3 Takeaways From Arizona Cardinals Preseason Game (Week 2)
Looking at the most important moments and trends from the Arizona Cardinals 20-15 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the preseason.
As far as preseason games go, the third week is the most important. The second game, however, is directly behind it. Generally, the guys you’ll see during the regular season play for most of the first half, giving a true gauge as to where each team stands. On Friday night, on the road against the New Orleans Saints, the Arizona Cardinals absolutely delivered.
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Starting quarterback Sam Bradford and rookie Josh Rosen both engineered touchdown drives with the first-team offense to start the game, resulting in a big lead going into halftime (17-3). While Saints legend Drew Brees didn’t appear in the game, the first-team defense held New Orleans to just three first-half points.
In the second half, with fourth-string QB Chad Kanoff under center, the offense wasn’t as dynamic. Additionally, Arizona’s defense, mostly a reserve unit at that point, allowed three scores — all in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals were outscored 12-3 in the second half but managed to win their second preseason game by a 20-15 final score.
Overall, the game was a success for the Cardinals, mainly because the first-unit played so well. And while you would have liked to see peak performance from everyone, the truth is that a lot of guys who played in the second half won’t be huge contributors come Week 1.
With all that said, let’s look at the things that stood out the most.