New Orleans Saints game plan falters thanks to one familiar foe
Thursday night's game wasn't pretty. The New Orleans Saints (2-5) dropped another winnable game to the Arizona Cardinals 42-34. And the reason for the brutal loss was something Saints fans have grown accustomed to this season — turnovers. This time, the culprit was quarterback Andy Dalton, who threw three interceptions before halftime. Two interceptions came […]
Thursday night's game wasn't pretty.
The New Orleans Saints (2-5) dropped another winnable game to the Arizona Cardinals 42-34. And the reason for the brutal loss was something Saints fans have grown accustomed to this season — turnovers.
This time, the culprit was quarterback Andy Dalton, who threw three interceptions before halftime. Two interceptions came at the tail end of the second quarter, giving Arizona life in a game where they never turned back following Dalton's untimely turnovers.
The first interception came with two minutes left to play in the first quarter. Dalton was looking for Marquez Callaway in the end zone. But that is not what happened. Dalton managed to waste a lengthy drive and set in motion a slow collapse the Saints suffered through the rest of the game.
With two minutes left to play in the second quarter, Dalton again looked for Callaway and managed to find the other team. The only problem was this pick was returned for a touchdown.
What was a tied game quickly turned into a situation where New Orleans could no longer move the ball.
The cherry on top of the Dalton experience was the third pick of the first half and second pick-six.
Literally, on the ensuing drive, Dalton threw a pass intended for Chris Olave that was intercepted at the Arizona 44-yard line. The result was an easy score and two-point conversion to put Arizona up by 14 points.
It's hard to win Thursday night football. But it becomes increasingly difficult to find victory if you keep making mental mistakes. On Thursday, the Saints made more mistakes and paid the price.
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Feature image via Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
