We didn’t see an interception from Caelen Carson in the opening Cowboys game against the Browns, but maybe we can expect one in the upcoming game against New Orleans. Especially since the Cowboys cornerbacks will need to play man defense to rattle Derek Carr and the Saints.
Cowboys Fourth-Round Pick Looking to Make Some Noise Against the Saints
How the Saints Play Offense
Based on the game against the Panthers, Derek Carr is an accuracy monster. If there’s an open man, he’ll find him. Not only that, but he’ll place the ball perfectly into his hands. This leaves the receivers to just focus on yards after catch.
It’s also not very easy to pressure Carr. His pressures didn’t produce any blazing errors in the game against the Panthers. However, Carr only got sacked once and hit five times. The defense tried but it wasn’t nearly enough to make a difference.
Carr still had his way with them and that’s throwing for only 200 yards of offense.
Cowboys Defense Has Two Main Jobs
First, the Cowboys must put pressure on Carr so that he’ll struggle to find his receiver. In that case, it’s going to be big for rookie Marshawn Kneeland to step up with the pressure against this line.
Both the D-Line and the linebackers will have to work together to turn up the pressure on Carr.
But there will be times where Carr gets the ball off. When that happens, it’ll come down to the Cowboys cornerbacks. To shut down the passing game, they’ll need to stick to those receivers like glue. The Panthers defense played too far back and allowed way too many easy catches. If they turn up the pressure on the QB, while blocking his options downfield, then the game is won.
There’s already substantial evidence that Trevon Diggs is able to maintain heavy coverage and so can Jourdan Lewis, who also had a stellar game against the Browns.
All that leaves is the rookie, Caelen Carson.
Caelen Carson Stepping Up to Dominate
There’s a lot of belief in what Carson is capable of. In a press conference after the Browns game, Mike Zimmer admitted that the day didn’t seem too big for him.
Carson is an impressive player. He had a stellar training camp and has been able to step into the shoes of DaRon Bland better than anticipated. It hasn’t been easy, and there will be a point where the rookie gets beat on a route, but he’s been holding his own well.
In the Browns game, Carson broke up a pass against Amari Cooper, showing that he can keep up with some of the best route runners in the league.
As long as he maintains that kind of high energy, he could have a phenomenal game on Sunday. It isn’t even unrealistic to rule out the possibility of an interception for him.
Cowboys Cornerbacks and Carson Bound to Succeed
If last week was any indication, the Cowboys are ready to play a team like the Saints. They’ve been gearing up for it all preseason and now it’s time to combat against a quarterback who has the precision that Deshaun Watson lacked.
They have all of the tools for success–it’s just about using them at the right time, in the right place, to cash in another victory.
Main Image: Ken Blaze – USA Today Sports
