Close Menu
Sports

Cardinals Bested by Kansas City 17-10 in Preseason Week 2 Action

The Game Haus StaffBy 4 Mins Read

Just when it looked like there was a spark, the Cardinals can’t hold the line enough for another potential comeback win. Arizona loses its final preseason home game to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 Friday evening at State Farm Stadium.

Here are the observations and points of interest from the game based on each quarter.

1ST QUARTER

Andy Reid likes to play his starters long than other teams. That was the case as Patrick Mahomes went 10 of 18 for 78 yards throughout the first quarter. Despite Kansas City moving the needle on their drives, the Cardinals defense showed out early. Offensively, Arizona left more to be desired.

Kyler Murray and the rest of the starters were not exactly impressive in limited action. The Cardinals quarterback manned three drives, all very brief three-and-out’s. An indication that this was not going to be a good night was evident on the final two plays of the third drive. The Chiefs’ Chris Jones essentially overpowering his way to sacking Murray on third down. While the preseason is not the end-all-be-all, it’s still a sour taste left in the Red Sea’s mouth.

2ND QUARTER

Yet, Arizona’s defense still persisted, generating excellent goal line pressure as Byron Murphy picked off Patrick Mahomes. Unfortunately, the offensive struggles remained present as the Bird Gang despite a promising drive right before halftime.

Colt McCoy would go on to have a 13 of 18, 113-yard night during his reps at QB. The offense for Arizona actually starting to take shape but all that momentum was stopped by an impressive endzone interception. Juan Thornhill reaching out for the diving pick as McCoy was aiming for A.J. Richardson.

Arizona had only given up a field goal before backup quarterback Chad Henne found Mecole Hardman for a shoestring catch touchdown. Jace Whittaker was in coverage and his lack of timing cost him, he simply turned around too late and that’s going to be one for the film room.

3rd Quarter

At this point, it was becoming obvious just how well-built the Kansas City Chiefs are as a whole unit. From the starters to the backups, this didn’t look like a team that was fazed. Heck, players like Daurice Fountain looked like seasoned veterans. The fourth-year wideout beating Jace Whittaker for a 47-yard reception, causing Kyler Murray to notice while being interviewed.

Nevertheless, the Cardinals still didn’t relent, the offense began another lengthy drive that featured McCoy going for a run along with a healthy dose of running back Jonathan Ward. Upon reaching the endzone, coach Kliff Kingsbury’s team froze up, unable to score six. Instead of going for it on fourth down, a field goal was taken; a decision that Kingsbury didn’t necessarily need to make. Preseason action offers the best chance to put everything out and see what works.

4th Quarter

Just as Kansas City was gunning for another score, rookie QB Shane Buechele got picked off by safety Charles Washington. Despite everything, the goal line defense was still playing well enough to keep Arizona alive.

Third-string QB Chris Streveler made the ensuing 12-play drive count, finding receiver Greg Dortch and tight end Ross Travis for vital gains. Streveler the Leveler topped it all off with an amazing over-the-shoulder touchdown pass to Travis.

Sadly, the energy that drive gave couldn’t fuel the Arizona defense into another stop. Running back Derrick Gore made sure of that with some timely rushes to help Kansas City run out the clock.

Final Thoughts

Jace Whittaker had some decent plays, including a fantastic read on a screen pass, dropping Maurice Ffrench for a loss. Yet, he still has some coverage issues to fix going forward.

ESPN’s broadcast had a generous moment for the late Pedro Gomez, showing a spot in the Cardinals press box reserved for him in his honor. The late journalist was an Arizona-based baseball writer for ESPN before he passed away in February of 2021.

Where was this Chris Streveler when the Cardinals needed a win against the Rams in Los Angeles during Week 17 of 2020? Both this game and last week’s Dallas match have seen The Leveler take command very well. Keep this up in New Orleans next week and the second-string spot might just be Streveler’s.

Jonathan Ward played decently as did Eno Benjamin, both rushed three times for a combined 35 yards. But if the staff decides on Ward as the third-string RB, Benjamin’s consistency in special teams should give him a chance to still make an impact.

The Cardinals preseason finale is Saturday, August 28, against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome.

Featured image courtesy of Twitter/@EddieHigh

You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Jose! 

“From Our Haus to Yours”

Leave A Reply