Saints vs. Cardinals: Postgame Grades and Notes for Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals opened up the 2015 NFL season with a 31-19 win over the New Orleans Saints in Glendale on Sunday. It's only one step on the march back to the playoffs, but it's an important step in the right direction.

Arizona began hostilities on the first drive, with Carson Palmer leading the offense 80 yards on nine plays for a touchdown. The Cardinals would hold the lead for the rest of the game. 

A rushing touchdown from Andre Ellington extended the lead to double digits before New Orleans could begin its comeback. 

Sloppy play from Arizona in the second quarter kept the Saints in the game, although the Cardinals defense limited the visitors to only one touchdown. 

The teams traded field goals in the second half before Arizona managed to pull away. Darren Fells scored on a 17-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, and rookie David Johnson put the game away on a 55-yard touchdown reception.

Click ahead for the full game recap. 

Position Grades for Arizona

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

QB	B+
RB	B+
WR	C+
TE	A-
OL	B
DL	B+
LB	B
DB	B
Special Teams	B-
Coaching	B-

The grades are more or less what you'd expect from a solid team performance. Arizona was more often good than great, and it was infrequently bad. 

The top marks go, surprisingly enough, to the position group we're supposed to think least about for the Cardinals. Tight end Darren Fells stepped up big time, hauling in four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He was Arizona's second-leading receiver.

The other surprise came courtesy of Arizona's offensive line. They opened up hole after hole in the running game, which were duly exploited by the Cardinals running backs. Andre Ellington, Chris Johnson and David Johnson all made their presence felt in this game. 

Defensively, it was everything we've come to expect from James Bettcher's group. Calais Campbell and the defensive line neutralized New Orleans' running game, while the quartet of starting safeties flew around the field with abandon. 

Kevin Minter and the linebacking corps provided a steady performance. Minter himself made a few key stops, while Alex Okafor, the team's primary pass-rushing threat, was credited with two sacks. 

If any group disappointed, it was the wide receivers. They put up respectable numbers, but they failed to take advantage of a depleted Saints secondary. Michael Floyd only had a bit part in this one, and his absence was often notable. John Brown isn't quite ready to be the focal point of the passing game. 

Andre Ellington Injures Knee

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

It's a phrase that's already been worn out in the desert: Andre Ellington injured on the play.

Ellington went down without contact in the fourth quarter after an awkward cut, and it was immediately clear he wasn't going to return to finish the game. While it wasn't a gruesome moment, non-contact injuries have a special way of making the a fan's stomach lurch.

Thanks to Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site, we know the team believes Ellington suffered a PCL injury, although the severity remains unclear. Presumably we'll find out more on Monday. 

It's all speculation at this point, but PCL injuries can turn out to be better news than ACL tears. Surgery is not a requirement for anything other than a full tear.

Still, it's likely Ellington will miss a significant chunk of time. Whether that's one month, two months or the whole season, we won't know until a full diagnosis is made.

Losing Ellington is obviously a major blow, but backups Chris and David Johnson both performed well against the Saints. Chris Johnson picked up 37 yards on 10 carries, while David sealed the game with a 55-yard touchdown reception, which also marked his first touch from scrimmage. 

Patrick Peterson Shines

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Patrick Peterson won't show up in the box score or dominate headlines this week, but he turned in one of the game's more important performances.

Drawing the Brandin Cooks assignment, Peterson acquitted himself more than well. The explosive receiver was held to 49 yards on four receptions, with a 30-yard catch being his lone big play. 

Peterson did get nicked on a holding penalty, but that negative is easily nullified by his otherwise strong performance, including stellar coverage on a double move in the end zone. 

It's too early to start campaigning for a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance for Peterson, but Sunday was a good start to his season. 

Mistakes Almost Cost Cardinals

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

If there is a non-injury-related red flag to come out of Sunday's game, it was a lack of discipline shown by the Cardinals in the second quarter.

First, Arizona had too many men on the field on a Saints punt, giving New Orleans a free first down. Six plays later, they scored their first touchdown of the game.

Later, the Cardinals offense badly mismanaged the clock at the end of the quarter, robbing themselves of a chance to kick a field goal. Carson Palmer took two shots at the end zone instead of getting them into field-goal range, then scrambled on third down with the clock winding down and no timeouts remaining.

Those two sequences represent a 10-point swing. Better teams, particularly when the Cardinals are on the road, won't be so forgiving. 

Larry Fitzgerald on Cardinals Offense

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Arizona put the game to bed with David Johnson's 55-yard receiving touchdown late in the fourth quarter. According to Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website, that play call earned Bruce Arians plaudits from Larry Fitzgerald. 

“In Coach Arians’ car, there is no cruise control. You are always going to have your foot down on the pedal, and as a player, you love that."

It's easy to praise Arians for the relatively bold play call when everything worked out to the Cardinals' advantage. Had the pass fallen incomplete, however, and the Saints gotten the ball back down five points, he likely would've been raked over the coals.

Arians is going to have to do a better job picking his spots as the team goes forward, particularly if they find themselves in position to make a deep playoff run. Throwing the ball to Johnson in the flat earned them seven points in the fourth quarter, but trying to score a touchdown at the end of the second half cost them three points.

The aggressive style is part of the Cardinals' identity, and it's not going anywhere. It's up to Arians to make sure it leads to wins.