3 things to watch in Saints-Cowboys: Pressure, pressure and … more pressure

The New Orleans Saints head out to Arlington as significant favorites in their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, but should they feel like underdogs?

History is on the Saints' side in pointing toward a low-scoring, hard-hitting game, and that's likely what the Saints will want if they expect to head back to Louisiana with a win.

THE GAME | Saints (1-0) at Cowboys (1-0)
- When : noon, Sunday, Sept. 15
- Where : AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Last week : Saints beat Panthers 47-10; Cowboys beat Browns 33-17
- Series history : Cowboys lead 18-13
- Last meeting : 2021, Cowboys 27, Saints 17
- TV : FOX
- Listen : WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame : Fans First Take with Steve Geller & Charlie Long, 8-10 a.m.; Countdown to kickoff with Steve Geller & Bobby Hebert, 10 a.m.-noon

With all that in mind, here are the three things I'm watching most closely in this one.

KUB vs ZIM

This one is fairly obvious, but who get the better of the former HC-OC combo? Is it the former boss or the former assistant?

Both guys will have something of a leg up in understanding what the other team is going to try to do in this matchup. That said -- and I'll make sure to keep this energy when the Saints face the Broncos later in the year -- I think familiarity will help the offense a bit more than the defense.

It's not complicated as to why, because there's simply a lot less deception that comes with a defensive scheme than what you have on offense. There's a reason these offensive playbooks are as thick as they are. You're not breaking everythinsg out every week, and Klint will know the things Zimmer won't know. It's also been a few years of learning for Klint since that Vikings tenure, and a good bit will have changed with influences from years with the Broncos and 49ers.

Zimmer will certainly have some new wrinkles, too, and he's got a pressure package and four-man rush that might be the best in the NFL, but on the defensive side there's only so much you can change. You can disguise blitzes and coverage, but at the end of the day you are what you are from a scheme perspective. If the Cowboys want to try to get out of their strengths to try to confuse the Saints' approach, let them.

None of this means the Saints will be at an advantage. With an OL group dealing with injuries, Kubiak's ability to scheme and sequence play-calling, particularly in the run game, will be paramount to giving themselves a chance. I expect to see Landon Young as the starting LT, and that'll likely mean a good bit of help targeted that way in the form of chipping backs and tight ends. That'll help, but it'll also mean a lot of pressure on Trevor Penning to hold up across from him. If the Saints find themselves in a position where they have to rely on the dropback passing game to win the game, they'll be in trouble.

This is a Cowboys defense that logged 6 sacks and an astounding 17 QB hits last week against Deshaun Watson. Kubiak might be facing his toughest test all year to keep a defense from teeing off on Derek Carr. He aced things in Week 1. If he can do it again on the road against an NFC power, I think the national discourse around this team will turn on a dime.

DEREK vs DAK

Saying quarterback vs quarterback always feels a bit like it misses the mark for obvious reasons, one being that they're never on the field at the same time.

Still, it's not hard to make the argument that this game will likely be one by whichever starting QB handles an impressive and highly productive defensive front and coverage. We mentioned all the QB hits in the paragraph above, and Carr needs to make sure he's not getting teed off on like Deshaun Watson last week. That'll mean getting the ball out fast and allowing the athletes to go to work.

When Carr has gotten into trouble in a Saints uniform it's been a lot of him holding on to the ball a tick too long and just, generally, seeming like he lacked full confidence in his reads. He improved in that area tremendously late last season and that resulted in some of the most efficient QB player we've seen from any Saints QB in a long while. He carried that over to Week 1 against the Panthers, but the Cowboys are a different animal and they have defensive backs as adept as any in the NFL at jumping routes and taking the ball away. I wouldn't say they're the best cover corners in the league, but Tre'Von Diggs hasn't pulled down 19 career interceptions by accident, he's done it through a combination of effective gambling and errant throws caused by a havoc-inducing pass rush. Those are the throws Carr needs to avoid.

The good news is that Carr has had success at AT&T Stadium before, with his last trip coming in 2021 with the Raiders. Despite three sacks from Micah Parsons, he handed the Cowboys a 33-30 loss in overtime, throwing for 373 yards and a touchdown. That game also included a 3-yard Marcus Mariota TD run on a play that had him looking suspiciously like Taysom Hill.

On the other end of the equation is Dak Prescott, who hasn't exactly dominated in his three opportunities to face Dennis Allen's defense, despite a 2-1 record. The first game was a 13-10 Cowboys win in 2018 to end the Saints' long winning streak. The next game was in 2019 and ended in a 12-10 defeat with Teddy Bridgewater starting on the opposite side. In 2021 Dallas again got to attack a backup QB in Taysom Hill and won 27-17. In the most recent pair of matchups he's completed just 65.7 of his passes (48-73) with one touchdown against a pair of interceptions. I see this year's Saints pass rush as the best they've had.

I think Dak is an excellent quarterback, but he has been prone to some terrible giveaways when pressured. If the Saints can force a few timely turnovers it'd go a long way.

SPECIAL SPECIALISTS

I promise I won't devote an entire one of these segments to the kickers and punters every week, but I genuinely see that as a huge element in this matchup.

There's perhaps no kicker better than Brandon Aubrey in today's NFL, no disrespect to Justin Tucker, who might be the best to ever do it (and is still very, very good), but it feels like a matter of when, not if, that we see that record 66-yarder fall, and Aubrey seems to be the best bet to do it. Last year Aubrey went 10-10 on kicks outside of 50 yards, and he's started off this season 2-2. He's got plenty of leg to make it from beyond 60, and those kicks are basically stealing points on drives that bogged down near midfield.

The Saints' kicker is no slouch either, with Blake Grupe knocking through a pair of 50-yarders as well in Week 1, including a career-long from 57. I've seen Grupe make a 61-yarder outdoors in camp. I don't think he's got the top-end distance of Aubrey, but he does have all the leg you need for the kicks you'll actually try in a game outside of an end-of-game scenario. That's one half of the equation.

The other half is the punters, where at this point I see the Saints at a significant disadvantage (I'll gladly be wrong). Matt Hayball beat out Lou Hedley in camp, but he wasn't really needed in his NFL debut. He didn't get a kick into the air until the 4th quarter with the game well in hand and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that going into that situation cold wasn't helpful. Still, he shanked a kick about 35 yards and it wasn't pretty. On his second attempt he kicked from the 48 and angled the ball out of bounds on the right sideline with the refs (generously in my opinion) marking it at the 13.

I'm being hard on a young kicker, but it's because I simply don't know any better right now. In a game like this, where you probably need to win the field position battle and could have difficulty sustaining long drives with the Cowboys pass rush wreaking havoc. Let's see what you got, kid. No pressure.

LAGNIAPPE

The Saints couldn't seem to get Chris Olave going in the opener, but that doesn't feel like something we'll see many weeks. I expect the Cowboys will be a bit more aggressive in their coverages and Olave should get some more 1-on-1 opportunities. The question is how long Carr will have to get the ball to his playmakers. Olave is elite and creating separation early in routes, so hopefully the Saints can find him for some catch-and-run opportunities. ... If the Saints can run to set up the play action, it sure would be helpful to hit some shot plays. Looking at you, Rashid Shaheed . The Saints speedster was dealing with a finger injury this week and was limited on Friday but I don't expect it to cause problems. ... The Saints aren't elevating any offensive linemen or outside cornerbacks for this game, which feels like a positive sign that some of the injured players might be able to get on the field, at least as an emergency option. We'll have to wait and see, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we see Landon Young at left tackle to start the day. If so, look out for the pressure. ... Chase Young was a menace in Week 1, though it didn't result in a lot of meaningful statistics. That will change quickly if he continues to be disruptive like he was against Carolina. If the Saints can stop the run -- which they should be able to against what I would describe as less-than-imposing RB options for Dallas -- this could be a gamewrecking situation for him. ... I'm somewhat concerned about Bryan Bresee coming down with an illness late in the week. I expect him to play, but will he be 100%? If not, that could seriously diminish the Saints' punch on the interior. ... I expect the Saints to play sides even if Marshon Lattimore is on the field, which means Paulson Adebo will have to hold up if they go after him. If Marshon isn't out there, expect the Cowboys to try to isolate rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry against their star receiver. You won't shut Ceedee down, but you do need to limit the damage. ... Tyrann Mathieu told me one of his main focuses this year was getting more punchouts. That happened in Week 1. Can he go 2-for-2?