‘Thursday Night Football’: Andy Dalton Doesn’t Do The Saints Any Favors

Spoiler alert: Andy Dalton made history for the New Orleans Saints on “Thursday Night Football,” and not in a good way. He’ll forever be remembered as the NFL quarterback who threw back-to-back pick-6s that may have cost his team a win.

Marco Wilson following pick-6 — Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson following a pick-6 in the team’s game against the New Orleans Saints. It was one of two consecutive steals that led the Cardinals to victory. (Image: Getty Images)

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Saints 42-34 on Thursday to kick off Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season. The victory improved the Cardinals’ record to three wins and four losses, although they remain in last place in the NFC West.

The Saints are also 3-4, and rank third in the NFC South. With his performance not up to expectations, Dalton became the only QB to lose five straight prime time starts by 17 or more points since 1970, according to CBS Sports.

Cardinals Cut Curse

23-year-old rookie Eno Benjamin was the engine for Arizona’s running offense. He rushed for 92 yards and added a touchdown. QB Kyler Murray passed for 204 yards, completing 20 of 29 passes. He threw for one touchdown and was sacked twice.

Despite his poor night, Dalton wasn’t totally terrible. He connected on four TD passes and accumulated 361 yards. He was good for 30 of 47 passes, but added three INTs on the night. Despite his mistakes, he kept the Saints alive. Taysom Hill came in for a short stint, but wasn’t able to provide any relief.

The Saints got on the board first, but Arizona exploded several times during the game. From being down 14-6, they went into the halftime break with a 28-14 lead.

frame it, give it to your mom for Christmas or put it on the fridge.

we don’t care, as long as you have it. pic.twitter.com/Y4yuqPkMLC

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 21, 2022

In the third quarter, New Orleans hit first with a field goal that brought them closer at 28-17. In the final quarter, the Cards hit the turbo once again with a rocket from Murray to wide receiver Greg Dortch. That put Arizona in charge, 35-17.

The Saints stayed in contention with another TD pass from Dalton, this time to Juwan Johnson. However, the defense was spending more time on the field than it would have liked.

It began to show, especially after a Murray-led offense pushed through for 64 yards in eight plays. That drive culminated in Benjamin’s rushing touchdown that put more distance between the two teams.

The Saints’ offense struggled, getting seven more points with another pass from Dalton to Johnson in the end zone. That made it 42-31 with three minutes remaining, and they closed the gap with a field goal with 43 seconds left. At that point, it was too late to get anything else done.

Arizona Gets the Money

Most of the pregame wagers were on the Cardinals to break their home losing streak. Some 56% of the bets backed Arizona, according to Oddschecker. Meanwhile, 55% of bettors took the under, which turned out to be a bad call.

Even though the under has been overwhelmingly successful this season, this game screamed over from the start.

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is back for the Cardinals, and his presence made a difference. He was good for 10 receptions and 103 yards on Thursday night, blowing the other receivers away. With him back on the field, bettors should start paying more attention to Arizona.

Next up, the Saints will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will face the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings on the same day.

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