If Cardinals don't improve, expect more losses like Saturday's to Chiefs

Last week’s come-from-behind preseason win over the Broncos brought a level of optimism in and around the Arizona Cardinals. Saturday night’s 38-10 crushing loss to the Chiefs at State Farm Stadium brought Arizona back to reality.

In other words, this is more of how the season figures to play out if Arizona is going to play like the way it did against the defending Super Bowl champions.

“Got beat, obviously,” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “I thought we did a good job of getting back into the game there before the end of the half, but just couldn’t sustain it. All three phases we’ve got to get cleaned up or that’s what’s going to happen against a good football team – you’re going to get beat pretty good.

“It’ll be very black and white to the guys what we need to improve on in a hurry and we have to improve that going to Minnesota for those practices and a game so we can be a little more competitive.”

Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes led a group of four quarterbacks and a horde of playmakers to pile up 504 total yards against a Cardinals’ defense that just got flattened. The biggest culprit was all the shockingly long plays the Chiefs were able to pull off, at least nine of which went for 20 or more yards.

“Yeah, it’s a concern,” Gannon said. “When the ball goes over your head, it’s a concern. We won’t win many games if we do that. … They had eight or nine explosives. You’re not going to beat anybody like that. That’s one of our core principles of defense, so truthfully that’s what I’m most displeased about.”

Arizona was also penalized eight times for 82 yards after only getting flagged four times against the Broncos. Gannon said his team played with poor technique in those situations, noting penalties can sometimes come in waves depending how an officiating crew is calling a game.

Let's review:

What went right for the Arizona Cardinals

● The second-team offense had a spark: After a quick three and out followed by a Chiefs’ field goal to extend Kansas City’s lead to 17-0, Clayton Tune and the primary backups put together a solid 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive during the final two minutes of the first half that wrapped up with a 5-yard touchdown run by Keaontay Ingram.

Big plays included a 21-yard pass play from Tune to Andre Baccellia, a 12-yard screen pass to Ingram and a 10-yard crossing route completion to Greg Dortch, who looked to be in for the TD until the play was reviewed and ruled that his knee was down before extending the ball over the goal line. On third and 5, Ingram plowed and twisted his way in for the score.

• The starters came out unscathed: The handful of starters who didn’t play in last week’s preseason opener against Denver, primarily safety Budda Baker, left tackle D.J. Humphries, running back James Conner, linebacker Kyzir White and wide receiver Marquise Brown, all started on Saturday and managed to escape any injury.

That can be as important as almost anything when it comes to the preseason and the rest of the starters who also played seemed to come out of this game healthy as well. On the flipside, however, outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck (knee) and cornerback Marco Wilson (undisclosed) both left the game with what Gannon hopes are only nominal injuries.

• Punter Nolan Cooley crushed it: Yeah, it’s only the preseason and it’s only a punter, but Cooley, in competition with veteran Matt Haack for the punting job, was outstanding. He averaged 54.3 yards per punt, his longest being a 65-yarder. Cooley also subbed for kicker Matt Prater following Prater making a 54-yard field goal, handling the ensuing kickoff. The kick went into the end zone and the Chiefs were only able to bring it out to the 15-yard line.

What went wrong for the Arizona Cardinals

● The first-team offense stalled: The unit played three series together and they didn’t get many yards and failed to generate a scoring drive. Quarterback Colt McCoy was 5 of 8 for 25 yards, Marquise Brown had one catch for 12 yards and James Conner ran twice for 15 yards. The operation ran relatively clean and there were no turnovers or sacks allowed, but the starting offense left a lot to be desired overall.

● Isaiah Simmons had a rough night: The former first-round pick, who has been moved to deep safety and had the team decline to pick up his fifth-year option, had his struggles. First, he was hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for diving on a ball carrier who was already down. Shortly thereafter, het got beat on a 18-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Justin Watson for the game’s first TD. On the Chiefs’ next series, Simmons got beat once again when he left Rashee Rice wide open and QB Shane Buechele hit him for a 38-yard gain, which helped set up Kansas City’s second touchdown, a 15-yard run by Buechele.

● So did a couple of young CBs: Two players in competition for the No.2 starting cornerback job, Christian Matthew and rookie Kei’Trel Clark, each had moments against the Chiefs when they got exploited by quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Buechele and Blaine Gabbert. Clark saw extensive playing time throughout most of the game, but he failed to separate himself and took his share of lumps, as did Matthew on occasion.

Did you notice?

Gannon was fired up during the pre-game warmup, swapping high fives and fist bumps with multiple players during the stretching portion and he seemed very animated in a positive way. Yeah, this was only a preseason game, but as we reported earlier, Gannon wanted to treat this game as close to real regular-season game as possible to get everyone up to speed.

Apparently, he also wanted them to come out with an attitude.

● In addition to the handful of starters who didn’t play in the preseason opener but were in the lineup on Saturday, tight end Trey McBride and Ingram returned from injuries to play against the Chiefs. McBride caught one pass for four yards, but Ingram shined 28 yards on seven carries, including his touchdown, and two catches for 20 yards.

● Quarterback Jeff Driskel and center Pat Elflein were among those further down the depth chart who weren’t in uniform on Saturday. Both are recovering from unspecified injuries. Rookie edge rusher BJ Ojulari, despite returning from the Physically Unable to Perform list after recovering from an offseason knee procedure and getting a week of practice under his belt, also was not active against the Chiefs.

The same was true for veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who is practicing but not yet cleared to play after rehabbing his way back from a torn ACL.

The grades

Offense (C): The Cardinals weren’t awful here overall. They just didn’t match the killer explosive plays of the Chiefs. Arizona did manage 21 first downs and ran for over 100 yards (102) for the second straight week, but there wasn’t enough to compete with Kansas City. The Cardinals were also a dismal 3 for 13 on third downs, a good indication on how the night went.

Defense (D): As good as this side of the ball looked a week ago against the Broncos, it felt flat on its face against the Chiefs. They didn’t get any pressure at all on the four quarterbacks that played and by Gannon’s own count, they allowed at least nine explosive plays. Linebacker Josh Woods looked good, totaling seven tackles (six unassisted) in the first half alone.

Special teams (B): Cooley was terrific on his four punts as previously stated and kicker Matt Prater made a 54-yard field goal. Davion Davis averaged 19 yards on four kickoff returns, but the Cardinals were flagged twice on special teams – once on a hands-to-the-face call against Matthew, and a holding call by tight end Bernhard Seikovits.

Up next

The Cardinals travel to Minnesota on Tuesday for two days of joint practice sessions with the Vikings before playing the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in the final preseason game for both teams on Saturday at 10 a.m. (Arizona time). The game will be broadcast on Ch. 12.

Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. with Roc and Manuch on Fox Sports 910-AM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: If Cardinals don't improve, expect more losses like Saturday's to Chiefs