Cardinals
Drew Kaser, standing between him and the end zone. The sight must have been too much for Kirk to handle because he stumbled and tripped and went down near the 50-yard line with no one around him.
Still, it was an impressive 38-yard return and it was a preview of what was to come during the one and only series the Cardinals would see out of Bradford, Johnson and the rest of the first-team offense. It started with back-to-back convincing runs of 14 yards by Johnson, the NFL’s leader in yards from scrimmage two years ago.
That was all Wilks needed to see out of Johnson, who came out and was replaced by rookie Chase Edmonds. The fourth-round pick out of Fordham ran five times for 11 yards, including a tough, 2-yard plunge into the end zone for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead for the Cardinals.
Bradford only completed one pass during the drive, a 6-yarder to tight end Ricky Seals-Jones, but he looked confident and well-protected by Arizona’s rebuilt offensive line, which also features a rookie in starting center Mason Cole. The Michigan product held up well, seeming to call out all the right protections and handling his blocks and double teams.
The eight-play, 45-yard drive was all the crowd would get to see out of Arizona’s first-team offense, however. Although Wilks had hinted that he wanted to get a bit of an extended look at parts of the unit, specifically the offensive line, he took them all out right after the touchdown.
Unlike Cole, Kirk and Edmonds, Rosen didn’t get to see any work with the first-team offense when he entered the game to a rousing applause with 1:52 remaining in the first quarter. Rosen played the rest of the first half but wasn’t able to generate any scoring drives.
He completed 6 of 13 passes for 41 yards, including a 21-yarder to tight end Gabe Holmes.
The first-team defense stood its ground during the two series it was allowed to play, allowing only a 45-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis toward the end of the first quarter. It helped, of course, that the Chargers didn’t play veteran quarterback Philip Rivers or No. 1 wide receiver Keenan Allen. Still, an Arizona defense playing without two injured starting linebackers held its own.
With backups Jeremy Cash and Edmond Robinson filling in for Deone Bucannon (knee) and Josh Bynes (neck), the Cardinals didn’t look depleted. Haason Reddick helped pick up the slack in the middle, the Cardinals’ defensive front was able to push quarterback Cardale Jones off his mark and make him flee the pocket, and the athleticism in the secondary was clear to see.
Safeties Antoine Bethea, Tre Boston and Budda Baker all got their hands on the ball during the brief time they were on the field together, and Bethea should have had a sack for a hefty loss if he just could have wrapped up Jones.
Meanwhile, there was a handful of players who stood out among the second-team defense, particularly Olsen Pierre, who recorded a sack and recovered a fumble. Rookie cornerback Chris Campbell was active around the ball and on special teams – his dive toward Sturgis’ feet is likely what made the Chargers’ kicker miss a 41-yard field goal try.
Second-string cornerback Brandon Williams, hoping to challenge Jamar Taylor for the starting role opposite Patrick Peterson, failed to make a tackle that resulted in a 25-yard splash play for the Chargers.