San Diego Chargers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Full Report-Card Grades for Arizona
A mediocre first half from the Arizona Cardinals offense on Monday night masked the show being put on by the defense. Quarterback Carson Palmer was under constant pressure and threw short to checkdown receivers often just to avoid taking a sack, and receiver Larry Fitzgerald was not targeted once in the first two frames.
It appeared the wheels were on the verge of falling off when the defense allowed a quick touchdown drive to open the half. Then right tackle Bobby Massie allowed a strip-sack to San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu on the next drive, which set up quarterback Philip Rivers and Co. with a short field.
Running back Ryan Mathews would break a tackle by safety Tony Jefferson on 3rd-and-short en route to a 20-yard touchdown, extending the Chargers' lead to 17-6.
By the time Palmer and the offense took possession with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter, the situation looked bleak. But they began moving the ball, and when the quarter ended and the teams switched sides, Arizona had possession at the San Diego 31-yard line.
Five plays later, Palmer scrambled right and found running back Stepfan Taylor in the front corner of the end zone to cut the Chargers' lead to 17-12. A failed two-point conversion attempt kept the score locked right there.
It appeared Jefferson and the defense stopped San Diego on third down when the second-year safety picked off a Rivers pass intended for tight end Antonio Gates, but he was egregiously called for holding the former Pro Bowler beforehand. It's part of the NFL's new emphasis on penalties that has many fans crying "uncle" early in the campaign.
Justice would be served shortly thereafter, however, when on third down and in field-goal range, Rivers would botch a snap from backup center Rich Ohrnberger—the flub moved the Chargers out of field-goal range, forcing a punt and giving Palmer the ball with less than seven minutes and 91 yards to go...
Quarterback
1 of 10
All Palmer would do is lead a four-minute, 25-second drive in 11 plays that ended with a bubble screen to standout rookie receiver John Brown, who weaved his way through the San Diego defense for the 13-yard game-winning touchdown with 2:32 remaining.
For the game, Palmer completed 24 of 37 passes (64.9 percent) for 304 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 108.4 passer rating. The Chargers sacked him twice, but it could have been much worse. He displayed a youthfulness about him that not many—if anyone—expected to see from a 34-year-old quarterback who was said to be a "statue" in the pocket.
Palmer scrambled three times for 30 yards—a career high for the 12-year vet. (He carried three times for 23 yards on September 21, 2008 against the New York Giants.)
Though his protection was not great and he nearly threw a couple of interceptions, the facts are that he did not throw one and he escaped pressure multiple times to find open receivers—including on the touchdown to Taylor. Palmer led a fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive to beat a 2013 playoff team on national television, 18-17.
That's A-OK in my book.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 10
For having a foot injury that nearly kept him out of the action, Andre Ellington sure played well on the national stage. The second-year back carried 13 times for 53 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and added five receptions for 27 yards.
Given his sore foot, he did not play the whole game. But when he did play, he showed he wants to put an emphasis on being a more physical runner this season. Numerous times, Ellington could be seen lowering his shoulder into a defender and aggressively driving his legs to gain extra yards.
Backups Jonathan Dwyer and Stepfan Taylor saw some extended action with Ellington nursing his foot, and though both are clearly slower and lack elusiveness, they did just fine in relief of their speedier counterpart.
Taylor did a nice job in the passing game, catching three passes for 21 yards and the first of Palmer's two touchdowns. He carried just once for five yards.
Overall, it was a solid night for the stable of running backs. Not great, but it's something to build on.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It took Larry Fitzgerald more than three full quarters to get a look from Palmer. It took him another eight-and-a-half minutes to record his only catch of the night, an acrobatic 22-yard diving stab that kept the go-ahead touchdown drive alive.
He will get his chances this season—don't worry about that. He will be fine.
Turn your attention to Michael Floyd and John Brown, however. They are the future of the receiving corps in Arizona, and depending on whom you ask, they might be the present as well.
Floyd led all receivers with 119 yards on five receptions (23.8 yards per catch), including a 63-yard bomb in the first quarter. Three of his catches moved the chains for the Cardinals.
Then there's the rookie, Brown. He didn't stuff the stats sheet with receptions and yards, but both his catches went for a first down, and as mentioned, he maneuvered his way through the San Diego secondary 13 yards for the game-winning touchdown with just over two minutes left in regulation.
As for the tight ends, they didn't get much action in the passing game. John Carlson hauled in one catch for 20 yards early, and Rob Housler had one catch for 16 yards later in the game. Rookie Troy Niklas didn't play much and wasn't targeted.
It appeared early as though Palmer would make it a point to get his tight ends involved in the passing game, but it was not to be. That hurts the group's overall grade slightly, but the blocking was good enough to make up for it.
Overall, the tight ends and wide receivers gave a positive showing on Monday night.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
This won't take long, because it's going to be plain and simple. The offensive line let Palmer down a few times Monday night and is supposed to be much better than what it showed.
Both tackles, Jared Veldheer and Bobby Massie, were pushed around in pass protection at times, and left guard Ted Larsen, though he held his own at times, struggled a bunch to hold off his man.
The run blocking was decent, which will help the grade and make it look better. Know this: Jonathan Cooper will get a chance to reclaim his starting spot next to Veldheer. He's a better athlete than Larsen, and the Cardinals need him to play better, so the offense can be at its best for the tough schedule ahead.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
This one also will be short due to performance. The unit as a whole was not great Monday night.
Defensive tackle Frostee Rucker, who replaced the injured Darnell Dockett, left the game early with a calf injury and did not return. His replacement, Tommy Kelly, played well, given he's still new to the team.
Other than that, there was not much to speak of regarding the line. There was zero pass rush from the defense, which falls on the defensive line since the men up front are supposed to create lanes for blitzing linebackers; blitzes were routinely stifled by San Diego's offensive line.
Again, there are two sides to playing along the defensive line, and the Chargers run game struggled to get going. Ryan Mathews carried 12 times for 40 yards (3.3 YPC), but half his total came on his 20-yard, third-quarter touchdown.
As a unit, San Diego's running backs averaged 2.2 yards per carry. If Calais Campbell, Dan Williams and Co. do that to running games all season, you can live with a lack of a pass rush.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
Having no pass rush hurts. Arizona's secondary is talented, but the defensive backs can't cover receivers and get pressure on the quarterback as well. Although it starts with the defensive line not opening pass-rushing lanes, the edge-rushers share blame.
John Abraham left the game with concussion-like symptoms in the second half and did not return. He is the best edge-rusher the Cardinals have, so if he has to miss any time, Arizona may want to look into making a trade for pass-rush help.
The overall grade of the group is drastically improved by one player. Inside linebacker Larry Foote, whom the Cardinals signed late in the offseason, led all defenders with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a clutch pass deflection in the fourth quarter.
He was everywhere for the Cardinals. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Foote will be as good this season as Karlos Dansby was last season. We saw that big time Monday night.
Grade: B-
Secondary
7 of 10
This talented bunch came up with one interception of Rivers and, if not for a bogus defensive holding call, should have had another. The group was not without its issues, however.
Safety Tony Jefferson, who should have had a pick, was picked on in coverage of tight ends. Gates bullied him at times, and the former Pro Bowler led the Chargers with 81 yards receiving as a result.
Rookie safety Deone Bucannon played a nice game. He came up with five solo tackles, including one for a loss in defense of the run. He officially started the game as a nickel linebacker in place of inside linebacker Kevin Minter.
Why?
For his coverage of tight ends, of course. He had the early assignment of guarding Gates, and he did a decent job of keeping him in front and not letting him get loose in the secondary.
The cornerbacks had a solid night as well. Though he will be given credit for allowing the third-quarter touchdown to receiver Malcom Floyd, he looked great in coverage of receivers all evening, helping to hold Rivers' No. 1 target, Keenan Allen, to five receptions for just 37 yards.
Jerraud Powers had perhaps the best night of all, picking off Rivers and deflecting two passes. He allowed a long reception to Floyd, but that was it from what I saw.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Let me tell you, it's so nice to have a kicker with the ability to boot kickoffs through the end zone. As Cardinals fans, we've wondered what that must be like since Jay Feely arrived in Arizona.
Well, we don't have to wonder anymore. Rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro kicked off five times, and every one of them was either downed for a touchback or sailed out of the back of the end zone.
Not only that, but the former Clemson field-goal specialist connected on both attempts, hitting accurately from 22 and 44 yards, respectively.
Not all was hunky-dory in the transition game, however.
Kick returner Ted Ginn Jr. gave several fans flashbacks of Javier Arenas returning kicks last season with his lackluster night. The $9.75 million man returned three kicks for just 49 yards, for an average of 16.3 yards per return. None of his returns made it to the 20-yard line, and on one he was tackled inside the 10.
Newly signed punter Drew Butler has a strong leg, as he averaged 54.5 yards per punt Monday night. But he had one blocked, partly because of a blown blocking assignment and partly because he did not get the punt off quickly enough.
Regular punter Dave Zastudil is nursing a groin injury, and it's anyone's guess when he will return to punting duties.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
The offensive game plan was not obvious at first, but as the game wore on, it became painfully clear: Get Ellington the ball as often as possible in any way possible.
Now, that may have been an adjustment after it was determined Ellington's foot would hold up to the rigors of an NFL game. But for a while in the third quarter, the running back was the focal point of the offense. Once Palmer started spreading the ball around more toward the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, that's when things started clicking.
Ellington had four touches on the first touchdown drive and then didn't have another for the rest of the game, as Dwyer and Taylor spelled him. He finished with a game-high 18 touches.
Defensively, the play-calling could have been more conservative in the second half. The pass rush was not working at all, but coordinator Todd Bowles kept sending pressure. It left the defense vulnerable at times.
Grade: C+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | B- |
| WR | B- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | C |
| LB | B- |
| Secondary | B+ |
| Special Teams | B- |
| Coaching | C+ |
| Cumulative Grade | B- |
Head coach Bruce Arians described this game perfectly in the postgame presser, according to an Associated Press report (h/t ESPN): "We had some ups and downs. It wasn't the prettiest game, but a win is a win."
When you play a game like the Cardinals did and walk away victorious, you realize just how resilient your team can be. Arizona didn't quit when down by 11 in the fourth quarter.
After allowing two touchdowns in the third, the defense closed the doors and denied Rivers and Co. access to the scoreboard in the final frame. And that offense, which had put just two field goals on the board through three quarters, put two drives together at the end of the game to complete the comeback and steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.
No, it was not pretty. But as Arians said, a win is a win. Arizona is 1-0 and gets to travel to New York next week to face perhaps one of the worst teams in the NFC in the Giants. In the meantime, coaches and players have some things to work through to right the wrongs from Monday night's narrow victory.
All stats provided by ESPN.com.
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