backs in Alvin Kamara. After what some people felt was a down season for the veteran RB last year, Kamara got off to a good start in the first week, carrying the ball 15 times for 83 yards a score. He also caught all five of his targets.

Klint Kubiak is the new offensive coordinator for the Saints, and he's prioritizing getting Kamara involved .

Kamara's a dual threat out of the backfield and is routinely one of the RBs with the highest number of receptions in any given season. Despite never rushing for 1,000 yards, Kamara has come close to hitting that mark while also having five seasons of at least 75 receptions.

The Cowboys' defense will hate trying to slow down Kamara.

Taysom Hill

There are few players who are more versatile, or tougher to prepare for, than the Saints' swiss army knife. Even when the defense finds where Hill lines up, the QB turned running back and tight end is tough to stop. Hill is like a freight train with the ball in his hands, making him difficult to tackle.

Since 2018, Hill has thrown for 11 touchdowns, ran for 27 scores, and hauled in 11 passes that ended with him in the end zone. There's no one like him in the league and no one uses their skill players like the Saints use Hill.

It's a big issue for Mike Zimmer's defense. The Cowboys did a good job of limiting Hill a few years ago when the teams clashed but he was the starting QB in that contest. If Dallas wants to leave Week 2 victorious again, they'll need to stop Hill from playing a big role in this game.

Good defense

Although they might not be the first team to come to mind, the Saints have one of the better defensive units in the league. They've been consistently good for a long time and have elite players at all three levels.

Defensive end Cameron Jordan is slowing down, but he has 117.5 career sacks, is a three-time All-Pro, and counts eight Pro Bowl appearances, the last of which came in 2022, among his accolades. He might not be a star anymore, but the veteran will be a handful for rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton.

At linebacker, Demario Davis is one of the best in the game. Since joining the Saints, Davis has six straight 100+ tackle seasons, and 26 of his 43.5 career sacks. The veteran LB has been an All-Pro in five straight years , so he'll be around the ball against the Cowboys in Week 2.

The Saints have one of the league's best cornerbacks as well in Marshon Lattimore. In 2017, Lattimore won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, has been named to four Pro Bowls and has 15 career interceptions. However, the veteran CB has a hamstring injury that makes him questionable to play against the Cowboys.

Reports indicate that Lattimore is expected to play , but hamstrings can be tricky so expect the Cowboys to test the corner if he does dress. If Lattimore shows no ill effects of the injury, Prescott should look to throw elsewhere.

The Saints also have a solid safety in Tyrann Mathieu to give them a good group in the secondary.

This won't be an easy week for the Cowboys' offense. The Saints have a good defense that boasts talent at every level, and they could slow down a Dallas offense that didn't look good in the second half against the Cleveland Browns. New Orleans allowed under 200 yards passing and less than 60 yards of rushing in Week 1, so they can make things tough for Prescott and the offense.