Tonight, the New Orleans Saints host the Dallas Cowboys on a national stage. With the Cowboys coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Raiders on Thanksgiving, they’ll be looking to get back on the right track with a win in New Orleans. The Saints are also coming off of a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. With a QB shift coming for the Saints, can Taysom Hill lead his team to a much-needed victory over Dallas?

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If the Saints win:

I probably sound like a broken record here as I’ve said what I’m about to say for the past 3 weeks now, but the Saints need to win here. If they still have playoff aspirations to at least make it into the wild card round, the road to that goal starts tonight.

A win here would put the Saints at 6-6. With an easier schedule ahead (Jets, Dolphins, Panthers), the Saints could quite possibly hit a stride and coast into the post season with a 10-7 record or possibly even 11-6 if they manage to beat Tampa Bay again. Maybe that’s too much to ask for given the offense that’s been on display as of late, but anything is possible.

A win over the Dallas Cowboys would no doubt fire up this team who is in desperate need of a spark. This team has felt lifeless as of late. With RB’s Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram set to return to the lineup Thursday night with the addition of Taysom Hill at QB, it’s quite possible that this can be the spark that this offense needs.

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If the Saints lose:

If the Saints lose this game, which is quite possible, it might be time to start cancelling post season plans. They would move to 5-7 which might put a bow on the season at this current stage of the season. The only saving grace here for this team is that many other teams share a similar record, which allows a very small window of wiggle room for the Saints.

Dallas has the firepower to dominate the Saints. WR’s CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper (granted he’s cleared from COVID-19 protocol) can cause problem in the secondary with Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams. If the Saints let Dallas leave New Orleans with a victory, it’s quite possible that the losing mindset will never leave the mind of this team. The past few weeks have seen fans putting a lot of the blame on Trevor Siemian for a few of these losses. With Hill taking the start tomorrow, the blame will now shift from Siemian to not only Hill, but the lack of weaponry at this team’s disposal. Losing here would be catastrophic for a team trying to go on a run late in the season, despite all odds.

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Whenever New Orleans and Dallas get together, it’s sure to be a fun time. Both teams are usually fired up for what ends up being a highly contested defensive battle on both sides of the ball. With Demario Davis leading the charge for the Saints and rookie Micah Parsons on the Cowboys side of the pendulum, this will be a defensive showdown worthy of a primetime slot on television.

Prediction: Saints win a close one and upset Dallas 20-17

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