Arizona Cardinals V Cincinnati Bengals: Studs and Duds
By Tony Fischer
Aug 24, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Mohamed Sanu(12) dodges a tackle by Arizona Cardinals cornerback
Antonio Cromartie(31) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
As a dress rehearsal goes the Arizona Cardinals V Cincinnati Bengals didn’t live up to expectations.
At least from the Cardinals perspective.
There were some disappointments in the Cardinals 19-13 loss to the Bengals. The 1st team offense had trouble getting any momentum and failed to score a touchdown.
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The defense looked rusty as players like John Abraham worked to knock off the dust after missing most of training camp and preseason.
Despite the loss, there were a few standout performances for the Cardinals. The running game finally started coming together and defensive line looked strong even after losing Darnell Dockett to a season ending injury.
Here are some of the Studs and some of the Duds from preseason game number three.
Arizona Cardinals V Cincinnati Bengals Studs and Duds
The Studs
Drew Stanton looked sharp completing 10 of 13 passes for 108 yards. He engineered the Cardinals only touchdown drive when he threw a touchdown pass to John Brown in the third quarter.
Andre Ellington had a solid game rushing averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Expectations are high for the Ellington this season and the results were positive after his heaviest workload of the preseason.
Larry Fitzgerald bailed out starting quarterback Carson by making some clutch catches in traffic on Sunday. Fitzgerald had his highest receiving total of the preseason with 71 yards including 43 yard catch.
The Duds
Carson Palmer struggled in the game completing only 7 of 19 passes for 92 yards. Palmers awful performance was highlighted by an interception returned for a touchdown by Bengals corner Terrence Newman gave Cincinnati the early lead. Fitzgerald later took credit for the INT saying a miscommunication led to the turnover.
"“I didn’t break across the corner’s face and I’ve got to do that,” Fitzgerald said, adding that he can’t let the quarterback “hang out to dry.”"
Antonio Cromartie looked a step behind the Bengals receivers all night by missing some key tackles including an open field wiff against Mohamad Sanu. He also looked over matched against one of the NFL’s premiere receivers in AJ Green.
Riverfrontball, the Cincinnati Fansided wrote about the victory over the Cardinals. For their story click here.
The Cardinals last preseason game will take place August 28th against the San Diego Chargers at 7:00 p.m.
To view the full schedule, click here.
To read the Cincinnati Bengals Fansided recap of the game, click here.
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