Reflections on the Saints pre-season finale

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints travelled to Dallas to combat the Cowboys. The Saints won a gutsy showdown by a score of 27-24. There was a lot of action from rookies. Obviously, the two squads want to give a last chance to the young bucks. With that said, I’m going to unfold five takeaways from the pre-season finale.

Saints back-up QBs shine

After really struggling in Week 2, the Saints back-up QBs play well in Week 3. They were both explosive and consistent. Spencer Rattler started the game and then Zach Wilson replaced him. Rattler went 8 for 10, 79 passing yards, and a rushing touchdown. Rattler isn’t the fastest QB, but he did run fast enough to get to the corner. Zach Wilson rose to the occassion and unleashed 9 for 12, 93 passing yards, and a 96.9 passer rating.

Spencer Rattler takes it in himself

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/q4ZGE8Qtjk

— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2026

Sam Howell

Sam Howell looked like Troy Aikman against the Saints. He picked apart the young Saints secondary. He unveiled two passing touchdowns and 155 passing yards. He finished with a rating of 130.6. He showed that he deserved another opportunity to compete for a QB1 job.

Kendre Miller

Every Saints fan is happy to see Kendre Miller healthy. He had nine carries for 42 yards, including a 13 yard run. He reminds me a lot of Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas, with his ability to break tackles. He has three seasons under his belt. Sadly, there wasn’t a season where he played more than eight games.

Seriously bro, how many RB’s in the NFL look like this? It is an absolute shame he’s been so banged up his entire career. I would do anything for one season of a healthy Kendre pic.twitter.com/PXUYcp11WV

— ⚜︎ (@ShuttheShoughUp) August 29, 2026

Cowboys running game

I wasn’t a big fan of the Cowboys running game. Phil Mafah had 12 carries for 46 yards. Israel had 7 carries for 16 yards. I believe they were missing a spark. I would have liked to see a long run or touchdown run from the Cowboys. They still have Tony Pollard, who is a Top-15 RB, in my opinion.

Daniel Carlson

The Saints made a late off-season addition in Daniel Carlson. Well, it may have paid off. He will be the Saints starting kicker moving forward. He converted a 53 yard field goal attempt. It wasn’t anything the Saints didn’t see from him during camp. He’s 31 years old, so he isn’t overly old.