Any win is a good win. But the Arizona Cardinals’ victory in an exhibition game against the Las Vegas Raiders was costly, as they lost their star rookie offensive guard, Chase Bisontis, who will have surgery next week.
As a fan, you may be inclined to utter that maybe head coach Mike LaFleur shouldn’t play any starters in any of the preseason games in order to not lose players. Except Bisontis was playing with the second string,
not the starting unit. Yeah – that.
RELATED: CARDINALS GET FIRST WIN OF PRESEASON
Second verse same as the first.
The coaching staff has to know who to cut, and these games will tell that story most of the time. Some really good players have balled out in the past and became the preseason darling, and yet were released or didn’t start as expected.
With the Raiders game, several takeaways did not make the Beaks & Geek and other post-game articles.
Here goes:
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Jacoby Brissett looked established, Gardner Minshew appeared competent, and Kedon Slovis was eyeballed as one to trust
All of the game’s quarterbacks looked really good. All game.
Brissett was the biggest question mark, but marched the team down the field, made good throws when needed, and relied on his running game with both RBs Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier. The third-and-11 toss to WR Michael Wilson was an excellent throw that kept the drive going. The touchdown throw to the back corner of the end zone to WR Marv Harrison was highlight-reel stuff.
After that first drive, Minshew carried the torch. Literally. He looked like a Week 1 starter and has this offense down already. His first two possessions were an 11-play drive for 78 yards and a 10-play drive for 75 yards. Both ended in touchdowns. He used Love as both a runner and a short-gain receiver, and it worked. Nice 9-yard toss to WR Jalen Brooks, plus the touchdown thrown to WR Simi Fehoko, was on the money. Minshew hit Brooks again in the second drive for 14 and 10 yards, like the pair were college teammates. Then Minshew came out of the halftime tunnel and guided the team to a 10-play drive that ended in three points. Final outing: three drives, 17 points.
Slovis came in late in the third quarter and finished the game against a lot of second-team talent and some third-stringers. He was on point with his passes. You may say, “Well, that’s against the Raiders’ third-string guys,” which is true, but a throw to a small window exists at all levels. You still have to throw it, and Slovis did. His first drive ended in three points.
Receivers are the bomb
The Cardinals receivers are killing it. From Wilson and Harrison to the veteran Fehoko to the new guys, this group is something. Brooks continues to impress and is making his claim to end up on the main roster. The rookie Reggie Virgil also has shown promise with a sensational 19-yard grab in the fourth quarter. Kendrick Bourne should start in the slot, which leaves seven good receivers to fight it out for three spots.
Where was the pass rush?
Um, we know Josh Sweat isn’t playing in the preseason. But the remainder of the defensive line group should be fighting for jobs. DT Walter Nolen didn’t play many reps, but he got penetration into the offensive backfield with a sack and a QB hit. DT Roy Lopez played good run defense, but nothing deep. Zaven Collins, B.J. Ojulari, and L.J. Collier? The coaches have praised DE Darius Robinson, who ended up with zero stats. The side opposite Sweat has got to find a consistent pass rush.
Special teams are certainly special
K Chad Ryland missed his first field goal of the preseason, but he is collectively 4-for-5 and nailed a 56-yarder. P Blake Gillikin is an amazing punter and isn’t getting those 60+ kicks, but has consistent depth numbers. The new long snapper, Casey Kreiter, is laying his passes right where Gillikin wants the ball in order to kick his kicks off fast. Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial is still shuffling in punt and kickoff returners. With kickoff, he used WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette for a 24-yard return, then WR Devin Duvernay for a 21-yard return. It is assumed that Duvernay’s job on this roster is to return both types of kicks. He returned one punt for eight yards while Smith-Marsette returned a punt for four yards.
Defenders who are showing out
The rookie LB Karson Sharar led all defenders with five tackles, but he was everywhere. Good speed to the ball. Another linebacker, Jack Gibbens, looked great in coverage and has been reading the run well, then finding his gap. A guy who has looked exceptional in both preseason games is CB Elijah Jones. He had four tackles and has been a shadow to whichever receiver he has taken. The Cardinals will keep six cornerbacks, with Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, and Garrett Williams a lock. Max Melton should make it, and perhaps Sean Murphy-Bunting? Maybe? 11 corners on the roster presently.
Play calling
The team we as Cardinals fans should be sending condolence greeting cards to is the Detroit Lions. They ended up with Drew Petzing as their OC, their play caller, and their architect of an already good offensive group. Arizona now has LaFleur, and he is creative. And think about it: This is just a vanilla version. You can’t show your hand early, and LaFleur has restrained himself, yet the offense is looking really good. 23 offensive first downs are such a positive sign. Was 8-for-15 on third downs and 1-for-1 on the fourth-down situation. That is being aggressive. Plus, Arizona’s offense was on the field nine minutes more than the Raiders. If the Cardinals can control the clock and time of possession, that means the other team’s offense can’t score.
