The Arizona Cardinals lost their second straight game of the preseason, falling 20-9 to the Minnesota Vikings on the road. They took an early 3-0 lead, gave up a quick touchdown, pulled ahead before halftime and never scored again, giving up two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
What did we learn from the game?
Clap-gate continues
As outlined in this article, the Cardinals could not avoid more issues with clapping. Kyler Murray did not clap at all while he was in the game, but backup QB Brett Hundley was penalized twice for false starts because of clapping. Coach Kliff Kingsbury would not comment about it after the game.
Murray looked good
After struggling against the Oakland Raiders, Murray looked good. He led the offense on three scoring drives — all field goals — and passed the ball well. His accuracy and athleticism were on display. He completed 14-of-21 passes for 137 yards.
LB Joe Walker moves up
Walker had missed some time in training camp with an injury. Dennis Gardeck had been getting all the first-team reps at linebacker next to Jordan Hicks. However, Walker replaced Gardeck with the starters on Saturday.
One defensive hiccup but solid play from starters
The starting defense looked suspect once again on one play, giving up an 85-yard touchdown run to Dalvin Cook. However, outside of that one play, the starters did well. They forced punts on the other three possessions the starters were out there, twice forcing three-and-outs. After getting gashed for 199 yards on three possessions in two previous games, this was promising, especially with the Cardinals starting Tramaine Brock and Byron Murphy at cornerback.
Zane Gonzalez’s great preseason continues
Gonzalez was again perfect, hitting three field goals. He has not missed in the preseason. The Cardinals have been openly confident in him, and he is proving to make their decision not to bring anyone else in to be the right one.
Rookies flash
Kyler Murray played well. Defensive end Zach Allen picked up half a sack, batted down a pass, forced a fumble and had two tackles. He was very active. Michael Dogbe picked up a sack while playing with the starters. KeeSean Johnson had seven catches for 85 yards. It was a good day for the draft picks.
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