Cardinals vs. Chiefs Preseason Recap: What We Learned
The Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs fought on the field on Friday night, with the Chiefs winning, 27-17. No one cares about the score, being that it’s preseason, but there is plenty to talk about and care about within the context of the game.
Here are the top five things I took away from this game:
1. Arizona May Not Have a Quarterback
I know it’s preseason and they’ve been small sample sizes, but boy, do John Skelton and Kevin Kolb look atrocious as a whole. Skelton made his first start of the preseason and went just 3-for-6 for 36 yards and an interception. Kolb was somehow worse, completing just one of five passes for 21 yards. The offensive line has been bad in Arizona through the first two games and the team is without their top two running backs, but the play from both quarterbacks has been abysmal. To put it in perspective, rookie Ryan Lindley and veteran Brady Quinn both looked completed more passes than Kolb and Skelton combined, and even looked better in the process. These first two games may have Cardinals fans wondering if they even want one of these two guys to win the job. Brett Favre, anyone?
2. Jamaal Charles Looks Like Himself Again
Charles made his preseason debut with the rest of the Chiefs and wasted no time in showing his surgically repaired knee is up to snuff. At least, from what I could tell it looked like it was. Charles ran for 12 yards on three carries and rook a reception for another 11 yards. It wasn’t a lot of work, but he was above average statistically, and he did look good doing it. Later Charles remarked that he feels “fresh” and that he has his legs back. He’ll be a full year removed from his torn acl when weeks two comes around, so I like his chances to be pretty close to normal in 2012, barring any setbacks.
3. Peyton Hillis – Insurance Plan
Even if you disagree and think Charles looks a step slow or think he’ll get hurt again, it looks like KC would be just fine with Hillis as their top back. He busted through for a nice 28-yard run early in the game, and finished with 52 total yards and a touchdown on five touches. He’s reunited with 201 Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll this year, and it’s already showing up. I think he could have RB2 value this year, even as a part of a two-back tandem.
4. Matt Cassel Looked Good
I’ve never been high on Cassel, but he actually looked pretty darn good in this game. Colt McCoy looked good in preseason last year, too, but still, I came away fairly impressed. Cassel finished 5-of-6 for 67 yards and a nice 11-yard touchdown to Peyton Hillis. He looked composed and really just sat back and picked and choosed his targets. As long as Dwayne Bowe comes back, Cassel could have quite a few solid weapons to help him take a positive step in 2012. I still wouldn’t draft him as anything more than a low-end QB2, however.
5. William Powell Can Ball
Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams, who? While the Cards’ top two running backs continue to rest their knees, William Powell stole the show as the top runner in this game. He dazzled with a 67-yard run, a touchdown and 101 total yards off of just 10 touches. If he keeps this up, he could find himself a spot on the roster.
Kevin Roberts 
Keet Bailey 
Taylor Smith 
Michael Cellars 
Trevor Gunn 
Terrence Kirker
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