Don’t tell Cardinals quarterbacks Logan Thomas and Phillip Sims preseason games are meaningless. The two are in a battle for the No. 3 job and are likely to get snaps against the Raiders on NBC Sunday. Coach Bruce Arians will say you can never have enough quarterbacks when Arizona attempts to end a five-game preseason losing streak.
ODDS
Back at home against the winless Cardinals, the Raiders opened as a 1-point favorite. Oakland has struggled during the regular season recently, however they are 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three preseason games at O.co Coliseum. The total opened at 40.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
The Cardinals would like to get Carson Palmer a half of work, but concerns over the offensive line might limit him to less time. Besides, coach Bruce Arians knows what he has in the veteran and the work to this point has eliminated the fears over his rebuilt knee. Not having a third-string option hurt the Cards last season and Arians would love for Logan Thomas or Phillip Sims to take control of that role. Sims impressed last week and may have jumped ahead of Thomas on the depth chart. Backup Drew Stanton was also roughed up by the Chargers and will see limited duty, if he gets any time on the field at all.
With a rash of serious injuries to front-line players this preseason, many coaches are rethinking their approach to the games. Oakland’s Jack Del Rio is among them. As much as he would like his starters to go in the second half, the risk is too high. He will judge player reps by the flow of the game and Derek Carr will likely not play more than a half. Though Christian Ponder was signed to be Carr’s backup, Matt McGloin is making the race interesting. The two will split time in the second half to try and impress the coaching staff.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
More so than winning, the Cardinals need to improve their offensive line play entering Week 3 of the preseason. The No. 1 priority of the group is to keep Palmer upright. And there were issues in that area in last weekend’s loss to San Diego. Palmer played less than a quarter and was sacked twice in nine dropbacks. Backup Stanton was sacked four times. All six sacks occurred in the first half. Arians said the problems were a combination of getting beat physically and making mental errors. The Cards already lost free agent guard Mike Iupati to a knee injury and tackle Bobby Massie faces a three-game suspension once the season starts, forcing the coaches to make other adjustments.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“You would like to get the guys to feel coming back in the second half and starting the second half at least. The conditioning aspect, not only physically but mentally, it’s important, so it’s an important part, but you have to weigh that against having your best people healthy and ready to go for the year.” – Raiders coach Jack Del Rio on playing his starters
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
When the Cards selected Deone Bucannon in the first round of the 2014 draft, they envisioned a hard-hitting safety prowling the secondary. But when he was on the field as a rookie, it was as an inside linebacker. That should be the case this season. Bucannon is undersized at linebacker, but so is Kevin Minter. Arians likens Bucannon to Daryl Washington, who’s on the roster but remains suspended. Larry Foote is now on the Cards coaching staff and Sean Witherspoon has missed all of training camp with an injury, creating a chance for Bucannon to get some playing time. “He’s big, strong, fast,” Arians said. “It’s good to get him in there the most we can get him in there.”
INJURIES
Running back Chris Johnson wasn’t able to stay healthy for long in Arizona. Signed by the Cards last week, he didn’t play in their preseason game against San Diego and it was revealed he pulled a hamstring. Tight end Troy Niklas also has a hamstring injury that will keep him out. Receiver Michael Floyd and guard Mike Iupati are other players on offense who won’t play.
Raiders receiver Andre Holmes, who was expected to be a big part of Oakland’s receiving corps, will be out until the regular season with a broken hand. Tight end Clive Wolford and fullback Jamize Olawale did not participate in practice and are doubtful to play.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
During first team reps the Cardinals have been very good. The problem is they haven’t gotten a lot of them the last two weeks. Thus the Cardinals are staring at a five-game game preseason losing streak and seem to have more questions than answers at this point. The offensive line is disjointed and the running back situation hasn’t been settled. But Arians has a way of pulling the rabbit out of his hat. Just when you think the Cards are done, they aren’t. There’s a lot of talent on defense and the first-stringers will shut down the Raiders.
Arizona 23, Oakland 20
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -1 in favor of the Raiders. The NFL betting lines total surfaced at 40. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders is slated for Sunday, August 30, 2015, at 8 p.m. ET at the O.co Coliseum. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
