The New Orleans Saints faced the Arizona Cardinals in the first game of Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season on Thursday Night Football on October 20. While the visitors began the game on a strong note, their quarterback Andy Dalton threw three interceptions in the first half, allowing the Cardinals to score 22 points in the final two minutes of the first quarter.
Dalton, 34, suffered a back injury that kept him limited in practice earlier this week. However, he returned on the field against the Arizona Cardinals and began with a 53-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. His performance dipped towards the end of the half, as Dalton threw a pick in the end zone and a pair of pick-sixes that changed the game for the Saints.
Watch Andy Dalton’s picks here:
Andy Dalton’s first pick came in the end zone following a 15-play, 65-yard drive. The quarterback was looking to connect with Marquez Antonio Callaway. However, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton intercepted him. This helped the Arizona Cardinals to get the ball at 25 yards.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback’s second and third picks came in the final minutes of the first half, which resulted in two touchdowns by the Arizona Cardinals in under two minutes. The first pick-six saw Dalton attempting a pass over the middle right after the two-minute warning, which saw Marquez Callaway bobbling it.
This was followed by Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson recovering the ball before registering a 38-yard pick-six. This helped the hosts to lead by 20-14 over the Saints.
Dalton’s third pick came in a minute when Isaiah Simmons registered a 54-yard pick six to hand the Cardinals a 28-14 lead in the first half.
At the time of writing this article, Andy Dalton has registered 11 successful passes out of 21 attempts for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions so far.
