Daniel Carlson made a 53-yard field goal in the final minutes of a second-half comeback effort by the Dallas Cowboys in their lone preseason game in Arlington.
The Dallas Cowboys scored 15 unanswered points in the second half, but a late field goal and defensive stop by the New Orleans Saints was enough to earn the visitors a 27-24 win at AT&T Stadium on Friday.
The Cowboys end the 2026 preseason at 2-1, now turning their attention to the roster being cut down to 53 men on Sunday.
Joe Milton and Sam Howell made their case throughout the preseason to both be included on the 53 to back up Dak Prescott at quarterback.
Milton got his second start of the preseason, and despite not throwing a touchdown pass should still be proud of the growth he's shown in these showcase opportunities. Sam Howell led Dallas' spirited comeback effort by completing 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
New Orleans also used two quarterbacks, but got the bulk of their offensive production from the backfield with 169 rushing yards as a team.
First Quarter
The Saints picked up first downs on each of their first three offensive plays before stalling out and settling for a field goal by former Raider Daniel Carlson, one of three place kickers hoping to earn the starting job in New Orleans.
The Saints' first defensive play? An unnecessary roughness penalty on ex-Oklahoma Sooner linebacker Danny Stutsman that gave the Cowboys a first down into enemy territory.
Cowboys rookie wide receiver Anthony Smith's penalty voided what would've been a first-down run by Milton. Dallas answered with a field goal of its own as Brandon Aubrey connected from 49 yards out.
Kendre Miller picked up several chunk carries as the Saints controlled the battle at the line of scrimmage. One of them ended with Marist Liufau staying down and grabbing his wrist, which hurts his chances of making the Cowboys' roster as a new outside linebacker.
New Orleans was given a first down after a penalty on Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson. With first and goal-to-go, sixth-round rookie running back Barion Brown found the end zone to put the visitors up 10-3.
Preseason standout Camden Brown caught a 27-yard pass from Milton to continue his case to make the Cowboys roster.
Second Quarter
While players hoped to prove they also deserve a spot on the roster - some succeeding more than others - Aubrey reminded us all that his preseason participation isn't a tryout. He ended the Cowboys' second drive with another field goal, this time a 51-yarder.
After a Saints punt, Milton air-mailed an open receiver downfield. He bounced back to hit Marquez Valdez-Scantling for a first down. Milton scrambled out of pressure, but another missed opportunity through the air brought Aubrey out for a 57-yard field goal attempt, which fell short.
Audric Estime broke through contact in the backfield to scamper for 33 yards, setting up Rattler's rushing touchdown from eight yards out. The Saints grew their lead to 17-6.
With motivation to rebound with a make, Aubrey's 58-yarder brought Dallas to within eight.
At the halftime break, Schottenheimer admitted that the offense had "shot ourselves in the foot," several times, especially on third down. While Aubrey looks to be in mid-season form, his coach said "we don't like kicking a lot of field goals."
Third Quarter
Howell threw an incomplete pass and was sacked in his first series, which led to the Cowboys' first punt of the game.
The Saints continued carving through the Cowboys' run defense when Zamir White scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown, pushing New Orleans ahead 24-9 with about nine minutes remaining in the quarter.
Garland native and SMU alum Jordan Hudson brought down a deep ball from Howell for a 52-yard gain - which accounted for about a third of the Cowboys' passing yards for the game to that point in a single play.
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Fourth Quarter
Howell and Hudson linked up again on the first play of the quarter for a 26-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone. Dallas brought the deficit back to one possession at 24-16.
The Cowboys got the ball back after the defense forced a 3-and-out and Howell threw a strike to free agent tight end Mitch Van Vooren for a 21-yard touchdown capping a 12-yard march.
Howell continued his late push for the backup job by powering into end zone to tie the game with a two-point conversion. The entire Cowboys sideline poured over to celebrate with the four-year pro.
Carlson drilled a 53-yard field goal for the Saints coming out of the two-minute warning.
Facing fourth-and-long, Howell fired a pass into pressure that fell incomplete, giving the Saints the chance to end the preseason in victory formation.
