The Cardinals starting offense looked good in their first two outings of the preseason, but things didn’t go nearly as well against the Bengals on Sunday night.
Carson Palmer finished his night with seven completions in 19 attempts and he threw a first-quarter interception that Bengals cornerback Terence Newman returned for a touchdown. The interception came on a clear case of miscommunication between Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald, who kept running down the field as Palmer delivered a pass that wound up ticketed for Newman from the start.
That pick came a series after Palmer missed Michael Floyd on a pair of deep balls that saw Floyd get open behind Newman. Either catch would have been a touchdown, but everything remained just out of reach. On the bright side for the Cardinals was the play of their offensive line, which held up well against the Bengals pass rush. If that proves more sustainable than the issues that hurt the passing game, things will be moving in the right direction for Arizona.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was more successful, completing 13-of-21 passes for 157 yards. He led the team on a pair of long second quarter drives that led to field goals against an Arizona defense that did a lot of bending without ever breaking. Rookie running back Jeremy Hill made the most of his first extended action with the first team, running four times for 23 yards.