The New Orleans Saints held a 14-6 lead with 2:32 left in the first half of Thursday night’s game in Arizona. In a blink, it evaporated into dust.
Rookie running back Keaontay Ingram scored a touchdown, and Arizona converted the two-point play to tie the game. Then came disaster.
Andy Dalton threw back-to-back pick-sixes to end the quarter, giving Arizona a 28-14 halftime lead. The pick-sixes followed an earlier interception in the end zone from Dalton that cost the Saints points.
The turnovers turned the tide, and New Orleans never recovered.
“The three takeaways were killers in the game,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said after the game, via the Associated Press. “We’ve got to fix some of these issues. That’s my responsibility.”
Dalton’s first interception in the end zone was the worst. He threw into heavy coverage to Marquez Callaway on third down from the 10-yard-line, a brutal decision. The first pick-six hit Callaway in the hands, and the receiver flubbed it. The third INT, Dalton was hit on the play.
“That one (the first interception) is a tough one. You would like to have that one back,” Dalton said. “The other ones were just unfortunate things happening in the play. Those are the ones that made a difference because they led to pick six on both of them.”
Dalton finished 30-of-47 for 361 yards. He made some good throws, but what will be remembered is another prime-time game with the QB tossing interceptions — his 12th straight road prime-time loss.
The Saints outgained Arizona 494 to 326, had more first downs (25 to 21) and a better third-down conversion rate. Yet, the turnovers and back-to-back three-and-outs in the third and early fourth quarter got them into a hole they couldn’t dig out of.
“At the end of the day, it’s about wins and losses. … We’ve had our chances, and we haven’t been able to get it done,” Dalton said. “That’s the frustrating part.”
It’s been a frustrating start to the campaign for a team that acted all offseason like it was a Super Bowl contender. Instead, Allen replacing Sean Payton has gone poorly, the club has been riddled with injuries, and the quarterback play hasn’t been able to overcome the poor surroundings.
As we sit here on Friday, the 2-5 Saints would surrender the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.