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Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware recorded his seventh sack of the season when he dropped Drew Brees for a 7-yard loss on the opening series.

Ware, however, was penalized twice on the Saints' first scoring drive, once for offsides and once for delay of game.

— Todd Archer

Cowboys rookie fullback Oliver Hoyte suffered an undisclosed injury in the first half and was replaced by Lousaka Polite in the base offense.

	Saints 42, Cowboys 17
	Saints march in, stomp Cowboys Cowlishaw: In pupil vs. teacher, Payton has all the answers Taylor: Defense turns wretched just when it matters most Moore: Cool Brees blows 'em away Next test: Romo's response Todd Archer's Cowboys report card Calvin Watkins' five plays that shaped the game Notebook Game photos Game summary Official NFL summary (.pdf) Grade the Cowboys' performance Tell Us: Are the Cowboys still playoff-bound? Tell Us: Are opponents starting to figure out Romo? Tell Us: Will the Cowboys beat Atlanta? Sports front page (.pdf) All-time vs. New Orleans Cowboys opponent gamer Blogs: Cowboys | Saints More Cowboys

Polite was with the Cowboys for the first five games, and then released twice and re-signed twice in the next month. Hoyte spent some time riding the exercise bicycle and did not return.

— Todd Archer

In his first three seasons with the Cowboys, Terry Glenn never needed more than five games to have more than 100 receiving yards in a game. This season, he did not go over the century mark until game No. 13.

Glenn led the Cowboys with eight catches for 150 yards, both season-highs for the 11-year veteran. It was the eighth 100-yard receiving game for Glenn since joining the Cowboys in 2003. Glenn has 58 catches for 825 yards.

— Todd Archer

New Orleans loves to get the ball in the flat and let rookie sensation Reggie Bush work his magic.

He did it again Sunday.

The running back gained more than 100 yards receiving for the second consecutive week. Here's a look at what Bush, who is second in the league with 79 receptions, has done the last two games.

— David Moore

Julius Jones cracked the 100-yard barrier for the first time since Oct. 15. And for the first time this season, he did it in the first half.

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN Julius Jones runs away from the Saints' defense.

Jones needed only 10 carries to pick up 116 yards thanks to a 77-yard touchdown run on the Cowboys' second play of the night. The gain tied for the fifth longest in team history and easily beat the previous long of his career (53 yards). The 77 yards was more than Jones had totaled in six games this season. He has four 100-yard games this season.

With three games to go, Jones has 993 rushing yards, equaling his career high. The last Cowboy to gain 1,000 yards in a season was Emmitt Smith with 1,021 in 2001.

— Todd Archer

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was upset with the outcome, but his focus was on the Saints.

"It's just terribly disappointing, but it was real impressive to see how well New Orleans played," Jones said. "I can't say enough positive things about how New Orleans played. To me it's more about how well they played. ... Drew Brees is as impressive a quarterback as I've seen in a number of years."

— Todd Archer

New Orleans appeared to have a comfortable 35-17 lead with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.

But Sean Payton didn't want to take any chances. The Saints coach came right back with an onside kick.

"First off, the balls were coming out to our 40 to begin with," Payton explained of the Cowboys return game. "So you know, you're looking at a 15-yard change in field position.

"And I thought they were leaving a little early midway through the game. I thought the odds kind of went in our favor. I wanted to put another score on top of the lead."

They did. The Saints recovered and scored a touchdown four plays later.

— David Moore

For the first time this season, the Cowboys' Nate Jones was active over Jacques Reeves.

It was only the second time in his three years that Reeves, who was not listed on the injury report, has not played. Jones has more experience playing the slot than Reeves and is quicker, which could have helped on matchups with Reggie Bush.

Jones, normally a cornerback, played in the dime defense, replacing Keith Davis at strong safety.

— Todd Archer

Terrell Owens started his week in Hollywood at his birthday party and he ended it Sunday night with three catches for 56 yards, one touchdown and one drop. Owens didn't get his first catch until 12:47 remained in the third quarter.

Owens caught a touchdown pass with 7:46 left in the third to cut the Saints lead to 28-17. Tony Romo's pass went through the hands of Fred Thomas and into Owens'. When Owens reached the sideline after he scored, he threw his helmet.

It was a frustrating night for the Cowboys' leading receiver.

"There was some opportunities where it was one-on-one a majority of the time," Owens said. "I was on the backside, and I'm not going to make any excuses. I made some mental errors on a couple of routes, but the bottom line is [New Orleans] came in and we knew it was going to be one of those games where we had to put some points on the board."

— Calvin Watkins

A completed pass to the Saints' Jamal Jones was about to go for a booth review when Bill Parcells threw a red flag to challenge the play. In the last two minutes of the half, a coach's challenge is not allowed.

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN Saints' Mike Karney holds up the ball as he scores on a short run.

Parcells was told by his coaching staff in the press box to challenge the play, and he did. It resulted in a 15-yard penalty.

"It is my fault for doing that because you're not supposed to do that in the last two minutes," Parcells said. "One of my coaches upstairs says challenge it, and you have your instincts. You know that and you try to fight it. But I take the blame for it. I should have known better. It never crossed my mind though."

If the pass had been completed, the Saints would have had the ball at the Cowboys' 15. After the call was overturned, it went back to the Cowboys' 42.

After the penalty, New Orleans got the ball at the Cowboys' 27. New Orleans scored on the first play after the penalty and took a 21-7 lead.

— Calvin Watkins

In the last two games before Sunday, Dallas is 13-for-24 on third down. But against the Saints, Dallas was 1-for-8 on third down, its worst performance of the season.

"We've been pretty good on third down," quarterback Tony Romo said. "This is the first game, really, we probably struggled there. You have to give [New Orleans] credit, they did a great job."

— Calvin Watkins

For the first time since the 2004 season opener, tight end Jason Witten did not start. ... Despite publicly saying he might make a change on the defensive line, Cowboys coach Bill Parcells kept Marcus Spears and Chris Canty in the starting lineup. ... Safety Tony Parrish, who signed Friday, was inactive for the Cowboys. Nose tackle Montavious Stanley, guards Joe Berger, Travis Leffew and Cory Procter, defensive end Stephen Bowen and tackle Pat McQuistan were also inactive.

Former Cowboys Terrance Copper (who started in place of injured Joe Horn), Scott Shanle and Scott Fujita were among the five captains for the Saints. Only Fujita is a regular captain. The other former Cowboys playing Sunday were strong safety Omar Stoutmire and kickoff specialist Billy Cundiff. Tackle Rob Petitti, who started every game last season for Dallas, was inactive. ... Former Giant Jim Burt was on the Cowboys' sideline Sunday.

— Calvin Watkins