Safety Kerry Rhodes scooped up a fumble and raced for a touchdown as the Arizona Cardinals benefited from two defensive scores to post a 30-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie also returned the third of Drew Brees' interceptions 28 yards for a touchdown with 10 seconds to play to seal the win for Arizona (3-2), which gained sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

After Jay Feely kicked his third field goal of the day to give the Cardinals a 16-13 lead, Rhodes picked up a fumble by Ladell Betts and scampered 27 yards untouched into the end zone.

Brees tried to rally New Orleans with his second touchdown pass - a 35-yard scoring strike to Robert Meachem with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter - but Rodgers-Cromartie stepped in front of Lance Moore on the Saints' next drive to end the game.

Brees completed 24 of 39 passes for 294 yards for New Orleans (3-2), which fell behind the Arizona Falcons (4-1) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) in the competitive NFC South.

Rookie quarterback Max Hall completed 17 of 27 passes for 168 yards with an interception in his first NFL start for the Cardinals.

Hall also fumbled while he rushed toward the goal line, but offensive lineman Levi Brown scooped up the ball and scored to tie the game at 10-10 with 2:19 remaining in the second quarter.

John Carney connected on field goals of 31 and 32 yards, but missed a 29-yard attempt with the game tied at 13-13 late in the third quarter. The 46-year-old Carney was signed by the Saints nearly two weeks ago as Garrett Hartley's struggles continued.