The Arizona Cardinals came out strong against the Cincinnati Bengals for their preseason debut last weekend. The final score ended up at 36-23, but even a 13-point winning margin doesn’t tell the full tale of the blowout win in favor of Arizona.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense showed the most important trait possible without starters playing significant time — physicality. The Cardinals’ defensive unit was dominating the line of scrimmage during all phases of the game.
On offense, quarterback Trace McSorley and receiver Greg Dortch stood out, putting on a show against the Bengals. The Cardinals also had an impressive display from fourth-year wideout Andy Isabella.
Team owner Michael Bidwill joined Arizona Sports 98.7 to talk about the win, calling it the best-coached preseason win in his life.
“I told coach (Kingsbury) after the game that was the best coached preseason game I’ve ever seen,” he said. “They were well-prepared and it was the best preseason performance I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Bidwill admired the level of preparation from the Cardinals without the starters playing, particularly with the lack of penalties and turnovers. Two penalties in a preseason game is impressive, particularly given the lack of veteran starters playing. Look no further than the Bengals, who committed penalty after penalty from the opening kickoff.
Despite the preseason victory, Bidwill is looking forward to the regular season opener against the Chiefs, which was just announced to be the No. 1 game on CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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