Grades: How Arizona Cardinals Looked vs Chiefs

Offense - 5/10

In the few drives that Kyler Murray saw the field, in general he looked rather good. Running a vanilla offense, he saw the middle of the field well and got the ball out to all of his major weapons at some point like Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Michael Wilson.

However, the play that will be remembered from this game is not the 7/8 completed passes or the 12 yards per play but one head-scratching interception in Kansas City territory that capped off what was mostly a great drive against the Kansas City first string defense.

James Conner only touched the ball three times, but he ran with the same expected intensity that he always delivers. Trey Benson got the majority of the carries for the night and he made the most of them. The stat sheet will only record 3.2 ypc but it is clear from watching that he is learning a lot from Conner and the "two RB1s" narrative might be close to the truth this year.

New backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett shined in his allotted moments with 81 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in less than a full quarter of play. He won't win Standout Player for this week simply due to the fact that this should be expected of a 10 year vet with his reputation against the Kansas City backups, but that doesn't take away from the comfort it provided to see a truly competent backup is in the building.

Standout Player - RG Isaiah Adams

All reports have been that the coaching staff loves Isaiah Adams. They have praised his training and effort to improve and mentioned their belief in his development throughout the offseason.

It looks like that belief was well-founded on Saturday. Adams played exceptionally well and it looks like he is getting acclimated to the guard spot he found himself in last year and has earned the starting RG role for 2025.

The Cardinals re-signed former starter Will Hernandez this week but it looks like he will have some stiff competition if he wants to find himself back on the field.

Defense - 7/10

Hopes have been very high for the rebuilt Cardinals defense after an offseason of free agent and draft additions. Based on Saturday, some of that hope at least might be well-founded.

Second round rookie Will Johnson had a tough start to his night with a pass interference call on the first ball that came his way, but he rebounded admirably. He showed some great size and speed on the field and is certainly a player fans have reason to be excited about.

Sophomore cornerback Max Melton looked like he has developed some more. He showcased some great play recognition blowing up a screen in the backfield and looks like a player that might take the next step this year.

Dante Stills got a lot of run on the defense line and he continues to look like a fundamentally solid player who will be tough to keep off this 53-man roster. Also on the line, L.J. Collier looked good and had the best stat line of the night with a sack, tackle for loss, and quarterback hit on his side of the ledger.

Linebacker was not a position of strength on Saturday so how it effects what looks like an open battle between Cody Simon, Owen Pappoe, and Akeem Davis-Gaither is something to keep your eye on throughout the preseason.

Standout Player - CB Darren Hall

Hall balled out on Saturday, coming away with an interception and two pass breakups. He was also just inches away from a second interception.

His performance could be more important than the typical preseason hype as the Cardinals are already down two cornerbacks they were expecting to start the year with, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V who already on IR with season-ending injuries.

The emergence of Hall as a legitimate option for cornerback depth could make that position much more comfortable behind the starting trio of Johnson, Melton, and Garrett Williams.

Special Teams - 3/10

Since Jeff Rodgers has been the special teams coordinator for the Cardinals special teams has consistently been one of the team's strengths. That was not the case on Saturday.

Disaster struck immediately with a Greg Dortch fumble on the opening kickoff that led to Kansas City points in less than a minute of gametime. On the following kickoff, return man DeeJay Dallas also put the ball on the ground but the Cardinals got lucky this time and recovered.

On the other side, special teams gave up a nearly fifty yard return at one point to Chiefs' Nikko Remigio in the second quarter that set up a Gardner Minshew touchdown on that drive.

Standout Player - K Chad Ryland

If there was a special teams bright spot, it was kicker Chad Ryland looking as dependable as last year. He made two field goals on the night including a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter that gave the Cardinals the lead, and ultimately, the win.