Arizona
Cardinals
11-3
21
FINAL
51
New Orleans
Saints
13-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a dominant performance, the New Orleans Saints topped the Arizona Cardinals 51-21 in Week 16 of the 2026 season. With playoff implications hanging in the balance, the Saints secured a crucial victory to bolster their postseason hopes.
Leading the charge for New Orleans was quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for an astonishing 523 yards and six touchdowns, showcasing his elite ability under pressure. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton was a standout target, racking up 187 receiving yards to further solidify the Saints' aerial assault. Despite the Cardinals' efforts, Jalen Hurts struggled to find momentum on the ground, finishing with just 28 rushing yards.
Defensively, the Saints made their mark with a solid performance, highlighted by Cam Taylor-Britt's six total tackles and Tykee Smith's crucial interception. The turning point came late in the second quarter when a pivotal interception by Smith shifted the momentum entirely, leading to a quick touchdown that put the Saints ahead by two scores. New Orleans’ defense played a crucial role in containing the Cardinals’ offense, allowing a comfortable lead that they maintained throughout the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams | QB | 42 | 26 | 62% | 523 | 6 | 0 | 145.1 |
| Jalen Hurts | QB | 35 | 15 | 43% | 234 | 3 | 1 | 82.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Hurts | QB | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Nyheim Miller-Hines | HB | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Christian Kirk | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 6 | 187 | 31.2 | 63 | 1 | 62 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 10 | 147 | 14.7 | 74 | 3 | 58 | 1 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | 2 | 95 | 47.5 | 31 | 1 | 78 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 5 | 85 | 17.0 | 11 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| Christian Kirk | WR | 2 | 71 | 35.5 | 11 | 1 | 48 | 0 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 12 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Marquise Brown | WR | 2 | 35 | 17.5 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Tucker Kraft | TE | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Nyheim Miller-Hines | HB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Calvin Ridley | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Greenard | REDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Hines-Allen | REDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | WILL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| John Franklin-Myers | DT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Taylor-Britt | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cor'Dale Flott | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Talanoa Hufanga | SS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ernest Jones IV | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrel Bernard | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Geno Stone | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kerby Joseph | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Pitre | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Camryn Bynum | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Izien | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Marlon Humphrey | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alim McNeill | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kalen DeLoach | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damone Clark | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Okada | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kiko Mauigoa | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Watson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deion Jones | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey Smack | K | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 3 | 3 | 6 | 51 |
| Ethan Evans | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

