The Cowboys’ preseason ended with a 27-24 loss to New Orleans on Friday, but the real story was never the final score. This was the kind of game that puts bubble players under a microscope, and several of them made their case while others likely saw their roster hopes fade.
Sam Howell gave Dallas exactly the kind of late push that can stick in a coach’s mind. Down 15 points in the second half at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys rallied to tie it late behind Howell, who outplayed Joe Milton over the course of the game.
Howell finished 12-of-18 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran in the two-point conversion that pulled Dallas even at 24-24 with six minutes left. He was sitting on a perfect passer rating at that point before a 2-for-7 stretch on the final failed drive brought him down to a 130.6 for the night.
Whether that was enough to grab the QB2 job from Milton is still up for debate, but he may have done enough to keep himself in the mix.
Dallas never really found much traction on the ground. The run game averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, with Phil Mafah handling most of the work.
Mafah got 12 carries and averaged 3.8 yards a pop, but he looked sturdier than the numbers suggest behind an offensive line filled with depth hopefuls. Israel Abanikanda and Jashaun Corbin also saw work, though the ground game as a whole never truly got rolling.
The receiving group, on the other hand, had plenty of bright spots. Jordan Hudson had a strong connection with Howell and came away with nearly 100 yards, capped by a toe-tap touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Anthony Smith, Tyler Johnson, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling each caught multiple passes, even if all three are facing long odds to survive the cut to 53 because of the numbers game. Camden Brown, who has already built some preseason momentum, added another acrobatic catch to his resume.
Tight end remains a messy situation. Zack Kuntz still hasn’t looked fully in sync since joining the team earlier this month, and rookie Michael Trigg had a rough night with three drops on three decent targets as he continues working back from a toe injury.
Mitch Van Vooren, who arrived Monday, managed to haul in a touchdown anyway. The way Dallas sorts out that group will be worth watching.
Defensively, the Cowboys were decent on third down, holding New Orleans to three conversions in nine tries. But the Saints found enough other openings to do damage. Christian Parker’s B- and C-teams had trouble getting off the field, surrendering five drives of 40 yards or more, and every one of those series ended with points.
The biggest problem came against the run. New Orleans averaged 5.3 yards per attempt, had five different players break off gains of at least 10 yards, and scored three rushing touchdowns.
For the Cowboys, the preseason finale won’t matter much in the standings column. What matters is who made the most of one last chance. Friday’s loss will fade fast for fans, but it likely changed the lives of a handful of hopefuls and will almost certainly leave nearly 40 players waiting on Monday with an unwelcome end to the dream.
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