The Arizona Cardinals played their second preseason game of the year Thursday night, falling to the Oakland Raiders. They fell behind early 26-0 and then made it somewhat competitive in the second half.
That said, it is still the preseason. So what did we learn from the game?
Clapping is an issue
Kyler Murray was penalized twice for false starts on his claps before the ball was snapped. Brett Hundley was penalized once in the preseason opener. It was clear there is some sort of disconnect with the officials, the Cardinals and what exactly is allowed.
Both Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury seemed confident things will get ironed out in the weeks to come.
The offense was terrible
As exciting as it was to see Murray’s success against the Chargers last week, it was tough to watch the starting offense against the Raiders. They produced 12 total yards in four possessions. Their two first downs came as a result of penalties. Murray was 3-of-8 passing and sacked twice, including once for a safety. David Johnson picked up only six yards on four carries.
Nothing went well.
The starting defense was bad
The starting defense played two possessions. They gave up a touchdown and a field goal. They forced only one third down. The run defense wasn’t good and neither was the pass defense.
Defense allowed perfect passers
How bad was the pass defense overall?
Both Derek Carr and Mike Glennon finished with perfect passer ratings. Nathan Peterson was a perfect 8-or-8 passing. The three quarterbacks combined for only three incompletions to go with three touchdown passes. Glennon had all three incompletions.
Penalties still an issue
The Cardinals finished with 14 penalties for 108 yards. They had seven for 59 yards in the first quarter alone. That was after nine penalties in the preseason opener and Kliff Kingsbury said they needed to clean things up.
KeeSean Johnson announced as a starter
The offensive starters were announced before the game as the players came out of the tunnel. Rookie receiver KeeSean Johnson was announced among them. He got snaps on the first, second and third-team offense but it is clear he has made an impression.
New captains for game
The team has not voted on captains yet so Kliff Kingsbury assigns them for the games. On Thursday, the captains were tackle Marcus Gilbert, center A.Q. Shipley, defensive lineman Corey Peters and linebackers Terrell Suggs and Chandler Jones.
Joshua Miles moves up
Seventh-round pick Joshua Miles moved up on the depth chart. He was moved up to the second-team offense at left tackle, where Rees Odhiambo played last week. Odhiambo was moved down to the third-team offense at left guard.
Trent Sherfield scores again
After hauling a touchdown reception last week, Sherfield scored again against the Raiders. This time, it was a 40-yard bomb from Brett Hundley.
Andy Isabella scores on first catch
Isabella got his first preseason action and made his first reception count. His first reception went for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Mr. Irrelevant is relevant
Isabella wasn’t the only rookie to score. Wilson, the last pick in the draft, scored a touchdown on the final play of the game. He finished with three receptions for 23 yards.
No problem at backup QB
If there were concerns about Brett Hundley being the Cardinals’ backup QB, there aren’t anymore. He had his second straight strong performance. He went 10-of-15 passing for 139 yards and a touchdown.
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