When the New Orleans Saints play the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, they are leaning toward starting Andy Dalton rather than Jameis Winston. The Saints might want to reconsider that choice in light of Dalton’s recent performances in games played in front of television audiences.
Over the past few seasons, Dalton has played only occasionally, but when he has, he has typically been a league average quarterback. That’s not the case, though, as Dalton’s teams have performed quite poorly in his most recent primetime games. With this latest primetime game statistic, Dalton is already on the wrong side of history; if he starts for the Saints on Thursday night and struggles, it might get even worse.
Only QB to lose 5 straight primetime starts by 17+ points (since 1970):
Andy Dalton pic.twitter.com/sKAHMXdl5y
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 20, 2022
If you are a Saints supporter, this statistic is not exactly uplifting. In recent weeks, Dalton has filled in well for Jameis Winston, but he hasn’t really done anything to help his team win. During his time on the field, he has appeared better than a very battered Winston, but it’s not like he is helping New Orleans win games.
These kinds of statistics are frequently meaningless, but they are important to note for the Saints going into this match. Winston should potentially start if he is healthy because Dalton’s teams have struggled in previous primetime games. However, it sounds like Andy Dalton will have an opportunity to end his recent trend of failure in primetime games in Week 7 against the Cardinals, so it’s unlikely that the Saints would worry too much about this one-off statistic.
Before potentially starting for the New Orleans Saints against the Cardinals, Andy Dalton is on the wrong side of NFL history, according to ClutchPoints.
