2026 NFL Preview
Today, the Dallas Cowboys & the New Orleans Saints
The autumn winds blowing off the Texas plains carry the familiar, suffocating scent of Jerry Jones’s unbridled optimism, which means another high-stakes circus has rolled back into Frisco for the 2026 NFL season. Down in the bowels of AT&T Stadium, everybody is talking about a bounce-back campaign after a miserable seven-win disaster a year ago, because in the land of silver and blue, patience is a four-letter word and mediocrity is met with theatrical finger-pointing. Brian Schottenheimer is back running the show for his second year as head coach, wearing that earnest, eager-to-please expression of a man trying to steer a runaway locomotive fueled entirely by media hype and owner vanity.
Offensively, this team remains an absolute heavyweight joyride that can put up points in bunches before you can even find your seat with your overpriced hot dog. Dak Prescott enters another autumn under center, slinging the football with the desperation of a veteran quarterback who hears the relentless ticking of a career clock and desperately wants to cement his legacy alongside the immortals. He gets to target CeeDee Lamb, who runs routes with the effortless swagger of a guy who knows he is completely unguardable, alongside George Pickens, a human highlight reel who arrived to terrorize NFC East cornerbacks. Hand the ball to Javonte Williams, let Jake Ferguson work the seams, and behind a massive offensive line anchored by Tyler Smith, you have an offense capable of carrying a piano up Mount Everest.
The defensive side of the ledger is where the optimism meets a brick wall of pure terror, featuring a unit that bled yards and points last autumn until opposing offenses treated AT&T Stadium like a 7-on-7 summer scrimmage. Enter thirty-four-year-old coordinator Christian Parker, tasked with installing a brand new three-four scheme and fixing a defense that ranked dead last in stopping anybody. They brought in pieces like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark up front, traded for Rashan Gary, and drafted rookie Caleb Downs to stabilize a shaky secondary, but asking a completely revamped group to instantly morph into the Iron Curtain is a massive gamble. If the pass rush fails to materialize and the linebackers get exposed in space, Prescott and the offense are going to have to score forty points every single week just to have a chance.
Prediction: 9-8
The autumn schedule brings a heavy burden to the Superdome, because the New Orleans Saints are rolling into the 2026 NFL season desperately trying to wipe away the stain of a brutal stretch that feels entirely out of place for a franchise built on grit and swagger. Down on Airline Drive, everyone is looking at Kellen Moore as he enters his second year running the sideline, wearing the focused look of a young head coach who managed a late-season surge last autumn and now needs to prove that momentum wasn't just a mirage. Mickey Loomis pulled the levers again in the front office, steering a franchise celebrating its sixtieth year through a tricky salary cap labyrinth while trying to inject legitimate youth into a roster that grew too old and too tired too fast.
Offensively, the blueprint belongs to Tyler Shough, who grabbed the reins as a rookie starter late last year and now enters the autumn with the keys to a scheme designed to maximize his big frame and live arm. He gets to lean on Chris Olave, a route-running technician who catches everything in sight, alongside newly drafted rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson and tight end Juwan Johnson. They even went out and secured heavy-duty reinforcements like running back Travis Etienne and guard David Edwards in free agency, all of them running behind bookend tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga to give this unit a fighting chance to control the line of scrimmage.
On the other side of the ball, coordinator Brandon Staley enters his second campaign trying to build on a defense that quietly showed real teeth down the stretch by finishing strong and leaning on young playmakers like safety Jonas Sanker. They brought back familiar faces like linebacker Kaden Elliss to shore up the second level, drafted defensive tackle Christen Miller to plug the middle, and desperately need their pass rush to harass opposing quarterbacks in a wide-open NFC South. If Staley's unit can bottle up the kind of gritty defense they played late last winter, the Superdome is going to be an absolute nightmare for visitors.
Prediction: 8-9
Tomorrow, the Cleveland Browns & the Arizona Cardinals