GOING into the game, no-one gave the Dallas Cowboys a hope in hell.

The New Orleans Saints were the in-form side, 10-1 prior to Thursday night’s game, steamrollering everyone that had the audacity to be on the same field as them.

It was beating after beating after beating.

Then they visited the Cowboys and took an almighty blow to the gut.

“As an offence, we think complementary football,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “Let’s put together a drive. Let’s keep our defence off the field. Let’s control the game, control the clock, control the ball. Just never felt like we really did that as an offence like we’ve done this year.”

The Cowboys were excellent in orchestrating slow, methodical drives down the field.

Even though they rarely ended in points, it was enough to end the Saints’ 10-game winning streak.

“Everybody knew it. We had to keep the ball away from Brees,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “We needed to play this kind of game. I must tell you, the defence played beyond my expectations. They played like a championship defence.”

The Cowboys offence wasn’t bad either. Ezekiel Elliott scored the only Dallas touchdown on a 16-yard screen in a game where he had 136 scrimmage yards with 76 rushing and 60 receiving on six catches.

Dak Prescott had 194 of his 248 yards passing while helping the Cowboys to a 13-0 half-time lead.

The Saints’ free-scoring offence was subdued all evening.

The only touchdown drive for the Saints was aided by three first downs on Dallas penalties. The biggest was Randy Gregory’s roughing-the-punter penalty on Thomas Morstead.

Two plays later, Brees dropped a deep throw to a backpedaling Keith Kirkwood in the end zone for a 30-yard score to get New Orleans within 13-10.

Brees did get a chance at the end to win the game for New Orleans. Given how their season had gone, many would have bet their house on the quarterback to lead them down the field and put up seven.

However, he tried to throw the ball away behind Alvin Kamara, only for Cowboys Jourdan Lewis to dive forward and intercept it.

The win puts Cowboys 7-5 and assured that they will remain tied for the lead in the NFC East.