Chiefs vs Cardinals: Previewing Arizona's Preseason Week 1 Matchup
At long last, the nightmare is beyond us. Football is back. The Arizona Cardinals will look to get things started on the right foot as they open their preseason slate at home against the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday night.
Arizona managed to secure a trip to the playoffs in 2014 despite going through three starting quarterbacks, but it's not a trick they'll be looking to pull off again. For a team coming off of back-to-back double-digit win seasons, the Cardinals have a surprising number of question marks heading into their preseason opener.
How will Carson Palmer and Andre Ellington hold up after injury-riddled campaigns in 2014? Will the upgraded offensive line jell into a cohesive unit capable of keeping the aforementioned duo upright and successful?
Defensively, it's the same story. The gap at inside linebacker looms larger than the potential solutions at the moment, while new defensive coordinator James Bettcher looks to fill the shoes of Todd Bowles, now the New York Jets head coach.
No, those problems won't be solved Saturday night against the Chiefs, but we'll at least get our first view of the 2015 Cardinals, and that's good news by any measure. Young players battling to make it in the NFL, veterans trying to hang on for one more season.
It's almost romantic. Almost.
This slideshow will tell you what you need to know and where you need to look during the Cardinals' preseason opener.
Viewing Info
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Time: 7:00 pm MT
TV: ABC-15 KNXV (Local)
News and Notes
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Carson Palmer Will Play Saturday Night
Via Darren Urban of the Cardinals' team website, head coach Bruce Arians has scheduled Palmer for one series against the Chiefs.
It's difficult to say there's much of a surprise in all that, but hey, at least now it's official. This will be a "get your feet wet but don't hurt yourself" type of appearance for Palmer.
Chris Johnson Mulls a Move to the Desert
ESPN's Dianna Russini reported Tuesday the Cardinals have reached out to free agent Chris Johnson in an attempt to improve their depth at running back. Injuries to Andre Ellington and David Johnson have left Arizona thin at the position, and as Arians told Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, things have not been great in the Cardinals backfield during training camp:
"I’m not pleased with the time that he (Ellington) and David have lost, and I wasn’t that fired up about the running backs’ performances Saturday. (The) ball was on the ground, not hitting holes. I thought we should have scored on a couple of those runs where we were one-on-one with the safety and the backside linebacker and we get stopped.
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Now 29 years old, Johnson's best days are behind him, although he's been at least serviceable since breaking out for 2,006 yards in 2009. Only once in the past four years has he failed to post a yards-per-carry average of four or better.
While there's no question Ellington is still "the guy," David Johnson's role could be foggy if the rookie misses much more time during training camp.
If Johnson does join the Cardinals, he'll be battling with Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor for a change-of-pace job.
About the Inside Linebacker Position...
Arizona didn't head into training camp bursting at the seams with inside linebacker talent, and things haven't gotten much better thanks to the continued absence of Sean Weatherspoon (more on that in the next slide).
Kevin Minter has proveD to be an effective two-down player, but he's struggled badly in passing situations. Deone Bucannon showed potential in his rookie year as a hybrid safety, and it's likely he'll get some looks at linebacker again Saturday.
Beyond that is the great unknown. Glenn Carson and Kenny Demens will have ample opportunity to prove they belong in the NFL.
Eric Berry Will Make His Return to the NFL
This isn't necessarily a Cardinals note, but it's pretty cool all the same. According to ESPN.com's Adam Teicher, Berry will see game action on Saturday after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in December.
That's not just awesome news for the Chiefs, that's awesome news for the entire NFL family.
Latest Injury News
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NFL teams are not obligated to release an injury list for preseason games, but most team websites will at least keep fans updated on which players are missing practice. Here is the most recent "injury list" as provided by Darren Urban on the Cardinals official website.
| Position | Player | Injury |
| LB | Sean Weatherspoon | Hamstring |
| LB | Zack Wagenmann | Foot |
| LB | Shaq Riddick | Hamstring |
| LB | Darryl Sharpton | Hip |
| WR | Michael Floyd | Hand |
| T | Rob Crisp | Knee |
| S | Chris Clemons | Groin |
| CB | Darren Woodard | Groin |
| RB | David Johnson | Hamstring |
Running back Andre Ellington did return to practice Wednesday, according to Urban's report. It's unlikely we'll see either him or rookie David Johnson Saturday night, which may be for the best. The fewer niggling injuries Ellington picks up the better.
The other big disappointment is Weatherspoon's setback. He's been injury prone throughout his career, playing only 20 games since 2012 and sitting out all of 2014 following a ruptured Achilles. He was signed to fill the Cardinals gap in the middle of their linebacking corps, but it doesn't look as though he'll be reliable.
Floyd, meanwhile, reiterated to Urban on Tuesday he aims to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
Key Matchup
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Cardinals Running Game vs. Chiefs Rushing Defense
The "let's go to Starbucks" of key matchups. Here's why the ubiquitous is actually important this week.
We know Arizona's run blocking last year was atrocious, ranking dead last, according to Pro Football Focus. As it happens, Kansas City's run defense wasn't much better, grading out as the seventh-worst unit by Pro Football Focus's metric.
And the Chiefs will be without star defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who is sidelined with a herniated disc.
Arizona, meanwhile, upgraded their offensive line in the offseason, signing guard Mike Iupati as a free agent and drafting D.J. Humphries in the first round. We won't see much of the starters Saturday night, but the added talent should nevertheless be evident, if only through a trickle-down effect.
It will be a worrying sign indeed if Arizona can't run the ball even a little bit against Kansas City.
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3 Things to Watch
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It can sometimes be difficult to follow the wide-angle storytelling of a preseason football game, particularly during the first game. Here are the three most important things to keep an eye on Saturday night.
How Do the Quarterbacks Look?
Before suffering a knee injury in Week 6, Palmer was playing some of the best football of his career. At 35 years old, it's fair to wonder just how well Palmer will be able to bounce back in the upcoming season.
Which version of Palmer will we get—the one that threw 22 interceptions in 2013, or the one with an 11-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2014? We'll get our first real glimpse Saturday night.
Logan Thomas is the other quarterback to keep a close eye on during the game. A 2014 fourth-round pick, Thomas was drafted as a potential heir apparent to Palmer but did nothing to seize the opportunity as a rookie while the Cardinals floundered at the position.
With a year under his belt, it's time for Thomas to start making strides. The first order of business will be unseating Drew Stanton for the backup job.
Who Will Step Up on Defense?
Calais Campbell is a stud and Patrick Peterson has all-world tools, but they need help. As a collective unit last season, Arizona's fifth overall ranking in points allowed was misleading, as they also finished 24th in yards allowed.
"Bend but don't break" isn't the worst philosophy, but everything breaks eventually when given enough pressure.
Outside linebacker Alex Okafor showed flashes last season, and Arizona will be grateful for his threat as a pass-rusher. Who else is ready to step forward? Deone Bucannon and Tyrann Mathieu, perhaps?
Are the Kids Growing Up?
Steve Keim has now presided over three drafts as the Cardinals general manager. Quick: Has he done well or has he struggled?
It's tough to tell, isn't it?
Keim has done well grabbing Andre Ellington in the sixth round and John Brown in the third, but earlier picks like Jonathan Cooper and Kevin Minter have been a mixed bag. By the end of this year, we'll know for sure just how well Keim has done in the draft.
Prediction: Cardinals 17, Chiefs 14
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Trying to predict the winner of a preseason football game is a bit like trying to guess how many marbles fit into a bowl, only you don't get to see what the bowl looks like beforehand.
There are simply too many players we don't know vying for jobs to make an informed guess.
What we do know, however, is Bruce Arians-coached football teams know how to grind out wins. This is a team that battled injuries to key positions and players throughout last season and still managed an 11-5 record.
Logan Thomas will have his struggles at quarterback, but he'll find a way to pull this one out. Expect him and rookie Phillip Sims to receive some help from their speedy friends, John Brown and J.J. Nelson.
The key, as always in preseason, is that the Cardinals emerge from this game without any significant injuries. This is a team capable of making a deep run in the playoffs, they just need to stay healthy.
Final Prediction: Cardinals 17 Chiefs 14
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