Grading Andy Dalton's performance from a frigid Week 16 win

The New Orleans Saints continue to get the job done as their NFL Playoff hopes are still alive and well. After their 17-10 Week 16 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the Saints are now 6-9 in a very tight NFC South division race. It will likely come down to the final regular season game to see who wins the division which makes for some exciting few weeks ahead.

For now, quarterback Andy Dalton continues to do what he does best. Sure, his Week 16 performance wasn't as stellar as last week's against the Atlanta Falcons but he played pretty well under center. Don't let the stats sheet fool you, the one interception wasn't even his fault as it was tipped as one can't even blame him due to playing in such extreme cold.

Dalton's final stat line was eight completions on 15 attempts for a 53.5 completion percentage, 92 passing yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Granted, 15 attempts isn't a lot but even then, this should have been the game to run the football in a ground-and-pound offensive effort from start to finish.

Andy Dalton earns a B+ in Week 16 Saints win over Browns

Regardless, Dalton earned a B+ for his efforts in what will go down as the coldest game ever played in Saints history in below-freezing weather. Sure, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. should have run the football more but at the end of the day, Dalton did what was asked of him in a must-win game to keep the Saints playing meaningful football in December.

There is no quit in this team and when you have an experienced veteran quarterback like Dalton, he'll do his best to keep this team heading in the right direction. Now that this game is officially in the books, Who Dat Nation can enjoy the gift of victory during this holiday weekend.