Arizona Cardinals vs. Oakland Raiders: Full Report-Card Grades for Arizona
The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Oakland Raiders on Sunday by a score of 24-13. Though the Raiders (0-6) put up a valiant effort, the Cardinals (5-1) were just too strong and pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Leading up to this game, one of the big questions involved who would give starting running back Andre Ellington a rest to keep him fresher deeper in games. It was only the Raiders, so we should probably tread lightly when saying that Stepfan Taylor took a step forward in locking that down.
After all, Oakland entered play in Week 7 with one of the worst run defenses in the league.
On defense, coordinator Todd Bowles dialed up a scheme that worked well enough to shut down rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who came in playing well of late. Oakland's running game did virtually nothing all afternoon, as running back Darren McFadden carried 14 times for only 48 yards (3.4 yards per carry).
How did each positional unit fare in Sunday's win over the Raiders? Let's find out.
Quarterback
1 of 10
He started sharp as a tack, but Carson Palmer looked like a tack-poked balloon after the first two touchdown drives, slowly deflating and sinking into inaccuracy.
While he began the day completing 13 of his first 16 passes (81.3 percent) for 154 yards, two scores and a 146.4 passer rating, he finished by hitting on only nine of his final 15 throws (60.0 percent) for 99 yards, no touchdowns and a pick for a 51.8 rating.
He appeared a bit off on some of his throws, missing high, missing wide and just looking as though he and his receivers were not always on the same page. Palmer did complete two third-down throws late that helped seal the deal—one to rookie receiver John Brown and the other to receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in which Palmer had to escape the pocket and throw to the right sideline while on the run.
Overall, it was a solid game for Palmer. Anytime you complete 71.0 percent of your passes and accumulate a 103.3 passer rating in a team win, you're doing something right.
Stat: Sunday marked the 17th time in Palmer's career he threw the ball 30-plus times, completed at least 70.0 percent of his passes and accumulated a 100-plus passer rating; that is tied with Tom Brady for fourth-most since 2004. He is now 13-4 in those games.
Grade: B-
Running Back
2 of 10
The gem of the roster on Sunday was the running back position. Head coach Bruce Arians made it a point early that both Ellington and Taylor would be featured in both the run and passing game.
Ellington led all rushers with 24 carries for 88 yards (3.7 yards per carry) and also led all receivers with six receptions for 72 yards (12.0 yards per catch).
Taylor added 12 carries for a career-high 40 yards (3.3 yards per carry), as well as two receptions for 19 yards (9.5 yards per catch).
Together Ellington and Taylor touched the ball 44 times for 219 yards, which equals a hair under five yards per touch. That is solid production from the running back position.
Again, while we could say, "It's just the Raiders," there might be something to Taylor getting an increased workload. Ellington left the game with cramping in his calves late in the fourth quarter, and for the second week he set a career high in touches for a game (30 this game). The Cardinals need a No. 2 back they can trust to relieve Ellington when the star needs a break.
He's not a big bruiser.
Grade: A+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It was just mentioned: Ellington led all receivers in catches and yards. That's not to say Cardinals receivers were bad, because they weren't. But Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald et al were not the focal point of Arians' scheme against the Raiders.
Floyd led the receiving corps with his 47 yards and a touchdown—his second score in as many games; he's heating up.
Fitzgerald caught four passes for 21 yards and really wasn't a factor in the game. Nor was Brown, though the rookie did have two receptions for 41 yards, including a key third-down conversion to extend a drive late.
Blocking was an issue from this group, but Brown did stand out on a couple of occasions blocking for running backs. That's a plus, because he's the smallest skill player on the team.
Overall, it wasn't an impressive game for the receiving corps. Not bad, but not spectacular. Just average.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
As a group, the offensive line played really well on Sunday. The Raiders found themselves blown off the ball more than a few times in the run game, which is new for the Cardinals' hogs.
Pass blocking has been the strength of the line this season, which was good again at Oakland. But I was really impressed on a couple of drives with the run blocking. Lanes were open on both sides of the line—up the middle, off guard, off tackle and even out wide on stretch plays.
It wasn't a consistently dominating effort, but you saw flashes of what the group could be.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
On the play featured in the picture above, rookie defensive end Kareem Martin tackled Carr just beyond the line of scrimmage for a gain of about a yard. When it happened, I thought to myself, "Huh, I thought Calais Campbell was inactive..."
And I was right. But man, does Martin look eerily similar to Campbell on the playing field.
The defensive line held at the point of attack, again stifling another talented running back. The defense allowed 2.95 yards per carry against the Raiders, which will lower their season average a bit. They came in ranked No. 3, allowing 3.18 yards per carry.
Simple math says Arizona's season average will fall to 3.15 yards per carry allowed. We will see Tuesday where that puts them.
The defensive line is a major factor in how great the run defense has been under Bowles. The group showed up once again on Sunday minus its two leaders, Campbell and Darnell Dockett.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Outside linebacker Sam Acho was the star of the linebacking corps against the Raiders. He was involved early, making a great open-field tackle of McFadden on one play (pictured above), then rushed Carr on the next play and batted away the rookie's third-down pass to force a punt.
Inside linebacker Larry Foote recorded the only sack of the afternoon for the defense, and he led the team with four tackles.
One player who had not shown up this season was inside linebacker Kevin Minter. He was on the field more in this game, it seemed, than in any other game this season. Maybe it seemed that way because he was making plays (will have to see the snap numbers to confirm), but whatever the case, he was a factor in the game.
As a whole, the linebackers did not get much pressure on Carr. Even with great coverage from the secondary, Carr had all day to find someone or throw the ball away. You'd like to see a coverage sack or two from the defense, but that did not happen.
The way the secondary played, Arizona should have had at least three sacks of Carr. That's a disappointment.
Grade: C-
Secondary
7 of 10
The "Patrick Peterson is overrated" narrative will quiet down for this week, as he shut down his receivers all game. The Pro Bowler did commit a couple of penalties, but they did not cost the team chunks of yards or points, so you can live with that.
Arizona's secondary played great against a good rookie quarterback. Carr had time to throw, and with the exception of one deep ball to speedy receiver Brice Butler with safety Rashad Johnson in coverage, the secondary did its job in limiting the Raiders passing game.
Cornerbacks Jerraud Powers and Antonio Cromartie played well again, which makes two straight solid outings for Cromartie since being abused by Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas.
Slowly, this group is gaining confidence and cohesion. It's largely a new bunch from last season, and that hasn't been discussed as much as it probably should have been. It's a reason quarterbacks picked them apart some early on this season, but they're hitting their stride right now.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
He had only one opportunity at a field goal on Sunday, but that's all he needed to tie St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein for the most consecutive made field goals from a rookie to start a season, at 15.
Chandler Catanzaro now will practice field goals all week knowing he needs to hit his next one to own the record all by himself. Talk about icing the kicker.
We'll find out on his next opportunity what this rookie is made of.
Returner Ted Ginn Jr. dropped his first punt return, but he was able to pounce on it before the Raiders could get to the ball. He was average in returning punts and kicks again and, outside that game-winning 71-yard punt return at the New York Giants, he's been far below average this season.
Punter Drew Butler punted only four times on Sunday, pinning Oakland inside its own 20-yard line twice. That's solid.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
It was obvious from the get-go what Arians' game plan was: get the ball to Ellington and Taylor at all costs.
He did that, and it led to holding the ball nearly 15 minutes longer than the Raiders. The Cardinals dominated the line of scrimmage using their pair of Day 3 running backs from the 2013 draft. It was impressive to see, especially considering Taylor has been heavily scrutinized of late as being, for lack of a better word, useless.
Defensively, Bowles called a fine game against a rookie quarterback. Carr completed 57.1 percent of his passes, and Arizona did not allow a touchdown pass the entire game for the first time since Week 14 of the 2013 season—a 30-10 win over the Rams.
Blitzes were well-timed, but they were not as effective as they needed to be. That's not on Bowles; he can only call the plays, it's up to his players to execute.
In all, the coaching staff put together a wonderful game plan for the Raiders. It aided greatly in the victory, and it's a testament to how hard they work to do what they do.
Grade: B+
All stats gathered from ESPN.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | B- |
| RB | A+ |
| WR | C |
| OL | B |
| DL | B |
| LB | C- |
| Secondary | B+ |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | B+ |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
"It was only the Raiders." Keep telling yourself that if you want to look for something negative to take away from Arizona's fifth win in six games this season. Every NFL team has a chance to win on any given week; it's up to the coaches and the players to make it happen, and not many are doing it better right now than Arians, Bowles and the Cardinals.
This game was not the blowout it appeared to be on paper. Oakland has a talented roster, and they nearly knocked off the now 5-2 San Diego Chargers last week. Through coaching and execution, the Cardinals emerged victorious Sunday and—with both the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers losing their games—now have a comfortable game-and-a-half lead in the NFC West nearing the midway point of the season.
With two tough games upcoming in the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, the next two weeks will be a great test to gauge where the team really is.
All stats gathered from ESPN.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated
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