The New Orleans Saints capped off their win over the Dallas Cowboys in dramatic fashion, with a bold call to blitz Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during a Hail Marry pass attempt resulting in an interception for Saints safety Marcus Williams. It was Williams’ second interception of the year in the stat books (really his third; another pick was wiped out by a defensive offsides penalty against the Seattle Seahawks), which leads the team through its first four games.
What’s interesting is the blitz design that Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen came up with. He lined up rookie C.J. Gardner-Johnson as a slot cornerback, who bailed out of his coverage assignment at the snap to pressure Prescott into his dropback. The Cowboys quarterback was sent off of his rhythm and ended up throwing off of an unstable base without setting his feet. Gardner-Johnson laid a nice hit into Prescott as they each fell to the turf, which earned him an “atta-boy” from Saints quarterback Drew Brees after the final whistle.
This play defines the kind of team effort this year’s Saints squad is putting together with Brees on the sideline. They’re firing on all cylinders with bracket coverage on top Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper, disciplined pass-rush calls up front, and cooperation in the secondary to put Williams in position to secure the catch with teammates backing him up in case of a deflection.
