Cardinals Defense, Rushing Attack Dominate in Win Over Raiders to Wrap Up the Preseason
In the final game of the 2025 preseason, the Arizona Cardinals were able to take down the Las Vegas Raiders 20-10 Saturday night at home. With the win, Arizona finishes the preseason with a 2-1 record, improving upon last year’s 0-3 preseason slate. With the majority of Arizona’s starters once again not making an appearance, the backups got one final opportunity to make their cases to make the final 53-man roster, which will be finalized Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST. Despite getting off to a rough start, the Cardinals found a way to stay competitive and eventually pulled away for the win, ending the preseason on a good note.
Xavier Thomas, Zonovan “Bam” Knight Make Strong Cases to Make the Final Roster
With this game being the final game of the preseason, players on both teams, who weren’t already guaranteed a roster spot, had to prove that they belonged on an NFL roster. Whether it was with the team they were currently with or if they were to get picked up by another NFL team, keeping a job in the NFL isn’t easy work. However, two players in particular for Arizona made strong cases to make the final 53-man roster. Linebacker Xavier Thomas and running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight proved to be difference makers Saturday night, as they look to potentially make the Cardinals' regular season roster.
To start, we have Thomas, who entered the preseason, slated as the third-string outside linebacker behind newly acquired Josh Sweat and rookie Jordan Burch. The 2024 fifth-round draft pick showed promise in his rookie year, as in 14 games played, Thomas registered 10 total tackles, six solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defended. Despite his first two preseason games not proving fruitful, Saturday night’s performance against Las Vegas might have just earned him a roster spot, whether it be with Arizona or elsewhere. Thomas went on to lead the Cardinals' defense with two sacks and five QB hits, along with six total tackles, four of which were solo. Thomas’ performance will certainly be taken into account on whether he will continue his career in Arizona or elsewhere, but regardless, his performance should get him on a 53-man roster heading into this season.
Next, we have Knight, who entered the preseason in a tougher spot than Thomas, as he was slated as the sixth-string running back in a crowded room. Despite having previous NFL experience with the New York Jets in 2022 and the Detroit Lions in 2023, Knight was seeking to return to regular-season action after joining his third team with the Cardinals this season. However, joining Arizona meant that he would have to stand out amongst the rest in the preseason, to either make the Cardinals' 53-man roster or potentially make another team's 53-man roster. Safe to say that Saturday night’s performance against the Raiders might’ve just earned him a roster spot, as he led Arizona’s 210-yard rushing attack with 83 yards of his own on five attempts, with his longest being a 67-yard touchdown run. This performance, along with his team-leading performance in the Cardinals’ 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs to open up the preseason, in which he had 51 yards on six attempts with a long of 27 yards, should help him find a spot on one team’s opening day roster.
Arizona’s Defense, Rushing Attack Lead the Way
While the Cardinals rested the majority of their starters once again, Las Vegas continued with its preseason trend by having its starters play a limited amount of snaps to begin the game. Right from the get-go, it was evident that the Raiders' starters were better than the Arizona backups, as the Las Vegas defense quickly forced the Cardinals offense to a quick three-and-out, forcing a punt to the flip side for both teams. On offense for the Raiders, while it wasn’t as quick as the work the defense put in, they were still able to methodically drive down the field on the Arizona defense to go up 7-0 early. After this early scoring drive, Las Vegas went on to implement its backups into the game, which is when the Cardinals were able to put up a fair fight.
Despite the next offensive drive for Arizona ending up in another quick three-and-out punt, the Cardinals' defense would flash their first highlight of the game, as Burch strip-sacked Raiders backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell to give Arizona the ball back deep into Las Vegas territory, giving the Cardinals a much-needed boost. From there, Cardinals third-string quarterback Clayton Tune would use the much-needed field position to quickly answer back, as he found wide receiver Simi Fehoko for a 10-yard score to tie the game at seven apiece. Despite each team putting up field goals on their next respective drives to essentially end the half, it would be Arizona who would make a strong second-half push to eventually pull away with the win, as both the defense and rushing attack found ways to shine bright. The Cardinals' defense would finish the game with a preseason-high of five sacks and six passes defended, while the rushing attack would compile a 210-yard performance, with four collective runs being at least 18 yards each.
