Cardinals Fall in Preseason Contest
A loss is frustrating no matter if it’s in the preseason, regular season, or playoffs. For the Arizona Cardinals’ first team offense and defense the game was a success, but the whole team left the field with a 34-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
When Carson Palmer took the field he only lasted one series, but he made his mark. Completing all four passes he threw for 77 yards, Palmer helped the Cardinals get a touchdown on their first drive. One of his completions was to Andre Ellington, where Palmer threaded the ball between two defenders and Ellington went for 57 yards to the 5-yard line.
On the preceding Chiefs drive, Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Alex Smith giving Arizona the ball. Back-up Drew Stanton could not advance the ball and Chandler Catanzaro gave the Cardinals a 10-0 lead.
The Chiefs proceeded to score the next 31 points. Smith remained the Chiefs quarterback through all of the first quarter as the Cardinals put their second team defense in after the Mathieu interception. Kansas City did not get on the scoreboard until the beginning of the second quarter, when Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal.
At the beginning of the second quarter the Cardinals began to put in third string players, and the Chiefs put in their second string. This is when the game gets a bit lopsided. Chiefs’ quarterback Chase Daniel is one of the best back-ups in the game, and he showed it. He put together three straight scoring drives, but this was against third and fourth string players. Daniel’s most impressive drive came at the end of the second quarter when the team went 78 yards in 68 seconds for a touchdown.
It was well into the 4th quarter before the Cardinals got back on to the scoreboard via a safety. Rodney Gunter sacked quarterback, Aaron Murray, in the end zone after the Cardinals were unable to convert on 4th down inside the five-yard line.
Arizona’s fourth string quarterback Philip Sims, reminded fans of a young Michael Vick. He was able to escape many tackles when faced with pressure, but many of his receivers were unable to secure catches. Sims was able to get the final points of the night with a late 4th quarter touchdown to Travis Harvey.
Aug 15, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas (6) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in a preseason NFL football game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
One player, who really stuck out in a good way from the first preseason game, was Logan Thomas. Thomas, who made a brief appearance in 2014, was unable to get points on the board but seemed to be poised in the pocket and more accurate with his throws. He is nowhere near being ready to make a run for the starting job, but he is taking step in the right direction to make his way up the depth chart.
This game may have not been what fans wanted to see, but it proved a point. The Cardinals first team offense and defense is heading in the right direction, but as they prepare for the team’s second preseason game against the San Diego Chargers they need to look at their back-ups to improve.
The Arizona Cardinals host the Chargers next Saturday at 7 pm MT.