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Dallas Cowboys: Jaylon Smith, key players vs. Saints

By Randy Gurzi

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 18: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates rushing for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 18: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates rushing for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 22: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up with a dance before a game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 22, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 31-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 22: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up with a dance before a game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 22, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 31-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Jaylon Smith, Linebacker

We already mentioned the two deadly backs for the Saints, but the real issue for teams this season has been Alvin Kamara. He’s been the focal point of the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL.

He’s second on the team with 57 catches for 519 yards and four touchdowns. That kind of output can kill a defense, which means Dallas will have to do all they can to stick with Kamara.

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There are two players who will likely draw that assignment — rookie Leighton Vander Esch, and Jaylon Smith. While LVE has been on fire lately, Smith has also been playing extremely well as Dallas has one of the best one-two punches at linebacker in the NFL.

The difference has been that Smith hasn’t been making the same game-changing plays as Vander Esch had with his back-to-back games with interceptions— although he did force a fumble last week against Washington.

For the season, Smith has 79 tackles, four sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. He’s been all over the field, even if he hasn’t made the same amount of noise as LVE did when he first stepped on the field.

This week, Smith again needs to be all over the field. He’s also going to need to make some plays against Kamara that set the tone. Simply put, if Dallas wins this game, it will be because of the defense, and they need Smith to be at his very best.

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