Cardinals solve scoring woes with help of 22-point burst in under two minutes to beat Saints

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals defence changed the crippled with pick-sixes of backmost Andy Dalton connected back-to-back drives conscionable earlier halftime, and the squad continued to determination it connected successful the 2nd fractional to bushed the New Orleans Saints, 42-34.

The Cardinals' 42 points are their astir successful a crippled since Week 17 of 2016 and the astir nether manager Kliff Kingsbury. The triumph breaks a streak of 8 consecutive location losses for Arizona, which had been tied for the team's longest location losing streak since 1940.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals needed this triumph successful the worst imaginable way. They were disconnected to a 2-4 start, their discourtesy was anemic, and they were connected the brink of an early-season tailspin.

And past they enactment unneurotic this show connected nationalist TV down an awesome antiaircraft showing, highlighted by 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns. The 2 pick-sixes - 1 by cornerback Marco Wilson followed by 1 by linebacker Isaiah Simmons connected consecutive drives - enactment the Cardinals successful bid of a crippled that was tied astatine 14 earlier the archetypal pick-six.

Thursday nighttime could beryllium defining crippled of the Cardinals' season. DeAndre Hopkins made an interaction successful his archetypal crippled backmost from suspension. He had 103 yards connected 10 catches, reacclimating to the discourtesy arsenic good arsenic the Cardinals could person hoped. But the defence uncovering its bushed against the pass, portion complementing an discourtesy that recovered its ain rhythm, was what the Cardinals request to perchance crook the play around.

Describe the crippled successful 2 words: Pick-sixes. The 2 interception returns for touchdowns astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional gave the Cardinals a commanding two-touchdown pb and acceptable them up for the win.

Bold prediction for adjacent week: With 10 days betwixt Thursday night's crippled and the Cardinals' adjacent game, which is astatine the Minnesota Vikings, Robbie Anderson volition person plentifulness of clip to get the playbook down and recognize his relation truthful helium tin person a bigger portion of the offense. -- Josh Weinfuss

Underrated statistic to know: The Cardinals had 28 points successful the archetypal half. Coming into the game, they had 29 first-half points successful their archetypal six games combined.

Next game: astatine Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Oct. 30)

New Orleans Saints

The Saints person vowed to hole the turnovers, the atrocious tackles and the ill-timed penalties. They've repeatedly stated there's inactive a batch of play near to go.

But aft their 5th nonaccomplishment successful six games, the Saints look to beryllium getting worse. Dalton gave up 14 points by himself with the 2 pick-sixes, and the Saints defence didn't assistance matters, arsenic the portion that utilized to beryllium the spot of the squad has struggled this season.

Injuries person surely played a portion successful the outcome, with wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry retired and 3 cornerbacks down (Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and present Bradley Roby). The injuries person been conscionable a portion of the occupation though, arsenic the aforesaid mistakes person followed the Saints from Week 1.

QB breakdown: Dalton and prime-time performances conscionable haven't mixed well. Dalton came into the crippled arsenic the lone backmost to suffer 5 consecutive prime-time games by astatine slightest 17 points since 1970. He didn't adhd to that streak aft the Saints scored immoderate precocious touchdowns to adjacent the gap, throwing 4 full touchdowns, but back-to-back pick-sixes (one bobbled by receiver Marquez Callaway) surely didn't amended his prime-time reputation. With Jameis Winston starting to get healthy, this was the worst imaginable clip for Dalton to propulsion a clunker of a show if helium wanted to support the starting backmost job.

Troubling trend: The Saints came into the crippled with the worst turnover differential successful the league and didn't assistance that stat. Their defence didn't instrumentality the shot distant erstwhile and the discourtesy gave it distant 3 times. The Saints person been highly turnover prone this twelvemonth and person had penalties astatine the worst times. Saints manager Dennis Allen has said aggregate times that the squad would enactment connected immoderate of those problems, but truthful far, determination person been nary signs of fixing them.

Biggest spread successful the crippled plan: The Saints' playmakers look to vanish astatine unusual points successful the game. Rookie receiver Rashid Shaheed, who made his NFL debut past week and has scored touchdowns connected his archetypal 2 vocation catches, did not person a interaction again aft a 53-yard touchdown walk successful the archetypal quarter. Taysom Hill, who had 1 people which resulted successful a touchdown catch, spent a ample portion of the 4th fourth connected the sideline. The Saints are already short-handed connected offense, truthful unless it's wounded related, it seems unusual not to effort to utilize immoderate players who person been agleam spots this year. -- Katherine Terrell

Underrated statistic to know: Saints quarterbacks person thrown six pick-sixes since the commencement of past season, tied for the NFL's astir implicit that span with the Los Angeles Rams.

Next game: vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Oct. 30)