Arizona Cardinals Have Bigger Problems Than The Quarterback Position

5 Positives, 5 Negatives From Arizona Cardinals 27-17 Loss To Kansas City Chiefs

Were there positives? Yes, despite everything there were.

Arizona Cardinals Recap: Struggles Continue Against Chiefs

You don't want to overreact to the preseason, but in two games so far, the Cardinals look like they still have lots of work to do if they want to have a winning record this season. The Cardinals got behind early, and never really challenged the Kansas City Chiefs, as they lost their second straight game 27-17. The starting defense allowed the Chiefs to take their first two drives in for touchdowns, while both quarterbacks John Skelton and Kevin Kolb continued to look marginal at best.

Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt commented about better tackling and getting off to a faster start after the preseason opener against the Saints, but the game against the Chiefs looked eerily similar to last week's game. "It's disappointing that we didn't play better," said coach Whisenhunt. "I just don't think it was a good effort by our team, and I'm glad we've got three games left to clear that up."

The starting defense gave up a touchdown on the first possession for the second straight game, as Matt Cassel and the Chiefs orchestrated a 12 play, 72-yard scoring drive. It only took the Chiefs four plays on their next possession to travel 72 yards and score another touchdown. Peyton Hillis had a 28-yard carry, followed by a 29-yard pass from Matt Cassel to Dexter McCluster during the drive, which gave the Chiefs an early 14-0 lead.

John Skelton got the start for the Cardinals, and led the team in their first three possessions. He ended his evening going 3 for 6 for 35 yards, but threw an interception on his final attempt while trying to force a pass to Larry Fitzgerald. After the game, Skelton said, "We came out slow, a little lackadaisical. We just have to find a way to start faster."

By the time Kevin Kolb entered the game, the Cardinals were down 17-0. Kolb didn't get much pass protection and only lasted two drives. Kolb ended up going 1 for 5 for 21 yards, with his only completion to Demarco Sampson.

Ryan Lindley continued to impress by coming in with 32 seconds before halftime, after Rashad Johnson intercepted a Brady Quinn pass. Lindley completed four passes in a row, as he drove the Cardinals 39 yards down field for a last second 40-yard field goal. The drive put the Cardinals on the scoreboard, although they trailed 17-3 at halftime. Regarding the last-minute drive before halftime, Lindley said, "Any two-minute drill like that, you just want to score points."

With Lindley starting the third quarter, he handed the ball off to William Powell, who reversed the field and scampered 67 yards on the Cardinals second play from scrimmage. Powell later scored on a two yard run to bring the Cardinals within seven, at 17-10. Powell had a successful night, as he finished the game rushing for 92 yards on 9 carries.

Lindley finished the night going 6 for 11 for 48 yards, and was replaced by Richard Bartel with 4:33 left in the third quarter. Although Bartel was sacked five times and fumbled once, he ended up going 5 for 6 for 69 yards, and threw the only Cardinals touchdown of the game, an 18 yard pass to Jaymar Johnson. Prior to the touchdown, the Chiefs had reeled off ten straight points, and had secured a 27-10 lead.

The Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks and defense have not lived up to their expectations so far this preseason. It was expected that the quarterbacks would show a marked improvement with a full off-season of OTA's and an extended preseason, and that the defense would pick up where they left off at the end of last season. So far that has not been the case, as neither has lived up to their expectations.

Defensive end Calais Campbell said, "We are a better defense than what we showed. I'm not too worried. We just have to regroup." Although coaches and players are saying that there is plenty of time to right the ship, you can sense some pressure mounting as Kevin Kolb commented after the game, "I think there is a lot of frustration with the whole team."

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Cardinals vs. Chiefs: Offense Struggles In Second Preseason Game As Arizona Loses 27-17

The Arizona Cardinals did not appear motivated nor ready for their preseason game with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night. The starters appeared uninterested, the defense made silly mistakes and the team as a whole just did not look sharp. Arizona is now 0-2 in preseason play.

Kevin Kolb did not impress in two series, completing just one of his five attempts for 21 yards. John Skelton did not do much either, going 3-for-6 on his passes with an interception. If there was a bright spot for the team at the quarterback position, it would have to be Richard Bartel. He completed five of his six pass attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown. Jaymar Johnson was on the receiving end of the TD pass.

The star of the game for the Cardinals was running back William Powell. He rushed for 92 yards on 10 attempts, reaching the end zone on a two-yard run in the third quarter.

The Chiefs took an early 14-0 lead on rushing touchdowns from Peyton Hillis and Shaun Draughn. Ryan Succup hit a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter to push the lead to 17-0. Arizona finally got on the board in the final seconds of the first half as Jay Feely made a 40-yard kick.

Powell's touchdown run early in the third quarter cut the deficit to 17-10, but that was the closest they'd get on Friday night.

Just remember: it's the preseason, folks. These games mean absolutely nothing. Don't go jumping off any cliffs ... yet.

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Cardinals Look Helpless As Chiefs Pound The Ball To A 17-3 Halftime Lead

With the Cardinals quarterback competition at the forefront of every Arizona fans' minds, only one true victor emerged after the first half of play: the Chiefs.

On the first two drives of the game, Kansas City's relentless run game had their way with a reeling Cardinals defense. Consistently pounding the ball for five yards at a time, the Chiefs excellent zone-blocking set up an easy 11-yard lob pass to Hillis for a touchdown. From there, they'd continue their dominance, only requiring four plays to move 72-yards before practice squad talent Shaun Draughn diced the Cards' D for a four-yard touchdown run.

With a 14-0 lead, Skelton began to force feed the ball to Larry Fitzgerald, hooking up on a nice slant that was negated by a defensive pass interference call before shooting a laser to Fitz for a 17-yard gain. Unfortunately, that's where the fun would end with Skelton (3/6, 35 yards) lobbing up a duck to a triple-teamed Fitzgerald for an interception on a few plays later.

Kevin Kolb would then come into the game down 17-0 after a William Gay pass interference call set up a Ryan Succop field goal. And for the second consecutive week, Kolb (1/5, 21 yards) wasn't given much of a chance by his offensive line. His lone highlight would come on a nice back shoulder fade to DeMarco Sampson as he spent the remainder of his time on the field either being sacked or running for his life.

Luckily, all was not lost as Ryan Lindley (5/6, 45 yards) showed great poise in his two-minute drill, hooking with fellow rookie LaRon Byrd three times on the drive to set up a 40-yard field goal from Jay Feely.

Kolb Not Given A Fighting Chance For Second Straight Week Thanks To Poor Offensive Line Play

Kevin Kolb was repetitively flushed out of the pocket in his time on the field Friday against the Chiefs, completing just one of his five passes for 21 yards as he danced around the pass rush for his life.

Barely given a fighting chance to make a solid impression, it was difficult to fairly analyze his play. Kolb made threw a solid back shoulder fade that was unable to be wrangled in by DeMarco Sampson. Following a five-yard run from Alfonso Smith, Kolb went right back to almost the identical play, this time successfully though as he hooked up with Sampson on a 21-yard reception.

Before Kolb was allowed to get in any sort of rhythm though, he was sacked on the following first down. Another solid run from Smith put it back at third and ten but Kolb couldn't convert with a red sea of Kansas City defenders converging on him.

On his second drive, it was the same old song and dance. With little time to make a proper read, Kolb had two more imcompletions before being pulled for the day following another punt.

Skelton Shows Good Chemistry With Fitzgerald Before Ending His Day With Unnecessary Interception

It seemed quarterback John Skelton (3 for 7, 35 yards) was in full control of the Cardinals offense in the early going Friday, force feeding the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and moving the offense down the field despite the lack of a run game.

Unfortunately though, Skelton's tunnel vision on the veteran wide receiver would ultimately be his demise as he ended his day by making a terrible decision, tossing up a jump ball to a blanketed Fitzy that would be intercepted by safety Abram Elam.

It's quite a shame that that play will be the last ones fans remember from today, as Skelton showed an excellent pocket presence on his two throws on the first drive before the Chiefs blew up the run on the third and short.

On his second drive, Skelton would get no help in the run game with some bad reads at the line from running back Alfonso Smith. Stuck in a third long, the Chiefs collapsed the Cardinals offensive line before Skelton could determine if a single receiver was even relatively open.

On the third drive though, Skelton actually began to set up the run game by keeping the defense second guessing with some precise throws. Fitzgerald made an incredible diving grab on a pass on a slant that was negated thanks to a defensive pass inference penalty. Still, the throw might have been Skelton's best of the game as he showed incredible timing and placement.

Building off that, Skelton continued his momentum by drilling a 17-yard bullet to a wide open Fitzgerald two plays later off a play action. Unfortnately, the drive was stalled by a questionable holding call on Anthony Sherman which setup another third and long situation. That's when Skelton would make his frustrating interception on a play that was dead on arrival.

Cardinals Vs. Chiefs Injury Update: Kevin Kolb Expected To Play, Ryan Williams Might, Paris Lenon Will Not

With the preseason game between the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs about to start, some injury information has been made a little more clear. Per the team's media relations department, John Skelton is going to start (already known) and that Kevin Kolb has dressed for the game "and is expected to play."

Kolb injured his ribs in the preseason contest on Sunday against the Saints and was limited in practice. Coach Ken Whsenhunt has said all along he expects Kolb to play.

Running backs Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams also dressed for the game. Beanie is not expected to play, but Williams will warm up and see how he feels.

Also, inside linebacker Paris Lenon is not dressed. He suffered an ankle injury against New Orleans. Stewart Bradley will start in his place.

WR Stephen Williams, who sat out last game because of a hamstring injury, appears to be set to play.

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Cardinals Vs. Chiefs, Preseason Week 1: Predicting What happens In Positional Battles

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Cardinals vs Chiefs 2012: Preseason Game Preview

After a disappointing performance in the Hall of Fame game last Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals will look to improve their execution during their second exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Friday, August 10. Because of the short practice week, the Cardinals traveled directly to St. Joseph, Missouri after their 17-10 loss to the Saints in their preseason opener. When asked about traveling straight to Missouri after Canton, OH, Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt said, "Logistically it makes a lot of sense since we play Sunday night in Canton and then Friday night at Kansas City, but I've always found there's also great value in getting work against another team in a setting like this." The Cardinals have been training all week at Missouri Western State University, and even participated in a combined practice with the Chiefs on Tuesday.

The Cardinals have focused on tackling this week, as the first team defense and special teams struggled miserably in their first game. Asked about it during Wednesday's practice, Coach Whisenhunt said, "I think what you really have to do is work on technique. Tackling is one of the toughest things to shake the rust off during camp because there is so little of it during practices." Regarding tackling, Linebacker Daryl Washington said, "Coach (Ray) Horton definitely put more emphasis on that this week."

John Skelton is scheduled start this week against the Chiefs as planned. Kevin Kolb is also expected to play his allotted time, even after suffering a rib contusion last Sunday. Ryan Williams is questionable, and Beanie Wells will probably not play, since he was only activated on Tuesday, August 7.

The Chiefs are making their 2012 preseason debut this week after posting a 7-9 record in 2011. Quarterback Matt Cassel has looked impressive during camp, and according to NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, "The Chiefs should be the overwhelming favorites to win the AFC West based on their personnel. They are the most talented team in the division on both sides of the ball."

With that said, this game should be another good test for the Cardinals, even though this is only the second preseason game of the season. Following the game, the Cardinals will return to training camp in Flagstaff, until they make their home debut next Friday, August 17 against the Oakland Raiders.

Cardinals vs. Chiefs 2012: Game Preview, Kickoff Time, TV Schedule And More

All eyes will be on the Kevin Kolb and John Skelton quarterback competition in the Arizona Cardinals second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Competition: John Skelton Has Rough Practice On Tuesday

Quarterback John Skelton took all the first team snaps at practice in St. Josephs, Missouri on Tuesday. He did not have the best day, according to Ken Somers of the Arizona Republic.

Skelton not lighting this up. Missed long one to Roberts. #CardsCamp

- Kent Somers (@kentsomers) August 7, 2012

Skelton completes 1 of 5 in red zone session. Looked rough. Misses lsh badly. #CardsCamp

- Kent Somers (@kentsomers) August 7, 2012

Skelton was 4/6 for 32 yards on Sunday. One of the biggest knocks on the young quarterback is his consistency and his accuracy. This is why, despite the frequent injuries to Kevin Kolb, the starting job is far from being decided.

Unless Kolb looks like a disaster again the next preseason game he plays, this competition will probably go right up until the end of the preseason. Hopefully by then, one of the players separates himself from the other and can be the undisputed starter.

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Arizona Cardinals Injury Update: Wells Unlikely to Play Against Chiefs, Williams Questionable

On Tuesday, the Arizona Cardinals activated running back Beanie Wells from the PUP list and he practiced for the first time during training camp. He took a couple of handoffs and even gave the crowd that attended practice a burst to "ooh" about, according to team reporter Darren Urban.

As he is getting worked back into things, he is most likely not going to play on Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There is little question this will probably be a slow week, however. Wells said he is planning on making a game return Aug. 17 against Oakland, so Friday night's game won't be in the plans. Wells also said he expects to be limited this week, although he said it might have been different had the Cards not been going against the Chiefs.

The team's other injured running back, Ryan Williams, is still questionable. He practiced and Whisenhunt singled him out for being tough, practicing with a sore knee, according to reporter Kent Somers.

Whiz also credited Ryan Williams for practicing through some knee soreness. Said Williams grew up as a pro. he is?? for Friday. #cardscamp

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) August 7, 2012

In other injury news, veterans Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson, who missed the game on Sunday, practiced on Tuesday.

Fullback Jared Crank left the team to return to Phoenix and have his injured neck looked at. Linebacker Paris Lenon, whol injured his ankle and rookie tackle Bobby Massie, who has turf toe, did not practice, but worked out on the side.

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Arizona Cardinals QB Competition: John Skelton To Start Against Chiefs, Kevin Kolb In Question With Injury

The Arizona Cardinals have been splitting snaps with the first team between Kevin Kolb and John Skelton. They have alternated days. They will alternate games starting as well. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters in St. Josephs, Missouri that Skelton would start at quarterback on Friday against the Chiefs.

However, it is still uncertain whether or not Kevin Kolb will be able to play. He suffered a rib contusion in the first quarter of the game against the Saints and did not participate in team sessions of practice on Monday. He did do individual drills.

Whisenhunt, though, anticipates that Kolb will be able to play. He needs to, as well, and it sounds a little bit like the coach is challenging his player to be tough about this injury and show that he can play with pain.

Kolb's chances of being the starting quarterback took a hit on Sunday, as he lasted only six plays, getting picked off once and leaving the game with the injury.

It is too early to declare a favorite, but Kolb certainly did not help himself, while more and more fans seem to be lining up in Skelton's corner.

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Beanie Wells Gets Activated On Birthday

Beanie Wells activated from PUP, might play against KC.