Arizona Cardinals 40, Denver Broncos 17
Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from the Arizona Cardinals’ 40-17 preseason victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos.
Quarterback grade: Matt Barkley, 85.6
Barkley makes a case for the roster
Matt Barkley played the entire game at quarterback for the Cardinals and performed admirably. Barkley’s performance should call into question the idea of carrying only two quarterbacks on the Cardinals roster and his performance looked noticeably better than we have seen from Drew Stanton this preseason.
Top offensive grades
QB Matt Barkley, 85.6
OC Evan Boehm, 82.1
OG Cole Toner, 80.3
OT John Wetzel, 77.0
WR Jaxon Shipley, 76.8
Rookie offensive linemen make the most of their opportunity
The Cardinals took the opportunity of the fourth preseason game to get valuable reps for two rookie offensive linemen they took in the draft, center Evan Boehm and guard Cole Toner. Both players finished the game taking 78 reps and grading positively both as run-blockers and pass-protectors, as neither player surrendered a QB pressure on 45 pass-blocking snaps.
Top defensive grades
DI Robert Nkemdiche, 83.9
ED Shaquille Riddick, 82.6
LB Donald Butler, 81.9
DI Red Bryant, 78.0
LB Lamar Louis, 75.0
Nkemdiche was a disruptive force on the line
Nkemdiche has been dealing with a high ankle sprain for most of training camp and preseason, so his playing time has been at a minimum. However, he did not disappoint in his first game seeing significant snaps. As a pass-rusher he finished with an 82.1 pass-rush grade to go along with his 1 sack, 1 hit, and 2 hurries on only 16 pass-rush snaps.
Quarterback grade: Paxton Lynch, 42.6, QB Zac
Lynch has an up and down night
Broncos’ first-round pick Paxton Lynch was not named the team’s regular-season starter and therefore he saw significant reps against the Cardinals in the Broncos’ final preseason game. He looked good at times showing his athleticism for his size and his arm strength. However, he also threw a terrible pick-six as he didn’t see linebacker Gabe Martin in coverage.
Top offensive grades
WR Jordan Taylor, 83.7
WR Mose Frazier, 76.2
G Aaron Neary, 72.7
TE John Phillips, 71.5
C Dillon Day, 70.7
Unheralded wide receivers moved the chains
Wide receivers Jordan Taylor and Mose Frazier were the Broncos’ highest-graded offensive players against the Cardinals. Taylor had 109 yards and 2 TDs and made some Cardinals miss as he turned a short pass into a long TD. Frazier appeared to have good chemistry with Lynch — he should, as they were college teammates — as he caught 6 passes for 79 yards.
Top defensive grades
LB Dwayne Norman, 91.5
CB Taurean Nixon, 87.5
ED Sadat Sulleyman, 84.9
S Shiloh Keo, 80.9
LB Zaire Anderson, 74.4
Broncos’ reserves get meaningful snaps
The Broncos’ have arguably the best defense in the league and used the fourth preseason game to get reps for their defensive reserves. Sulleyman was very disruptive as a pass-rusher as he racked up 1 hit and 5 hurries on only 21 pass-rush snaps. Dwayne Norman had a versatile defensive performance with a sack and a hurry as a pass-rusher and not allowing any completions on passes thrown into his coverage.
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