The Cardinals played well in the first half of this football game before the roof caved in.  Kurt Warner was effective in his brief time on the field as he completed all four of his pass attempts for 48 yards.  Matt Leinart was also sharp as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 177 yards with a TD pass.  Brian St. Pierre had by far his worst game of the preseason as he only completed 1 of 7 passes for 13 yards.  Anthony Morelli also had a night to forget as he completed 6 of 12 passes for 78 yards with 2 interceptions.  J.J. Arrington led the Cardinals in rushing in this game with 5 carries for 31 yards (6.2 ypc) with a TD run.  WR Jerheme Urban led the Cards in receiving in this game with 94 yards on 4 grabs (23.5 avg).  Fellow WR Lance Long pitched in with 4 catches for 46 yards (11.5 avg) against the Broncos.  The Cardinals finished up with 71 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 37 passes for 288 yards.

DE Calais Campbell led a poor effort by the Cards’ defense with 7 tackles.  The Broncos finished up with 187 yards rushing on 42 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 26 passes for 206 yards.  The Cardinals finished up the preseason with a 2-2 record.

The Cardinals won this game due to a solid running game on offense and a stout defense.  Matt Leinart might have lost his starting job based on his lousy performance in this football game.  He completed 4 of 12 passes for 24 yards with a stunning 3 interceptions.  Kurt Warner was solid in relief of Leinart hitting 2 of 4 passes for 40 yards.  Brian St. Pierre was razor sharp in this game completing 7 of 8 passes for 96 yards.  He also hit TE Leonard Pope on a 18-yard TD pass.  J.J. Arrington led the Cardinals in rushing in this game with 71 yards on only 2 carries (35.5 ypc) as one of his runs was good for a 67-yard TD.  Rookie Tim Hightower has another very impressive game as he carried the football 10 times for 52 yards (5.2 ypc) and he scored on a 13-yard TD run.  Chris Vincent pitched in with 43 yards rushing on 8 carries (5.4 ypc).  Anquan Boldin led the Cardinals in receiving with 54 yards on 3 catches (18.0 avg).  The Cardinals finished up with 215 yards rushing on 39 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 25 passes for 158 yards.  The Cardinals had possession of the football for 34:25 in this football game and that really makes it easy for the defense.

Linebacker Gerald Hayes led a solid effort by the defense with 5 tackles.  The Raiders finished up with 54 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 33 passes for 111 yards.  It’s too bad this game didn’t count as the Cardinals looked dominating.

Brian St. Pierre has been really good in the preseason for the Cardinals solidifying his role as the #3 QB on the team.  St. Pierre has completed 16 of 22 passes (72.7%) this preseason for 124 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions (101.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc).  St. Pierre was brought over last season by head coach Ken Whisenhunt who coached him in Pittsburgh so the coach thinks he can do a good job if Leinart and Warner both went down to injury.

The Cardinals have been waiting for Matt Leinart to live up to his potential and he’s doing so this preseason.  Leinart has completed 14 of 19 passes (73.7%) for 153 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions (114.6 QB Rating) in his first two preseason games.  Veteran Kurt Warner has also been effective in limited playing time this preseason as he has completed 6 of 9 passes (66.7%) for 54 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (82.6 QB Rating).  If the goal is to win this season then the Cardinals should seriously consider starting Kurt Warner who clearly outplayed Leinart last season.  But, if the Cardinals are looking towards the future than Leinart should be the pick to start this season.

Tim Hightower has made a big impression on the Arizona Cardinals this preseason.  He has carried the football 14 times for 51 yards (3.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs this preseason and he has also caught 4 passes for 14 yards (3.5 avg).  Hightower has bumped J.J. Arrington down the depth chart and Marcel Shipp off of the team.  Hightower now has his sites on Edgerrin James but he likely won’t overtake him before the season starts, but, look for him to get a few carries that were earmarked for James this season.