Andy Dalton Could Save Saints Season

New Orleans QB Andy Dalton is expected to get the start over an injured Jameis Winston in week four. The fate of the reeling team’s 2022 season might lie on his right arm.

New Orleans Saints QB Jameis Winston is officially ruled as ‘‘doubtful’’ for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Winston is dealing with four broken vertebrae in his back and an ankle injury. Despite Friday's injury report designation suggesting there’s a slight chance Winston will play — don't bet on it.

Twelve-year veteran QB Andy Dalton has been taking first-team reps all week, with Taysom Hill also getting reps to back him up. Dalton was signed as a free-agent this offseason after the Saints used four quarterbacks in 2021 following a season-ending knee injury to Winston.

The 34-year-old Dalton played last season with the Chicago Bears. He started six games and completed 63% of his throws for 1,515 yards with 8 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. For his career, Dalton has 35,279 passing yards with 226 touchdowns and 135 interceptions with a 62.2% completion percentage.

A second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of TCU by the Cincinnati Bengals, Dalton has a 77-69-2 career record as a starter. Most of his success came in Cincinnati, where he started for nine years. He led the Bengals to five consecutive playoff appearances from 2011 to 2015, going 50-26-1 during that span.

Jan 9, 2022; Chicago Bears quarterback Andy Dalton (14) passes against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Dalton has started four games against the Minnesota Vikings in his career. He’s averaged 251 yards passing in those four contests, throwing for 8 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and completing 62.4% of his attempts.

Dalton's best outing against the Vikings was in 2013 with Cincinnati. He completed 27 of 38 attempts for 363 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 42-14 victory.

The quarterback wasn't nearly as successful in the second time he faced Minnesota, throwing for 113 yards and 2 interceptions without a touchdown during a 34-7 loss in 2017. Dalton next played the Vikings in 2020 after replacing an injured Dak Prescott three weeks before. He completed 22 of 32 throws for 203 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a 31-28 Cowboys victory.

Dalton was a backup in week 15 for the Bears last season when they lost a 17-9 decision against the Vikings. He’d suit up and start the season finale at Minnesota, his last start. Dalton completed 33 of 48 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked 7 times and threw 2 interceptions in a 31-17 loss.

New Orleans has a much more talented offense than what Dalton had in Chicago, Dallas, or his last few seasons in Cincinnati. The Saints rank eighth in total yardage and passing production, but have repeatedly struggled along the offensive line and with self-inflicted mistakes this season.

All-Pro WR Michael Thomas will miss Sunday's game against the Vikings with a foot injury. Pro Bowl LG Andrus Peat has also been ruled out with a concussion.

However, Dalton still has five-time Pro Bowl WR Jarvis Landry, an explosive budding star in WR Chris Olave, along with dynamic RB Alvin Kamara and a reliable complement in Mark Ingram. Landry (ankle) and Kamara (ribs) are both listed as questionable, but are expected to play.

Aug 13, 2022; New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) looks for a receiver during a game against the Houston Texans. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY

Dalton was brought in this offseason for precisely this type of situation. At 34, he’s the oldest player on the Saints roster, but can still capably carve up defenses.

He’s an accurate passer with a good deep ball who goes through his reads decisively. He has the tools to efficiently run the offense, if given protection from a line that still has All-Pro RT Ryan Ramczyk, star C Erik McCoy, and underrated veteran LT James Hurst.

Andy Dalton showed that he could run this offense proficiently in limited preseason drives and throughout training camp. His ability to sustain that success against Minnesota may very well save the season for the 1-2 Saints. 

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