By the numbers: 5 Cowboys stats that tell the story of Week 2

In a Week 2 clash at AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys were demolished 44-19 at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. So many things went wrong for the Cowboys in the season’s home opener. Let's unmask the details embedded within the numbers and see how they tell the tale of this game.

Week 2 Cowboys stats you need to know

361 total yards for the Cowboys

The Cowboys struggled to move the ball offensively, especially on the ground. Dallas managed just 68 rushing yards total, putting a heavier burden on Dak Prescott in the passing game. In that area, the Cowboys also failed despite Prescott passing for 293 yards. They fell behind early and all the Cowboys could do after a while was dial up passing plays.

Dallas’ offense looked stagnant at times after not needing to do much last week against Cleveland. They gained more this week against New Orleans but still looked a little out of sync. If the Cowboys cannot get more consistent in the running game, it’s going to be a long season offensively.

The Cowboys converted less than 50 percent of their third downs

On this Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys' struggles were seemingly endless. On third down it was a tale of two halves for Dallas. They faced a series of missed opportunities, leading to frequent punts and squandered chances to keep drives alive.

Overall, the Cowboys were six for 13 (46.2 percent) on third down. That isn’t bad but when your opponent is converting at over 60 percent, you’re in trouble. However, the second half is where Dallas struggled, converting on just two of their six (33,3 percent) third downs. This inefficiency in converting third downs only made matters as they’d been playing catch-up all game.

In a display of how efficient the Saints were on this day, they only had eight third downs in this game. They executed seemingly every play with precision, ensuring they retained possession and controlled the pace of the game. New Orleans was five for eight on third down which is a 62.5 percent success rate. Converting at key moments helped them not only keep the momentum but also kept the Cowboys defense exhausted on their heels.

2 turnovers and an almost-lost fumble for the Cowboys

Turnovers are costly, and the Cowboys paid a huge price this week. Prescott threw two bad interceptions and put the ball on the turf once although it was recovered. The Cowboys served up these Saints opportunities on a silver platter. Each mistake shifted momentum and proved detrimental to mounting any type of comeback.

This is nothing new as we’ve seen in the past with this Cowboys squad. When they fall behind early, look out because it’s going to be a long day for Big D. The Cowboys were overmatched in all facets of this game by the Saints, but turnovers are always something that stands out in this kind of loss.

Cowboys allowed 5.8 yards per carry to Alvin Kamara

Defensively, the Cowboys were found wanting. Missed tackles were a common theme, and the lack of pressure on Derek Carr allowed too much breathing room for playmaking. The defensive stats painted a picture of a team outmaneuvered and underscored the struggles in keeping the Saints contained.

The Saints were able to exploit something that’s been the “Achilles heel” of this defense for some time. Dallas cannot stop the run to save their lives. They couldn’t get to Carr either this game but that’s an anomaly. As much as this has become a passing league you’ve still got to stop teams from running the ball. Alvin Kamara averaged 5.8 yards per carry against the Cowboys for 115 yards and three TDs. He also added a 57-yard receiving TD. Great Cowboys recipe for cooking up losses.

No touchdowns in three red zone trips for the Cowboys

Red zone efficiency was another crucial factor. The Cowboys consistently faltered under the spotlight in the red zone. Their inability to convert was crippling but the bigger issue is that Dallas was only in the red zone three times all day. Once in the first half, twice in the second half and came away with zero TDs.

When you’re getting lit up on defense the way the Saints were doing on Sunday,  your offense can’t come away with field goals or worse each and every time. There are four quarters in a game and Dallas couldn’t average a red zone trip per quarter. Another recipe for a disaster of a game like we witnessed here. On the flip side, the Saints were scoring from everywhere on the field as they scored four red zone TDs in five trips.