Panthers trade Mccaffery to 49ers
Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons scored touchdowns on two pick-6s late in the first half and used that stunning change in momentum to lift the Arizona Cardinals over the New Orleans Saints 42-34 on Thursday night.
The Cardinals (3-4) snapped an eight-game home losing streak that was the franchise’s longest since 1958.
The game was tied at 14 when Saints quarterback Andy Dalton threw the game-changing interceptions on consecutive drives that were barely a minute apart. The first one wasn’t necessarily his fault, but the second one was.
The first came when Saints receiver Marquez Callaway bobbled a potential catch. Wilson was there to pluck it out of the air and then sprinted 38 yards to the end zone, diving over the goal line for a 20-14 lead.
The second happened when Dalton tried to throw over the middle. Simmons corralled the interception with one hand and then ran 56 yards down the right sideline for the score. The Cardinals crowd — which hadn’t seen a win since Oct. 24 of last season against the Texans — roared its approval.
From there, the Cardinals had control. The Saints pulled within 28-17 early in the third, but Kyler Murray found Greg Dortch for a 5-yard touchdown to push Arizona ahead 35-17.
Murray completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.
New Orleans (2-5) has lost five of its last six games. Dalton threw for 361 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Saints led 7-3 late in the first quarter and looked as if they were going to score another touchdown, but Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton intercepted Dalton’s pass in the end zone.
New Orleans did push ahead 14-6 in the second on a 3-yard touchdown pass to Taysom Hill. The touchdown was set up by a 64-yard catch and run by Kevin White, who barely stayed in-bounds as he ran down the left sideline to Arizona’s 3-yard line. White was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad before the game.
Arizona rookie Keaontay Ingram ran for a 2-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and Eno Benjamin converted on the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14.
The San Francisco 49ers have acquired star running back Christian Mccaffrey from the Carolina Panthers, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been made official.
ESPN first reported the trade that brings Mccaffrey back to the Bay Area where he starred in college at Stanford in a deal for draft picks.
Mccaffrey joins a talented group of playmakers in San Francisco with versatile receiver Deebo Samuel, star tight end George Kittle and receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
But the Niners (3-3) were not as strong at running back with starter Elijah Mitchell out with a knee injury. Mccaffrey provides coach Kyle Shanahan with one of the best as both a runner and receiver, adding another element to San Francisco’s offense.
Mccaffrey has a $990,000 salary after Carolina reworked his contract, making him a fit under the salary cap. He is owed about $36 million over the next three years, but none of that is guaranteed.