GLENDALE - The Cardinals didn’t get the win in Thursday’s Hall of Fame game, but Mike LaFleur’s first night on the sideline still looked like a statement. In his preseason debut as Arizona’s head coach, LaFleur’s team played with pace, confidence and an offensive burst that had been missing.
Arizona fell 33-30, but the bigger takeaway was how sharp the offense looked with rookie quarterback Carson Beck under center. The Cardinals finished with 282 passing yards and 143 rushing yards for 425 total yards, a level of production the team has only topped twice in the past two seasons under head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
That mattered because last year’s group never got over the 30-point mark. LaFleur got there in his first game, and he did it by bringing the kind of standard associated with a Sean McVay system into the Valley.
A big part of it was the offensive line. Arizona limited pressure, created space in the run game and gave Beck a clean enough night to settle in. The play design helped too, with LaFleur leaning on the short game early - flats, curls and easy completions - before letting Beck get more comfortable throwing deep.
For a rookie quarterback, that approach paid off. For a first-time head coach in Arizona, it looked even better.
The one sour note came on the other side of the ball. The defense couldn’t close it out, allowing a last-second touchdown that sealed the loss.
Still, for a debut, this was about as encouraging as it gets for the Cardinals. The next question is whether LaFleur can get the same kind of performance again next week against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Kings NFL debut ended with 180 passing yards and two touchdown passes, a strong first impression for a rookie who was thrust into the moment and made the most of it. Panthers coach Dave Canales and King both spoke afterward about the performance and the experience, and for the Cardinals, the bigger takeaway was less about the box score than the reality that one change under center can alter the entire rhythm of a game. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Got A Few Names To Watch After Preseason Opener
The Cardinals preseason opener in the Hall of Fame game didnt end in their favor, but it did give the staff an early look at a handful of players who made the trip worth it. In a 33-30 loss to Carolina, there were enough bright spots to suggest the roster battle underneath the headline names could be just as interesting as the quarterback conversation everyone usually focuses on in August.
Among the standouts were quarterbacks Carson Beck and Haynes King, along with wide receiver Jalen Brooks, defensive tackle Andrew Billings and running back Miles Davis. Each showed enough during the game to put himself on the radar as roster decisions start to take shape, and for a team trying to separate depth from long shots, those preseason reps can carry real weight even when the scoreboard says otherwise. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Beck Just Gave Cardinals Fans A Reason To Look Closer
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For now, Beck is expected to open the season third on Arizonas quarterback ladder behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, which still leaves him mostly out of sight when the games start counting. But performances like this are how a rookie begins to change the conversation, especially when he looks comfortable directing the offense and making the sort of throws that make coaches keep watching a little longer. [Read more 🡒]