Cowboys stifle Brees, Saints

Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas

Ezekiel Elliott scored the only Dallas touchdown and the Cowboys stifled Drew Brees and the Saints, ending New Orleans’ 10-game winning streak with a 13-10 victory Thursday night.

The Cowboys (7-5) won their fourth consecutive game and assured they will at least remain tied for the NFC East lead.

The Saints (10-2) were shut out in the first half had a season low in points while missing on a chance to perfectly match Dallas from two years ago, when then-rookie sensations Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott won 11 straight after dropping the opener.

Brees had his fewest yards passing in a half since joining the Saints in 2006 with 39, and couldn’t get a potential winning drive going in the final minutes.

Instead, Jourdan Lewis’ interception — just the third of the season for Brees — gave the Cowboys a chance to run out the clock from the New Orleans 1 after an interference penalty in the end zone.

The Cowboys tried to play keepaway from the NFL’s highest-scoring offense late in the fourth quarter, with Prescott desperately scrambling 11 yards for a first down on third-and-10 and Cole Beasley catching a third-down pass and diving for 5 yards on third-and-5.

But Prescott fumbled on a sack with Dallas in position for a field goal, giving Brees another chance from his 15 with more than two minutes remaining.

On the second play, though, Brees threw where he expected a receiver to be but Jordan was the only on there. He dove forward, just keeping the ball off the ground.

Marshon Lattimore was called for interference against Amari Cooper in the end zone, giving Dallas a first down at the 1 with 1:58 remaining. Brees was 18 of 28 for 127 yards, actually the second straight game and third overall under 200 yards for the MVP contender.