Cowboys vs. Saints 2015, ‘Sunday Night Football’ preview: New Orleans tries to save season vs. ailing Dallas

Drew Brees insists he’ll play in a Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys, but until he’s listed as active, it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll legitimately be ready to go. The New Orleans Saints quarterback previously admitted that he’s an extremely optimistic person who was convinced his shoulder injury would magically heal in time for a Week 3 showing, but instead the team had to turn to Luke McCown.

The game will air on NBC across the country, with online streaming available at NBC Sports Live Extra.

While McCown was adept at keeping the Saints’ offense efficient and mostly mistake-free, there’s no doubt which quarterback makes the Saints a bigger threat. Brees even appeared on ABC’s Ellen on Thursday and told Ellen DeGeneres that the injury was nothing to keep him off the field on Sunday.

Still, Brees is listed as questionable against the Cowboys, which leaves plenty of questions for what to expect from New Orleans against a team that is also missing its star quarterback.

With Tony Romo sidelined with a broken clavicle for at least half of the season, the Cowboys are pinning their hopes on former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Brandon Weeden. In his first start with the Cowboys, Weeden threw only four incomplete passes on 26 attempts against the Atlanta Falcons and led Dallas to a 28-14 lead before momentum ran out in the second half.

After running room ran out for Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden, the Cowboys offense wasn’t able to move the ball with Weeden and was shut out for the remainder of the game while the Falcons scored 25 unanswered points to cruise to a 39-28 win.

Similarly, McCown’s Saints scored the first 10 points of the game against the Carolina Panthers, but couldn’t keep up despite only seven incompletions on 38 attempts from the team’s quarterback.

Whether it’s Brees or McCown for the Saints, the team’s biggest issues are still on the defensive side of the ball. After finishing 2014 with the No. 31 defense in the NFL, the Saints haven’t improved much in the statistics and enter Week 4 with the NFL’s No. 29 defense.

What’s concerning is that New Orleans’ offense has taken a step back from being No. 1 in 2014 and now ranks No. 12, and that’s not just because Brees missed one week. No. 12 isn’t a bad offense, but an average one isn’t enough to overcome a defense that has allowed at least 26 points to each of its first three opponents.

So the top priority for the Saints will be stopping a Cowboys offense that wasn’t entirely inept with Weeden leading the way. The replacement quarterback in Dallas kept things mostly mistake-free and helped the offense to 347 total yards, while it was truly the Cowboys defense allowing 438 yards that was the bigger issue.

Still, even with the bad defensive showing, the Cowboys enter Week 4 with top-10 rankings on offense and defense. With Romo out, the Cowboys are keeping things more balanced than ever and leaning heavily on the team’s running backs to keep the offense moving, so finding room for Randle and McFadden will be key against a Saints defense that has had its fair share of struggles.

Lance Dunbar -- The fourth-year running back had only one carry in Week 3, but led the Cowboys in receiving yards after Weeden dumped it down to him 10 times for 100 yards. With the Dallas offense being careful not to put too much pressure on Weeden’s shoulders, Dunbar has been the quarterback’s check-down and screen pass recipient of choice, so keeping him in check will be a key for the Saints.

Bobby Richardson -- Starting defensive end Akiem Hicks was surprisingly traded to the New England Patriots on Wednesday, forcing the Saints to rely on an undrafted rookie to step into his place. Richardson and Tavaris Barnes will likely both get increased snaps in Hicks’ absence, but Richardson is the guy that will likely take the majority of reps against the Cowboys.

When: 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.

Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya

TV: NBC

Online: NBC Sports Live Extra

SB Nation’s expert panel is perfectly split with three picking the Saints to win, in addition to the OddsShark computer, while four experts are going with the Cowboys. Over at CBS Sports, things are also split, although five of the eight experts are taking the Cowboys, while the only three are going with the Saints.

With so little certainty about Drew Brees’ status for Sunday night, oddsmakers have kept the Sunday Night Football matchup off the books. The Saints opened as 7-point favorites with an over/under set at 46, but those lines have since been pulled, according to OddsShark.

For everything Cowboys, be sure to check out Blogging The Boys. To get caught up on the Saints, head over to Canal Street Chronicles.