Bird Droppings: News and notes from the Arizona Cardinals win over the Los Angeles Chargers

Happy Sunday one and all. If you stayed up for all 3:35 minutes of the Arizona Cardinals preseason opening win over the Los Angeles Chargers Youth Chase Edmonds Jersey , well I feel your pain this morning.If you checked out early, that’s okay, there is plenty of news coming out of the game from around the web and we have you covered, as we always do.Get your Sunday started with a look around the web at the Arizona Cardinals.Highlights: Chargers vs. CardinalsWatch the best highlights from the Preseason Week 1 match up between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Arizona Cardinals.Wilks - 'Congratulations'Head Coach Steve Wilks addresses the team after their preseason victory over the Chargers.Watch: How the 2018 Cardinals won their first preseason gameArizona Cardinals fans can finally rejoice: football is back. Granted, it's preseason football, but fans shill showed up Saturday night to host the Los Angeles Chargers.Cap Capi, defense helps lead Cardinals to win in first preseason gameArizona Cardinals DE Cap Capi was all over the quarterback, finishing the game with three sacks and a forced fumble against Chargers quarterback Geno Smith.Cardinals Unveil University Of Phoenix Stadium UpgradesTwo-year, $28 million renovation finished in time for 2018 seasonNo surprises for Cardinals' initial inactivesCardinals Vs. ChargersImages from the preseason opener on Saturday evening from University of Phoenix StadiumCardinals QB Sam Bradford ranks No. 22 in PFF's starting QBsSam Bradford's lack of top-tier statistics and a track record of injuries has him ranked outside the top-30 of Pro Football Focus' starting quarterbacks.Sam Bradford plays one drive, leads Cardinals to a touchdownArizona Cardinals fans got a brief look at newly-signed quarterback Sam Bradford in the first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.Cardinals rookie Chase Edmonds makes solid but short debutArizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds came in and topped off the drive with five carries for 11 yards. At the goal line on fourth down of this possession, Edmonds scored on a third effort for a touchdown.Cards QB Josh Rosen didn't light up the stat sheet, but he showed promiseArizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen only completed six passes, but he handled pressure from the defense and low snaps well.Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jeremy Cash injures knee, carted off fieldArizona Cardinals linebacker Jeremy Cash recovered a fumble and ran it in for a touchdown earlier in the game, prior to getting injured.Video: Arizona Cardinals rookie RB scores TD on extra effortHe would not be denied at the goal line.David Johnson dominant for AZ Cardinals in preseason openerHe runs twice for 14 yards each carry.AZ Cardinals rookie Christian Kirk has big punt return on first touchHe went for 38 yards and could have scored a TD had he not tripped on the turf.Cardinals vs. Chargers: Josh Rosen’s debut doesn’t go as plannedHe had no time to throw and got no help from his receivers.Josh Rosen’s first pass is a completion to Christian KirkThis hopefully is the first of hundreds of completed passes from Rosen to Kirk.Cardinals vs. Chargers: Former Panthers team up for Arizona TDBenBenwikere forced a fumble and Jeremy Cash picked it up and ran it to the end zone.Chargers vs. Cardinals - Game Recap - August 11, 2018 - ESPNGet a recap of the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Arizona Cardinals football game. Yesterday’s win against the 49ers was one of the ugliest games you’ll see for three quarters at least. But the fourth quarter was a wild ride, culminating in what is hopefully the first of many fourth quarter comebacks for Josh Rosen.The win marked the first home win of the season in the newly christened State Farm Stadium http://www.cardinalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jamar-taylor-jersey , and it is our eighth win in a row against our division rival. But with such an ugly win comes quite a few winners and losers. So let’s look back and figure out who is who.WinnersJosh Rosen: Like the team as a whole, Rosen started slow, but he turned it on when it mattered most, going 12/18 for 150 yards and 2 TDs in the fourth quarter. (He also chipped in a 9-yard run.) It was an impressive performance for the rookie, who completed passes to 6 different receivers during the comeback, generally looking like a polished veteran in the pocket. The game-winner to Christian Kirk—a dart to the back of the end zone—was especially impressive. He can go into the bye week full of confidence.Larry Fitzgerald: Of course, Rosen’s job was made a whole lot easier by a vintage performance from Fitz. He went 8/102/1 TD and the decisive 2-pt conversion—capped by an emphatic spike of the football, the first of his NFL career. He looked like the Larry we all know and love—coming up with several clutch receptions and smothering any ball that came his way. He also moved into 7th place all-time on the touchdown reception list. If this rapport with Rosen continues, he could pass Antonio Gates for 6th all-time by the end of the season.Byron Leftwich: It was an auspicious start for Lord Byron’s offense—three and out on the first drive then a bad safety on our second possession. Although there were a few playcalling and schematic wrinkles (I noticed a lot more play-action and some successful screens), the first three quarters were indistinguishable from Mike McCoy’s offense on paper, as we totaled only 137 yards and 3 points. But the offense came out firing in the fourth quarter, and we eclipsed 300 total yards for the first time this season. A vulnerable Kansas City Chiefs defense awaits after the bye.Budda Baker: Budda was the defensive MVP yesterday, flying around the field and filling up the stat sheet—5 tackles (1 for a loss), a half sack, another QB hit, and a pass defended. The half sack was especially clutch, as it forced the 49ers to punt late in the fourth quarter Antoine Bethea Jersey , which led to the game-winning drive. He was a half-step faster than the 49ers all day and is rapidly becoming one of the better safeties in the league.The Front Seven: The last time these two teams met, the 49ers gashed us for 34/147/1 TD on the ground (4.3 YPC). Despite a similar number of attempts yesterday, the Redbirds front seven mostly held their own against the run: 31/107/0 TDs (3.5 YPC). Markus Golden, Josh Bynes, and Rodney Gunter were especially impressive, combining for 17 tackles (4 for a loss) and 2.5 sacks (plus 4 QB hits). Our front seven largely controlled the game and kept the score close to allow Rosen’s comeback. Maybe Al Holcomb is starting to figure this thing out.Special Teams: Sometimes, good special teams play is like good offensive line play—it’s better when no one is talking about it. Such was the case for the Redbirds on special teams yesterday. Phil Dawson didn’t miss a kick, Andy Lee continued booming punts, and there were no dumb penalties that cost us valuable field position. (Partially because we didn’t have any official kick returns.) In a close game, big mistakes in special teams can be very costly, and we avoided those mistakes yesterday. I’ll be curious to see if we rose in the special teams DVOA rankings this week.LosersOffensive Line: A big reason for the slow start on offense was the play of our O-line, which gave up three sacks in the first half and was mostly to blame for the safety. It’s hard establish your offense when DTs are routinely in the backfield. (We need Justin Pugh back STAT.) They kept Rosen relatively clean in the second half, but the rushing numbers on the day weren’t great—12/88/0 TDs (4.2 YPC). Hopefully people get healthy during the bye week and can jell a bit in practice. Either way, this will be a huge area of need this offseason.Jermaine Gresham: Gresham was a bit more involved in the passing game than he had been (3 receptions for 22 yards), but his fourth-quarter fumble nearly cost us the game. He was just careless with the football—the ball wasn’t even knocked out of his hands by a defender. This is what we’re paying $7 million a year for?Chandler Jones: Number 55 was basically absent from the stat sheet, recording just a single assisted tackle. He also committed two offsides penalties—one negated his own sack, and the other was on Marquise Goodwin’s long TD. Not a great day for the NFL’s reigning sack leader.Patrick Peterson: Many Cardinals fans were wondering what to expect from Peterson in his first game after rescinding his trade demand last week. The results were a bit of a mixed bag. He held the 49ers #1 WR Authentic Gabe Holmes Jersey , Marquise Goodwin, to a single catch, but that catch was a 55-yard TD in which Peterson got absolutely roasted on a simple slant. He later made a phenomenal play on to break up a deep shot in the fourth quarter, but the damage had already been done. That he didn’t record a single tackle doesn’t help with the perception that he’s soft against the run either.Final ThoughtsIt might have been ugly, but a win is a win—and it was even sweeter in front of the home crowd. The Redbirds head into their bye week at 2-6 with a brutal second-half slate ahead of them (at KC, vs. OAK, at LAC, at GB, vs. DET, at ATL, vs. LAR, at SEA). That looks like a whole lot more losers than winners to me.But for now, it’s time to celebrate a bit and rest up. And no matter the results the rest of the way, at least we can take pride in a fourth straight season sweep of the 49ers.What did you think of the game yesterday, Cardinals fans? Was this a signature moment for Rosen? What did you think of Leftwich’s offense? Thoughts on subpar games from Peterson and Jones? Let us know what you thought in the comments.