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Cardinals Fall To Titans 32-27 In 4th Preseason Game

And the QB battle looks no better.

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30 Total Updates since August 20, 2012
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Kevin Kolb, John Skelton Leave Cardinals QB Spot Unsettled After Loss

The Arizona Cardinals lost their preseason game last night to the Tennessee Titans, and there are still questions to be answered at the quarterback position. John Skelton was given the chance to start, but failed to take control of the battle, as Revenge of the Birds, SB Nation's Cardinals site, details:

QB John Skelton got the nod from the coaching staff to start the game, but unfortunately, to the disappointment of all the fans who want the on-going QB competition to end, had a very mediocre outing. Hit with numerous sacks and dropped passes, Skelton ended his outing only 4-10 for 41 yards, 1 interception, and a QB rating of 12.9.

Kevin Kolb came in and performed better, but also threw two interceptions. Both quarterbacks will get one more chance to prove their worth as the Cardinals take on Peyton Manning and Denver Broncos next week.

For more on this quarterback battle and the Cardinals, visit Revenge of the Birds. For all things pro football, visit SB Nation's NFL Hub.

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Cardinals Vs. Titans: John Skelton And Kevin Kolb By The Numbers

Despite Kevin Kolb producing flashier numbers than John Skelton, neither quarterback seemed in full control of the offense in Thursday's preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

Skelton was the first up to bat and fell miserably on his face behind a turnstile offensive line. His first two plays from scrimmage resulted in a sack and a bad interception on an overthrown ball across the middle. Things didn't get much better from there with Skelton completing only 4 of his 10 passes for 41 yards, good for a sparkling quarterback rating of 12.9.

The worst part of it all? Not one of those passes landed in Larry Fitzgerald's hands.

In the other corner, if you take away two plays from Kolb, he puts up arguably the best Cardinals quarterback perfomance of the preseason. Unfortunately for him, those two plays were perhaps the worst of the game: two mind-bottling interceptions, including a pick six on the first offensive play of the second half.

Looking purely at the box score, though, Kolb did manage to move the offense better than Skelton against the same first-team defense. Even with the two ill-advised throws, Kolb only missed on five of his pass attempts (17-of-22), racking up 156 yards, all while finding a way to get Fitzgerald the ball (five receptions for 91 yards on six targets).

From a points perspective, Kolb lead the Cardinals to ten, including a three-yard touchdown pass to Andre Roberts. Skelton only managed to put a three-spot up on the board thanks largely in part to Jay Feely showing off his range (49-yard field goal).

Additionally, Kolb had drives of -11, 45, 86 and 60 yards, not including the pick six in the second half. Skelton's drives (-8, 5, 22, 17, 7) combined were less than three of Kolb's.

Sure, the eye test will still most likely be the biggest determining factor, and neither of these quarterbacks looked pretty. But there's no denying that Kolb won the battle of the box score Thursday.

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Arizona Cardinals vs. Tennessee Titans Game Preview

The Arizona Cardinals are in Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans in their most important preseason game to date. The Cardinals are playing in their fourth preseason game, third on the road, in the newly renovated LP Field. They will look to build on the success they had in their 31-27 win over the Oakland Raiders last week. It was the first win for the Cardinals this preseason, who saw the return of running back Ryan Williams, and the first touchdown throw by either one of their potential starting quarterbacks. The Cardinals defense finally took hold as well, not only making a significant goal-line stand, but also causing two fumbles and an interception in the game.

This will be the final preseason game many of the starters on both teams will see significant action in, prior to them playing in the regular season, when the games start to count. Most starters will play three quarters, and what makes this so important for the Cardinals is that the starting quarterback position is still up for grabs. Will it be Kevin Kolb, the $63 million dollar man; or John Skelton, the fifth round draft pick from college football dynasty Fordham University. This game against the Titans will probably determine the outcome of that battle, and who will lead the Cardinals on opening day.

In addition, running back Beanie Wells will be making his debut, along with tight end Jeff King. It will be the first time Wells and Ryan Williams will play together in over a year. The loss of offensive tackle Levi Brown in last week's game is something that will hurt the Cardinals offense moving forward. The offensive line has struggled in pass protection, and they have given up 14 sacks in three preseason games.

The Tennessee Titans, and new head coach Mike Munchak, have already made their starting quarterback decision, and are going with second year player Jake Locker on opening day. Fortunately, they will have a veteran backup in Matt Hasselbeck as a nice safety net. Locker will have some support in the backfield, with running back Chris Johnson looking to rush for over 1,000 yards for the fifth straight season. Wide receiver Kenny Britt is still recovering from off-season knee surgeries, and will probably not play at all during this preseason. The Titans are hoping he will be ready by the regular season. Defensively, the Titans are looking to get more pressure from their front four, and have a more aggressive mind-set overall, according to defensive coordinator Jerry Gray.

This will be the first home game for the Titans this preseason, as they have been making improvements to LP Field during the off-season. The Titans are coming off a 30-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to even their record at 1-1 this preseason.

Kickoff Time: Everything is scheduled to begin Thursday, August 23 at 5 p.m. MT from LP Field.

TV Schedule: This game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Pre-game coverage will begin at 4:00 p.m.

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