Thursday night, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the New Orleans Saints by a score of 42-34 thanks to touchdowns scored by Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons on interceptions returned for touchdowns late in the first half.
The Cardinals (3-4) ended their longest home losing skid since 1958, which was eight games.
Andy Dalton of the Saints threw game-changing interceptions on consecutive drives that lasted less than a minute. The first was not necessarily his fault, whereas the second was.
The first occurred when Saints receiver Marquez Callaway dropped a catchable pass. Wilson snatched the ball out of the air before sprinting 38 yards to the end zone and diving over the goal line to give his team a 20-14 lead.
The second incident occurred as Dalton attempted to throw over the center. Simmons grabbed the interception with one hand before sprinting 56 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown. The Cardinals’ fans, who hadn’t witnessed a victory since 24 October of the previous season against the Texans, applauded enthusiastically.
The Cardinals then assumed control. The Saints closed to within 28-17 early in the third quarter, but Kyler Murray’s five-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dortch pushed Arizona ahead 35-17.
Murray completed 20 passes out of 29 attempts for 204 yards and one touchdown.
The Saints (2-5) have lost five of their previous six contests. Dalton passed for 361 yards, three interceptions, and four touchdowns.
Late in the first quarter, with the Saints leading 7-3, it appeared that they would score another touchdown, but Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton intercepted Dalton’s ball in the end zone.
Taysom Hill’s three-yard touchdown reception gave New Orleans a 14-6 lead in the second quarter. Kevin White’s reception and run for 64 yards down the left sideline to the Arizona 3-yard line set up the touchdown. White was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster before the game.
Late in the second quarter, Arizona rookie Keaontay Ingram scored a two-yard touchdown and Eno Benjamin completed the two-point conversion to level the game at 14.
According to reports, the 49ers get McCaffrey from the Panthers
The San Francisco 49ers have acquired Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers, per a source with knowledge of the situation.
The individual talked to the Associated Press on Thursday evening under the condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been finalized.
ESPN was the first to disclose McCaffrey’s return to the Bay Area, where he excelled at Stanford, in exchange for draught picks.
McCaffrey joins dynamic receiver Deebo Samuel, top tight end George Kittle, and receiver Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco as a playmaker.
With starter Elijah Mitchell out with a knee injury, the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) were weaker at running back. McCaffrey offers Kyle Shanahan one of the top runners and receivers, bringing another dimension to the offense of San Francisco.
After Carolina renegotiated McCaffrey’s deal, he has a $990,000 salary for the season, making him an easy fit under the salary cap. Over the following three years, he is entitled to approximately $36 million, but none of that is guaranteed.
McCaffrey is the second skill position player dealt by the Panthers (1-5) this week after the firing of head coach Matt Rhule on 10 October. Monday, the Panthers traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Cardinals for two potential late-round selection picks.
When healthy, the 26-year-old McCaffrey is regarded as one of the league’s most versatile running backs due to his abilities as a runner, receiver, and blocker.
This season, he has played in all six games and ranks fourth in the NFL in scrimmage yards (607), despite playing for the 32nd-ranked offense in the league. He and Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns are the only players in the NFL to have five games this season with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.
McCaffrey has 7,272 yards from scrimmage (3,980 rushings and 3,292 receiving) and 50 touchdowns since being selected eighth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
2019 was McCaffrey’s greatest season, as he rushed for 1,387 yards and caught passes for 1,000 yards, becoming only the third player in NFL history to surpass 1,000 yards in both categories. During the same season, he scored 19 touchdowns and was selected All-Pro.
McCaffrey’s father, Ed, won a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1994 and two more Super Bowls with Mike Shanahan’s father as his head coach in Denver.
