Cardinals sputter, then run like a Benz
ATLANTA – Through most of the first quarter Saturday, the Cardinals didn’t look like a team that spent the week game-planning for the Falcons, unless they worked on disaster preparation and didn’t tell anybody.
Running back Chris Johnson fumbled twice, losing one, and dropped a pass. Offensive linemen missed assignments, quarterback Carson Palmer was off on some throws and cornerback Patrick Peterson dropped an interception.
Maybe they wanted to test themselves under the adversity of playing on the road in a new stadium.
If so, they passed. The Cardinals calmed themselves and looked like a team ready to open the regular season. Some starters left when the Cardinals
were ahead 10-0, and others departed after it was 17-0.
The final was 24-14 and will only be remembered as the answer to a trivia question: What was the score in the first game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium?
“We really substituted a lot of guys earlier than I expected because we were playing so well,” coach Bruce Arians said. “Our defense held them in check, and offensively we did some good things.”
Two of those good things – touchdown passes – were caught by receiver John Brown, who played for the first time this preseason.
Brown missed much of camp with a quadriceps injury and spent part of this week attending a funeral in Florida for a family member. Saddened and subdued, he joined the team in Atlanta.
“It’s kind of difficult, but it’s stuff I’ve dealt with plenty of times in my life,” said Brown, who didn’t say who died. “I know how to handle the situation, and it made me feel more comfortable to be here with my teammates.”
Brown's first touchdown came on the first play of the second half when Palmer threw a perfect pass from 28 yards out. The second came from quarterback Drew Stanton about six minutes later, this one a 21-yard, over-the shoulder number.
Brown didn’t perform his usual peanut-butter-and-jelly dance because it’s only the preseason. His teammates, however, felt like dancing for him.
“He went through a lot this week,” Palmer said. “He’s so resilient. You never know the difference with him. I didn’t even know what had happened until somebody else told me. He’s so professional and so focused on his job.”
Brown’s over-the-shoulder catch is something he’s been working on with coaches, and it came on a play the Cardinals tried to run twice before. One time, guard John Wetzel was fooled by Stanton’s hard count, drawing a false start.
Stanton’s hard count worked the next time the play was attempted, drawing the Falcons offside and giving him the freedom to take a shot to Brown in the end zone.
“(The hard count) was really good until we jumped offsides,” Arians said. “I already got Wetzel. He doesn’t have much ass left. The second one they jumped, we had a free play. Heck of a throw.”
As with any game, especially a preseason one, not everything shined as brightly as the Falcons’ new home. Cardinals running back Chris Johnson fumbled twice, losing one that ended a prime touchdown opportunity.
Johnson’s future with the team is in question, although he did finish with 31 yards on six carries.
Asked if Johnson’s job was secure, Arians replied: “No one’s is. We still have another game. So we’ll wait and see.”
On the first fumble, Johnson was hit soon after getting the ball, and Johnson thought he was down on the second one.
“Going through traffic, I’ve got to keep two hands on the ball,” he said. “The offensive line did well, opened up some holes and let me get some good runs in there.”
Johnson needed five stitches to close a cut on his chin, probably the result of his helmet sliding down.
“For the most part, I felt good out there," he said. "I felt like I got my legs back in football shape. I felt quick with a nice burst.”
The defense was gouged by the run early but did come up with a turnover – an interception by safety Tyrann Mathieu – on the Falcons' first possession.
That set the offense up at the Falcons' 25, and it gained 12 yards before Johnson lost a fumble.
Then the defense let the Falcons flip field position. Peterson’s dropped interception contributed to that.
In fairness, not many players have the speed to even get to the ball that Peterson should have caught.
“I took two steps … and the ball just popped out, which is pretty odd,” Peterson said.
Because they won, and because it’s preseason, the Cardinals were able to laugh about it.
“He’s getting fined for his drop,” Arians said. “He baited him perfect and outran him to the ball.”
Note
Defensive tackle Olsen Pierre suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff and didn't return. Tackle Ulrick John (ankle) left the game and didn't return.