Cardinals vs Saints: NFL 2010 Week 5 Review

The Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints headed west to face the struggling Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, during Week 5 of NFL action.

The oddsmakwers at sportsbook.com had New Orleans as the road favorites at -7 with the game total set at 45.5 points.

The Bodog.com money line odds at New Orleans -290 and Arizona +240.

Cardinals vs Saints – Home Underdog Cardinals Win – Game Total Goes Over – Final: 30-20

Two main factors helped the Cardinals pull off the massive upset: The defensive unit, which was out to avenge an embarrassing 41-10 loss at San Diego a week earlier, and rookie QB Max Hall.

In his debut as quarterback, Hall completed 17 of 27 passes for 168 yards, giving Arizona fans reason to start cheering again.

Though he fumbled twice and threw an interception, he did no worse than the reigning Super Bowl-winning quarterback, as Brees threw three interceptions of his own. The Cards defense also managed to turn two Saints fumbles into touchdowns.

Though the Saints out gained the Cardinals 358-194 in total yards, their four turnovers proved costly.

New Orleans saw their final chance evaporate when; on their own 9-yard line with under 30 seconds to play, down three points on the scoreboard, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie picked off Brees and ran it back for a touchdown.

Saints & Cardinals – Game Notes – Game Stars

Saints Game Ball: WR Robert Meachem. His game numbers weren’t spectacular, (4 REC, 57 YDS, 1 TD), but he rose to the occasion when called upon. His 50-yard touchdown catch was huge with under a minute to play.

New Orleans (3-2) has a short trip to Raymond James Stadium in Week 6 for an NFC South division clash against the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1).

Cardinals Game Ball: QB Max Hall. Beating the Super Bowl champions in your NFL debut is proof enough that you can compete with the bog boys. His totals, coupled with the help he got from his defense, were not at all disappointing.

Arizona (3-2) has two weeks to enjoy the victory with a bye next week. They are back October 24 for a Week 7 NFC West match-up in Seattle against the Seahawks.