Cardinals vs. Saints – Syndication Server

Preseason Game 1 takeaways, rookie performances, studs and duds

A look back at the Cardinals’ first preseason game with Jess Root and Seth Cox on the podcast.

After the Arizona Cardinals’ preseason opener, a 16-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Seth Cox and I recorded a new episode of the podcast.

We looked back at the Cardinals’ game against the Saints.

We first look at the quarterback battle to back up Kyler Murray between Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune. Tune clearly won the game battle, but I am not convinced that the decision has already been mostly made, as in they are competing, but it will take a lot for Tune to surpass him.

We look at the rookies’ performances. Darius Robinson, Xavier Thomes, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Xavier Weaver had good performances. Isaiah Adams, Elijah Jones and Tejhaun Palmer had struggles.

We talked about the other studs and duds from the game and looked ahead at the Cardinals’ week against the Indianapolis Colts with joint practices and preseason matchup.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

In his hometown, Saints QB Spencer Rattler leads team to win over Cardinals

Rattler gets his first game action in the NFL and beats his hometown team.

Playing in the second half, rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler returned to his hometown Saturday night and in his NFL debut led the New Orleans Saints to a 16-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Is it fair to say he wasn’t rattled? (Is that even worth a drum roll? Maybe not!)

The Pinnacle High School product who was drafted in the fifth round this year by the Saints, scored a on a four-yard touchdown run to give the Saints a 13-7 lead in the third quarter and then drove the team 56 yards on 12 plays for the game-winning 37-yard field goal with five seconds remaining.

“It was a fun first game,” he said. “We could have done a lot more things cleaner and made it easier for ourselves. We kept it tight until the end and you couldn’t have asked for a better finish in a two-minute situation.”

Although he was 9-for-17 for 70 yards in his two quarters of action, in the winning drive, Rattler completed 6-of-9 passes for 44 yards with one third-down conversion.

He said overall, “We had zero issues with the operation. The operation went super-smooth. We could have had better execution here and there; that is what first games are for to work those kinks out. First live game I was happy to go in there and play ball, put my foot on the gas and come out with a win.”

“I thought he executed with poise,” head coach Dennis Allen said. “I thought he made some plays. I thought he was able to create a little bit with his feet when things didn’t go exactly how you wanted it to. I thought he did a good job, I thought (Jake) Haener did well. I thought he came in and executed his job. I was pleased with what we were able to accomplish there with those two players.

“We’re going to go back and we’re going to look at the tape and we are going to make the corrections that we need to make. There’s some things we have to be better at, but I thought overall for our first preseason game and this being Spencer’s first shot out, I was pleased with what I saw.”

Haener, who was a fourth-round pick in 2023, was 9-for-13 for 107 yards, including a 58-yard play to wide receiver A.T. Perry that set up a field goal at the end of the first half.

“Not bad for a guy with a weak arm,” Haener said. “I just had to step up in the pocket and give my guy a shot and I think I got it down there pretty good.”

Noting the scoring drives at the end of each half, Allen said, “You can never get enough of that type of situational work and I think in particular for those young guys to be put in those situations I thought both of them responded well.”

Haener played in the game after having 32 stitches to remove a cancerous growth on his face earlier in the week.

He said, “They got it all out. It didn’t spread to my nerves. They’re all fired up about that. They had to go a little deeper. So, just got it taken care of and they stitched me up good. They didn’t want me to practice all week, but you kind of have to when you’re in (this) role. So we had to get it done, and go out today and just cover it up. The stitches should be out on Monday.”

Meanwhile, asked about controlling his emotions with people he knows in the crowd, Rattler said, “It was awesome to be back and see everybody, obviously. My mom (Susan) is a second-grade teacher out here (Paradise Valley School District). All her students came out and a lot of my friends and family. It was fun.

“I thought I handled it well, sitting out that first half. Really getting to see and watch every play and see the flow of the game then go out the next half and play ball.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Unsung pass-catchers show out for Cardinals in second half

Dan Chisena and other guys stood out in the second half.

It wasn’t exactly a murderer’s row of Arizona Cardinals pass-catchers that were in the game in the second half with Clayton Tune at quarterback. However, Tune completed 15 passes to eight receivers in the final two quarters and was especially productive on third down.

Who were those guys, or can you name that Tune?

Wide receiver Dan Chisena (5-67), running back Tony Jones Jr. (3-24 with a 10-yard touchdown), wide receiver Andre Baccellia (2-27) and five with one catch: tight end Blake Whiteheart (18 yards), wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (13), wide receiver Xavier Weaver (9), tight end Travis Vokolek (8) and tight end Bernhard Seikovits (1).

In the first half, the Cardinals were 1-for-6 on third down. That improved to 5-for-8 in the final two quarters, including 3-for-3 on two touchdown drives.

On the first, Whiteheart had his 18-yarder to the New Orleans 30-yard line and four plays later, running back Michael Carter scored on an 11-yard run.

On the last, a 12-yard completion to Jones came on the first set of downs of the possession on third-and-10 from the Cardinals’ 24-yard line. Later in the drive, another third-and-10 resulted in a 27-yard completion to Chisena. He had three third-down successes for 46 yards in the second half.

The three plays that did not result in third downs were the 13-yarder to Palmer on third-and-15, a 7-yard run by Tune on third-and-10 and an incomplete pass on third-and-8.

Said Tune, “I was really pleased with how those guys stepped up. Made some really great plays on some crucial third downs. Really happy with how they played.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Cardinals preseason Game 1 defensive, special teams snaps and observations

Check out how the Cardinals split up their defensive snaps and special teams snaps.

In the Arizona Cardinals’ 16-14 preseason loss to the New Orleans Saints Saturday night, 31 players participated in at least one of the 69 defensive snaps and 50 that played at least one of the 25 special teams snaps.

The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.

Defensive linemen

Ben Stille 29/42, Dante Stills 29/42, Myles Murphy 23/33, Phil Hoskins 20/29, Khyiris Tonga 18/26, Roy Lopez 16/23, Naquan Jones 14/20, L.J. Collier 11/16, Darius Robinson 11/16
Did not play: Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols

Robinson had a tackle on the first play of the game and also drew a holding penalty. He played only 11 snaps, but made his presence felt. Said head coach Jonathan Gannon, “He looked good. I need to watch some tape on that, but I saw that he made one play in there. I saw him get pounded on a double and they didn’t move him, so he looked good.”

Stills had three solo tackles, while Lopez also had three tackles with one solo. Hoskins and Murphy had neutral-zone infractions in the Saints’ game-winning field-goal drive.

Linebackers

OLB Xavier Thomas 34,49, ILB Owen Pappoe 34/49, OLB Jesse Luketa 31/45, OLB Tyreke Smith 31/45, ILB Markus Bailey 26/38, OLB Victor Dimukeje 25/36, ILB Krys Barnes 25/36, ILB Tyreek Maddox-Williams 24/35, OLB Cam Thomas 23/33, ILB Trevor Nowaske 17/25
Did not play: OLB Zaven Collins, OLB Dennis Gardeck, ILB Kyzir White, ILB Mack Wilson Sr.

Xavier Thomas was a standout with three tackles (two solo), one of which was for loss. He added a sack and two quarterback hits. Bailey tied for the team lead with four tackles (three solo), Nowaske had three solo tackles and Pappoe had three tackles (two solo). Cam Thomas had a solo tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. Smith also had a QB hit.

Defensive backs

S Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson 38/55, CB Divaad Wilson 34/49, CB Darren Hall 33/48, S Verone McKinley III 31/45, CB Michael Ojemudia 30/43, CB Elijah Jones 26/38, S Andre Chachere 26/38, CB Starling Thomas V 25/36, S Joey Blount 24/35, CB Bobby Price 18/26, CB Jaden Davis 18/26, CB Kei’Trel Clark 15/22
Did not play: S Budda Baker, CB Delonte Hood, CB Max Melton, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, S Jalen Thompson, CB Garrett Williams

Demerson-Taylor and Hall had four tackles (three solo). Hall also had a forced fumble and pass defensed. Thomas had a pass breakup that was a near interception.

Gannon likes what he’s seen of the rookie Taylor-Demerson’s progress: “He is one that has been under the radar. He is doing a really good job. He is playing fourth down too. I thought he was in the right spot most of the game. I saw him have a couple of violent hits.”

Special teams

LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams 16/64, CB Bobby Price 14/56, LB Jesse Luketa 13/52, LB Markus Bailey 12/48, LB Trevor Nowaske 12/48, RB/KR Tony Jones Jr. 11/44, CB Elijah Jones 11/44, S Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor Demerson 11/44, LB Xavier Thomas 11/44, WR Dan Chisena 10/40, RB/KR DeeJay Dallas 9/36, TE Blake Whiteheart 8/32, S Andre Chachere 8/32, LB Owen Pappoe 7/28, P Blake Gillikin 7/28, WR/KR Xavier Weaver 6/24, TE Travis Vokolek 6/24, CB Divaad Wilson 6/24, S Joey Blount 6/24, LB Cam Thomas 6/24, WR Zach Pascal 5/20, TE Tip Reiman 5/20, CB Darren Hall 5/20, S Verone McKinley III 5/20, LB Tyreke Smith 5/20, K Matt Prater 5/20, DL Ben Stille 4/16, LB Victor Dimukeje 4/16, CB Kei’Trel Clark 4/16, LS Aaron Brewer 4/16, LB Krys Barnes 3/12, CB Jaden Davis 3/12, LS Joe Shimko 3/12, G Marquis Hayes 2/8, T Christian Jones 2/8, C Keith Ismael 2/8, G Isaiah Adams 2/8, T Jackson Barton 2/8, T Austen Pleasants 2/8, WR Andre Baccellia 2/8, TE Bernhard Seikovits 2/8, CB Michael Ojemudia 2/8, DL Dante Stills 2/8, DL Myles Murphy 2/8, DL Naquan Jones 2/8, WR Daniel Arias 1/4, WR Chris Moore 1/4, TE Elijah Higgins 1/4, DL Phil Hoskins 1/4, DL Khyiris Tonga 1/4

On returns, Weaver had two punts for 34 yards and a kickoff return for 28. Dallas had three punt returns for 20 yards and a kickoff return for 30. Tony Jones Jr. had a 22-yard kickoff return.

Gillikin averaged 44.2 yards on five punts with a long of 57, but had a net of 35.4 because of a touchback and 39-yard punt.

Players with solo tackles on special-teams coverage were Bailey, Nowaske, Pappoe, Dallas and Tyreke Smith. Brewer and Shimko shared snaps on punts with Shimko handling three of the five. Brewer snapped on both extra points.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Cardinals preseason Game 1 offensive snap counts, observations vs. Saints

A look at how the Cardinals split up their 71 offensive snaps against the Saints and what we can learn from it.

In the Arizona Cardinals 16-14 preseason loss to the New Orleans Saints Saturday night, there were 29 players that participated in at least one of the 71 offensive snaps.

The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.

Quarterbacks

Clayton Tune 42/59, Desmond Ridder 29/41
Did not play: Kyler Murray

Ridder started and played the first half, while Tune played the entire second half. Ridder and the backup offense faced Saints starters for a large part of the first two quarters, while Tune and the third unit played against the New Orleans second and third unit. The competition for the backup job to Murray will be ongoing for the next two weeks.

Running backs

Michael Carter 20/28, Tony Jones Jr. 19/27, Trey Benson 18/25, DeeJay Dallas 14/20
Did not play: James Conner, Emari Demercado

Carter was the leading rusher with 41 yards on seven carries and scored on an 11-yard run. Benson was 8-21, Dallas 3-21 and Jones 5-11. He was the only running back to catch any passes (3-24) and scored on a 10-yard play. Demercado suffered a shoulder injury earlier in the week in practice. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said of Benson, “I thought he ran it in there (well). I’m sure he’ll have a lot to learn from. I thought the first couple of carries he was seeing it a little bit, then I thought he stepped on the gas a couple of times as he got riled up and got going.”

Wide receivers

Xavier Weaver 38/54, Tejhaun Palmer 33/36, Zach Pascal 31/44, Andre Baccellia 23/32, Dan Chisena 22/31, Chris Moore 21/30, Daniel Arias 13/18, Marvin Harrison Jr. (3/4)
Did not play: Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Jeff Smith, Michael Wilson

Chisena was the team leader in receptions (five on five targets) and yards (63). In addition to two catches for 12 yards, Weaver also had a three-yard run. Pascal had one reception, which was Ridder’s long gain of 22 yards. Three other receivers had catches: Baccellia, Moore and Palmer, who was targeted six times.

Harrison was in for three plays on a possession that began at the 10-yard line. After a one-yard run, Ridder was sacked on second down back to the five-yard line and Carter ran for nine yards on third and 15. Asked what Harrison gained from it, Gannon said, “His routine of what it looks like when he leaves the hotel, gets on the bus, gets here and warms up; all of that stuff. We ended up being backed up there, so there were some different plays because I wanted to see him touch it a little bit. But he’s good to go. He’ll learn from today too.”

Tight ends

Blake Whiteheart 31/44, Travis Vokolek 29/41, Tip Reiman 22/31, Bernhard Seikovits 12/17, Elijah Higgins 6/8
Did not play: Trey McBride

Whiteheart (2-22), Vokolek (1-8) and Seikovits (1-1) had receptions with Whiteheart and Seikovits having three targets.

Offensive linemen

G Marquis Hayes 52/73, RG Dennis Daley 49/69, T Christian Jones 46/65, C Keith Ismael 42/59, LG Isaiah Adams 41/58, T Jackson Barton 39/55, T Austen Pleasants 32/45, C Trystan Colon 29/41, LT Elijah Wilkinson 19/27, RT Kelvin Beachum 6/8
Did not play: G/C Evan Brown, C Hjalte Froholdt, C/G Jon Gaines II, G Will Hernandez, T Paris Johnson Jr., T Jonah Williams

With six linemen sitting it out, there were essentially two units that played together. Adams played with the first and second units and was taken out at one point after allowing a sack on a second-and-1 play. Beachum was at midfield as the game captain for the coin toss.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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For now at least, on-key QB Clayton Tune has leg up on Desmond Ridder

Score it Round 1 for Clayton Tune.

That’s the consensus following the Arizona Cardinals’ 16-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints Saturday night, but it comes with a caveat.

With quarterback Kyler Murray not playing, Desmond Ridder started and played the entire first half. However, he was joined by all backups, save for rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who was on the field only on the first Cardinals possession of the game, which lasted three plays.

Tune played the entire second half, while beginning and ending his playing time with touchdown drives. He was surrounded by the third team, which also faced the Saints’ second and third unit. The offensive line consisted mostly of left tackle Austen Pleasants, left guard Isaiah Adams, center Keith Ismael, right guard Marquis Hayes and right tackle Jackson Barton.

Trailing 6-0 to start the third quarter, Tune led the Cardinals on a nine-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in a Michael Carter 11-yard touchdown run for a 7-6 lead. An 11-play, 76-yard drive gave the Cardinals a 14-13 lead on a 10-yard scoring pass to running back Tony Jones Jr. with 1:55 to play. On the first drive, Tune completed 4-of-5 passes for 54 yards and he was 5-for-9 for 61 yards on the final one.

“Good command and he played fast,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said. “I thought he made some throws in there too. Some guys stepped up and made some plays. I thought he was aware of what was going on out there, making correct decisions and he made some plays.”

Said Tune, “I definitely felt more comfortable. I felt like I was seeing the defense and (I was) confident in the game plan, so I felt like I was seeing it well and playing on time. I had a good bead on what they were doing. Just felt like I had a plan pre-snap, and then post-snap I was able to confirm that plan.”

Last year as a rookie, Tune was learning and also was high on numerous passes to the sideline in preseason games. That wasn’t the case Saturday.

“I think being more decisive helps you throw the ball better,” he said. “When you know where you’re going with the ball, you’re able to throw it with a little more anticipation.”

For the game, Tune was 15-for-24 for 163 yards and a passer rating of 96.4.

Ridder wasn’t as fortunate, completing 4-of-9 passes for 43 yards and a 59.0 rating, although he was productive with his legs gaining 39 yards on five carries, including one for 22 yards.

In the first quarter, the Cardinals totaled 27 yards on 10 plays and didn’t have a first down. On their first four possessions, it was 17 plays for 55 yards until managing three first downs and 57 yards on 10 plays on the final possession of the half. A big miss came on fourth-and-2 from the New Orleans 12 with 32 seconds remaining when a pass that might have gone for a touchdown was beyond the reach of wide-open wide receiver Andre Baccellia.

Asked about Ridder’s play, Gannon said, “You’d like to get some first downs, but that’s just not on the quarterback. That’s on everybody. He’s not blocking for himself and he’s not running routes for himself. I think as a whole we have to do a little bit better. I thought we were a little leaky a little bit in pass-pro. It seemed like Des was off the spot a little too much and a little too quick, but I thought the run game looked pretty good.

“We’re going to play physical and violent and we have to be able to move people on the line of scrimmage and get our backs going.”

After two days of practice and then a game against the Colts this week, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Tune is the starter on Saturday.

As for the battle for the backup job, Tune said, “I’m not really thinking about it, but I’m not actively avoiding it. I just focus on improving my game each and every day and focusing on what I can do.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

5 defensive, special teams takeaways in Cardinals’ loss to Saints

Check out what we took away from the Cardinals’ defense and special teams in their 16-14 loss to the Saints on Saturday.

Evaluations are always difficult in preseason games when there are a myriad of different players on the field throughout the four quarters, while taking into account who the opponents are at any moment. That was certainly the case Saturday evening in the Arizona Cardinals’ 16-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Having said that, here are my observations for the defense and special teams, keeping in mind that not playing were defensive linemen Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones; linebackers Kyzir White, Mack Wilson Sr., Zaven Collins and Dennis Gardeck; cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting, Garrett Williams and Max Melton; and safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson.

Backups vs. Saints starters, including quarterback Derek Carr

In the first quarter, New Orleans gained only 44 yards on 18 plays (2.4 average) and had two first downs, was 1-for-5 on third down and punted three times.

Starters on defense for the Cardinals included linebackers Owen Pappoe and Jesse Luketa, cornerback Divaad Wilson and safeties Joey Blount and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.

Taylor-Demerson tied for the team lead with four tackles (three solo), while Pappoe had three (two solo). The latter had a good tackle on running back Jamaal Williams on the second possession, limiting him to two yards on third-and-12.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon said, “I thought they hung in, they battled. The field position kinda wasn’t in our favor early if I remember right and we battled and made some stops so that was good to see.”

Over the top

Gannon took responsibility for a second-and-1 play from the Saints 21-yard line with 22 seconds remaining in the first half when Jake Haener connected on a 58-yard pass to the deep left where wide receiver A.T. Perry beat rookie cornerback Elijah Jones. After two scrimmage plays, Blake Grupe kicked a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the half to give the Saints a 6-0 lead.

“I wasn’t pleased with the end of two-minute,” Gannon said. “That was a miscommunication issue on the coaches, myself, so we gotta get that cleaned up because it led to points there.”

Lack of discipline

After quarterback Clayton Tune led an 11-play, 76-yard drive to give the Cardinals a 14-13 lead with 1:55 remaining in the game, the deep backup defense couldn’t stop the Saints and local Arizona high-school quarterback product Spencer Rattler from moving 56 yards in 12 plays for the game-winning 37-yard field goal by Charlie Smyth with five seconds remaining.

Most crucial were two five-yard penalties for lining up in the neutral zone. The second was by rookie free-agent defensive lineman Myles Murphy on second-and-10 from the Arizona 37-yard line.

Worse was one on defensive lineman Phil Hoskins on third-and-6 from the Arizona 44-yard line that set up third-and-1 and resulted in a first down.

“That’s disappointing,” Gannon said. “Gotta stay onside and play by the rules.”

Rookie edge Xavier Thomas shows out

The Cardinals’ fifth-round pick opened some eyes as the team looks for help after BJ Ojulari was lost for the season because of a torn ACL.

Thomas had three tackles (two solo) with one for loss, one sack and two quarterback hits. The sack for a four-yard loss came in the fourth quarter on a third-and-5 play from the Cardinals 47-yard line that led to a punt.

Said Gannon, “I thought he played high, high motor; high effort which was really good to see. I saw a violent edge out there. I think he rushed pretty good. He was definitely back around the mix. He caught my eye. He’ll have a lot to learn from too, but it was good to see him out there lathered up and playing.”

New kickoff rule

Of the seven kickoffs, six were returned, but none for more than 30 yards.

Three Matt Prater kickoffs were returned 29, 25 and 27 yards with the eventual line of scrimmage the 27, 25 and 30.

For the Cardinals, DeeJay Dallas had a 30-yard return to the 31-yard line, Xavier Weaver had a 28-yard return to the 30 and Tony Jones Jr. had a 22-yard return to the 37. The touchback occurred after the winning field goal when New Orleans elected not to risk a long return.

Asked his reaction overall, Gannon said, “I can’t wait to watch the tape right now. We got it out a couple times. One popped on us a little bit. It was interesting to see them kick it through there on the last one, so it was good. We’ll have a lot to learn from off the tape.”

Weaver had punt returns of 19 and 15 yards. Prater had no field-goal attempts and celebrated his 40th birthday with two extra points, the final one giving the Cardinals their late lead.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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5 takeaways on offense from Cardinals’ 16-14 preseason loss to Saints

What did we learn from the Cardinals’ offense in their loss to the Saints on Saturday? Find out!

The Arizona Cardinals came away from their first preseason game on Saturday having lost the game 16-14 on a last-second field goal after they took the lead with under two minutes remaining.

Offensively, they finished with 328 total yards. But they had two second-half touchdowns and scored a go-ahead touchdown when they needed it.

What can we take away from the loss?

We’re not going to see starters

We already knew that quarterback Kyler Murray is going to play in the preseason. But the only expected starter on offense who got any work on Saturday was rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. If they didn’t play in this game and won’t play in the preseason finale, with joint practices in Indianpaolis next week, we shouldn’t expect to see them play at all in the preseason.

Nothing for Harrison

Harrison did start, but his time on the field lasted one series for three plays. He came out after that.

That wasn’t exactly the plan. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said the plan was to get him the ball early in the game before coming out. They went three-and-out and the plays they were going to call changed after Desmond Ridder was sacked on the second offensive play.

Offense overmatched early, but bounced back a little bit

The Cardinals didn’t pick up a first down until the second quarter. They didn’t score in the first half.

Through one quarter, the offense generated 17 yards. However, they were going up the Saints’ starters on defense, so that could be why.

Their two second-quarter possessions ended in turnovers on downs, the final one coming when they passed on kicking a field goal.

The run game still there

The Cardinals had the No. 4 run game last season and appear to good still in that department, even with their reserves. They rushed for 145 yards as a team.

Clayton Tune looked way better

Tune struggled in preseason action last year as a rookie and was awful in his one start in the regular season.

Against the Saints, he looked good. He had great throws, placed well with the right amount of velocity and touch.

You could tell he was much more comfortable and he said that he knew what he was doing with the ball much more than as a rookie. That led to better ball placement. Seen as the underdog to win the backup quarterback job behind Ridder, he might make this competition good.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

4 players who hurt their stock in the Cardinals’ 16-14 preseason loss to the Saints

The Cardinals lost on Saturday. Some players helped their stock in the loss. These players hurt their stock some.

The Arizona Cardinals lost their preseason opener on Saturday night 16-14 to the New Orleans Saints on a last-second field goal. The final score ultimately doesn’t matter much because the game was decided by players who are fighting for just a spot on the roster and many who will not play football in 2024 after final cuts.

What matters are the individual performances within their roles. Some players helped their stock.

A few players hurt their stock. In particular, these four players did.

QB Desmond Ridder

Ridder didn’t look great in training camp and that continued against the Saints. In fairness, he was playing behind a second-string offensive line and with second-string skill players against the Saints’ starters to start the game, but he struggled.

He completed only 4-of-9 passes for 43 yards. He was sacked twice. Gannon put some of that on the guys around him, as he was forced to get off his spot a lot.

The one thing he did was make plays with his legs, rushing five times for 38 yards.

WR Tejhaun Palmer

He finished the game with 13 yards on one reception. However, he dropped a pair and got away with a push off before one of the drops. He had the one catch on six targets.

The sixth-round pick already has a tough route to the roster. He didn’t help himself.

TE Blake Whiteheart

Arizona Cardinals tight end Blake Whiteheart (89) catches a pass during training camp at State Farm Stadium on Aug 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz.

Whiteheart had two catches for 22 yards, including an 18-yard catch that was thrown beautifully by Tune. But he also had a ball he should have caught from Ridder for a big play that he let go between his hands.

OL Isaiah Adams

Arizona Cardinals left guard Isaiah Adams (74) warms up before a preseason game on Aug. 10, 2024 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

Adams played a lot at left guard. He isn’t really in any danger of not making the team, but a pair of plays hurt him. He was blown by once by a defender, giving up a sack, and he was penalized for holding down the field, negating the 25-yard run that running back DeeJay Dallas had.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

7 Cardinals who helped themselves in the Cardinals’ 16-14 loss to the Saints

The Cardinals lost their preseason opener, but these players helped themselves in their battle to make the team in the loss.

Final scores are perhaps the least important thing about preseason games. The Arizona Cardinals lost on Saturday night in their preseason opener 16-14 to the New Orleans on a field goal with five seconds remaining in the game after they went ahead on a touchdown pass to give them a 14-13 lead with 1:55 to go.

Perhaps the most important part of preseason games is what individual players do in their roles, helping or hurting their chances to make the final roster.

Seven players in particular stood out in their efforts.

QB Clayton Tune

Tune led the Cardinals to two second-half touchdown drives and threw a go-ahead, 10-yard touchdown pass to running back Tony Jones with 1:55 left in the game.

He was 15-for-24 passing for 163 yards and a touchdown for a 96.4 passer rating. He was the better quarterback in the game for the Cardinals.

As a rookie last year in the preseason, he looked rushed and often was inaccurate with this throws.

On Saturday, he knew where he should go with the ball and delivered some beautiful throws.

WR Dan Chisena

Chisena has only an outside shot at making the roster and it will likely have to do with being a stud special teams player. However, he led the Cardinals in receiving with five catches for 63 yards and made a pair of key catches during the Cardinals’ touchdown drive to go ahead late in the game.

S Darren Hall

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) reaches for the pylon while being tackled by Arizona Cardinals safety Darren Hall (30) during a preseason game on Aug. 10, 2024 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

Hall is a longshot to make the roster but he definitely helped himself on Saturday. He defended an incomplete pass in the end zone, breaking up the play. He forced a fumble. He had four tackles and appeared to have a fifth. He hit Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, appearing to force him out of bounds before scoring a touchdown. That was the original call. Upon review, Rattler was given the touchdown.

But Hall was all over the field and made a statement, showing the ability to play safety and defend the slot.

WR Xavier Weaver

Weaver did the most damage as a returner. He had two punt returns for 34 yards, gaining 19 yards once and 15 on the other. He also caught two passes for 12 yards and had a three-yard rush.

He perhaps is now in the lead for a sixth receiver spot on the roster.

RB DeeJay Dallas

Dallas had three carries for 21 yards and had a 25-yard run called back on a holding penalty. He also had a 30-yard kick return and three punt returns for 20 yards.

While he seems to already have a spot on the roster locked up, he played well.

RB Michael Carter

Carter might be the odd man out when it comes to the roster and the running back room, but he looked good. He led the team with 41 rushing yards on seven attempts and scored the Cardinals’ first touchdown, an 11-yard scamper.

He played as a lead running back and in a third-down role, showing his versatility.

OLB Xavier Thomas

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Xavier Thomas (54) watches from the sidelines during training camp at State Farm Stadium on Aug 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz.

Thomas had the team’s only sack of the game. He finished the game with three tackles, the sack, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. He was in the backfield a lot. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Thomas played with “high, high motor, high effort” and though he played very well.

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