Why the New Orleans Saints Couldn't Ground High Flying Cardinals: Angry Birds

Coming off a home victory, facing a rookie quarterback, and getting a first series interception...

This would normally be great conditions for the defending champs to get a win. Though today that was not the case as the Arizona Cardinals were not to be denied a victory in their city with hero Kurt Warner in the booth watching. 

The Saints seemed to sleep walk through this game, and even in the last minutes of the game, they just looked like they wanted the game to end rather than wanting to win it. The Saints offense started off hot like it did in almost every game this season, but then stalled, also like it has almost all season. The Saints scored a quick 10 points as the defense held the Cards to no points and only 46 total yards on offense in the first quarter, but that would be the only quarter where the Cardinals didn't score. 

Arizona got the ball rolling in the second quarter by getting good field position off special teams(which they did all game) and getting a 37-yard field goal and followed with a 2-yard fumble recovery for a score. The Saints responded with a field goal of their own to put them up 13-10, but it was all downhill from that point on, as the Cards scored 13 straight points. 

In the second half, the Saints next five drives went like this; punt, missed field goal, fumble, interception, punt. While the Cardinals took the lead, then added to it, making the Saints deficit 10 points, the defending champs put together a late scoring drive on a Houdini-like escape by Brees to hit Robert Meachem for 35-yard strike.

As the Saints got the ball back only down three with less than a minute, no timeouts(due to the first two timeouts being burned early in the third quarter), and the Saints already having a few game-winning drives this season, it felt like Drew Brees and the offense had one more in them. But it didn't happen as Rodgers-Cromartie added insult to injury by picking off Brees and running it back for a TD. 

Give the Cardinals their credit, Max Hall and his offense played well enough to win and they did, even though they did not score an offensive touchdown. The Arizona D played great as they held Brees in check by picking him off three times and only gave up 85 rushing yards.

But this has become a scary trend for the Saints offense; they have not scored 30 points in a game this season, after scoring 30 or more 9 times last year en route to averaging a league best 31.9 points last season.

The Saints and Cardinals are both 3-2, as the Cards sit atop the NFC West, and the Saints have to look up to the Falcons and Bucs. Hopefully, the Cardinals can keep up their level of play, and the Saints get themselves on track so these teams can meet again in the playoffs.