Second Quarter Surge Lifts Cardinals in Win Over the Chiefs in Preseason Opener
The Arizona Cardinals kicked off their preseason slate with a 20-17 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday night. Despite finding itself down 14-3 early, Arizona found ways to claw back in the second quarter to eventually find itself up by three points heading into halftime. From there, the Cardinals' defense held their ground, only allowing three more points the entire game. A field goal by kicker Chad Ryland to start the fourth quarter would end up sealing the win for Arizona
Jacoby Brissett Fuels Cardinals Offense in Big Second Quarter
Heading into Saturday’s matchup, Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon planned on having the starters on both offense and defense play a certain number of snaps. While the exact amount wasn’t specified, the starters would end up playing the entirety of the first quarter before being subbed out for the backups for the rest of the game. However, the starters themselves weren’t perfect. Miscues on all three facets led Kansas City to hold an early 14-3 lead over the Cardinals.
Enter Jacoby Brissett. A nine-year journeyman who was about to take snaps for his sixth career NFL team. His role heading into this season was to serve as a backup to starting quarterback Kyler Murray and help him develop as a quarterback. Murray’s first quarter in Saturday’s game against the Chiefs was all but perfect, as he completed seven of his eight passes for 96 yards. However, also threw a bad interception, in which the Cardinals could have countered Kansas City’s early score.
Despite Brissett’s first drive resulting in a quick three-and-out, a turnover caused by the Arizona defense helped light a spark for Brissett and the Cardinals' offense, as they would score two touchdowns in the final two drives of the first half, eventually leading to a 17-14 lead at halftime. The first touchdown came following a few runs by running back Trey Benson, as Brissett would find running back Emari Demercado on a screen pass, in which Demercado would flash his speed to a 43-yard score. The second touchdown would come after the Arizona defense forced the Chiefs to a quick three-and-out, as Brissett would lead a nine-play, 79-yard drive, where he would find wide receiver Xavier Weaver for a one-yard score with four seconds left in the first half. This drive would be the final one on the day for Brissett, as he finished the game completing five of his eight passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 135.9, while also having a rush for 10 yards.
Arizona’s Defense Swarms Bailey Zappe, Chiefs Offense
While Brissett helped lead the Cardinals' offense to a big second quarter, none of this might have been possible without the spark lit by the Arizona defense. To start the game, the Cardinals' defense was put behind the eight-ball after a fumble by kick returner Greg Dortch gave Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes prime positioning to help the Chiefs jump out in front, as it would only take three total plays to take an early 7-0 lead. Despite failing to answer back following the Kansas City score, the Arizona starting defense was able to leave the game on a good note by holding new Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew II to an eventual three-and-out. Then, it was the backups who came in and were tasked with holding the Kansas City offense down. While they would give up a touchdown on their first drive, the Cardinals' defense would go on to swarm the Chiefs' offense, allowing only three total points the rest of the game.
Following the touchdown drive, Arizona’s defense would get the first of two takeaways it would obtain throughout the rest of the game, as cornerback Darren Hall intercepted Kansas City quarterback Bailey Zappe to give the Cardinals the ball back in the latter part of the second quarter. This takeaway looked to fuel Arizona’s efforts, as it would go on to take over the rest of the half from there. The second takeaway would come in the latter part of the third quarter, as the Chiefs began to drive down the field. However, Zappe would go on to throw another costly interception, as he was picked off by safety Kitan Crawford in the end zone for a touchback. Like the first takeaway, this one also looked to play a crucial part, as the Cardinals would eventually go down the field to kick what would be the final points of the game with a 50-yard kick by Ryland.
On the day, the Arizona defense would go on to hold the Kansas City offense to 157 yards through the air and 92 yards on the ground, for a total of 249 yards. While the Cardinals would go on to only register one sack, courtesy of defensive end L.J. Collier in the third quarter, Arizona’s defense held strong in part due to a strong secondary. Going into the preseason, the cornerbacks were a position to watch, as they were inexperienced and had looked to make a name for themselves early on. Needless to say, the cornerbacks played an integral part in getting the Cardinals' preseason off to the right start.
