In the Arizona Cardinals’ 21-13 preseason loss to the Indianapolis Colts Saturday, there were 28 players that participated in at least one of the 53 offensive snaps.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Quarterbacks
Clayton Tune 34/64, Desmond Ridder 19/36
Did not play: Kyler Murray
Similar to the first week, Tune had the edge on Ridder, this time as the starter. Despite being pressured (three sacks), he completed 8-of-10 passes for 79 yards and a 99.6 passer rating. He scored the team’s only touchdown of the game on a 12-yard run late in the half.
Ridder was 6-of-10 for 71 yards and an 81.7 rating.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon characterized Tune’s play as “pretty good. I liked how he finished the half. He made some plays with his arm and his legs.”
Asked to judge his performance, Tune said, “I thought I played well, but obviously, there’s no perfect game. So, there’s always things that you’ve got to clean up. Want to take less sacks, get the ball out quickly, but there’s always stuff to build on.”
He added, “I’ve been playing more on time, playing quicker, getting through my reads, seeing the defense and just being decisive.”
Running backs
Emari Demercado 20/38, Trey Benson 15/28, Michael Carter 9/17, Tony Jones Jr. 9/17
Did not play: James Conner, DeeJay Dallas (played only on special teams), Hassan Hall
Benson ran well with 43 yards on nine attempts and lost more yardage because of penalties. Carter had an 8-yard run and 15-yard reception.
Wide receivers
Andre Baccellia 34/64, Chris Moore 32/60, Zach Pascal 29/55, Xavier Weaver 21/40, Tejhaun Palmer 19/36, Daniel Arias 3/6
Did not play: Daylen Baldwin, Dan Chisena (played only on special teams), Greg Dortch, Marvin Harrison Jr., Zay Jones, Michael Wilson
Baccellia had the most targets with four and caught two for 27 yards. Weaver also had 27 yards on two receptions. Pascal was 2-for-18, while Moore had a catch for 16 yards and Palmer for 15.
Tight ends
Blake Whiteheart 23/43, Travis Vokolek 22/42, Tip Reiman 21/40, Bernhard Seikovits 8/15
Did not play: Elijah Higgins, Trey McBride
Seikovits had two catches for 14 yards, while Vokolek had one for six and Reiman one for three.
Offensive linemen
T Christian Jones 40/75, RG Jon Gaines II (38/72), LG Isaiah Adams 36/68, C Trystan Colon 34/64, RT Elijah Wilkinson 34/64, T Jackson Barton 30/57, G Marquis Hayes Jr. 24/45, C Keith Ismael 9/17, LT Kelvin Beachum 7/13, T Austen Pleasants 6/11, G Dennis Daley 6/11
Did not play: G/C Evan Brown, C Hjalte Froholdt, G Will Hernandez, T Paris Johnson Jr., T Jonah Williams
Gaines had a scare when he left the game with a finger injury and was said to be questionable to return, but came back. Jones had a brutal first half with four holding penalties, one that was declined. The three assessed came on consecutive plays in the second quarter. He continued playing and was penalty-free in the second half.
Johnson and others were seen talking to Jones on the sideline, to which Gannon said, “It matters to all these guys. They want to see their buddies do well. And when that happens, for whatever reason, you’ve got to make sure that you reset yourself and get back to playing fundamentally sound and have a quick memory and go out there and execute. I thought he did that for the most part in the second half.
“He actually reset at halftime and did a good job when he came back out of it. I was enthused about what he did in the second half. I was proud of him.”
Asked about talking to Jones, Tune said, “Yeah, just tell him to settle down. He’s played football before. This isn’t the first time he’s been in this situation. I’m sure he’s had holding calls called on him before. So, he knows how to handle it. You’ve just kind of got to settle him down a little bit.”
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