Arizona Cardinals trailing Oakland Raiders 15-3 at halftime

The Arizona Cardinals have struggled in the first half against the Oakland Raiders

The first offensive drive resulted in a Carson Palmer interception for the Arizona Cardinals. It didn’t get much better from there as the Oakland Raiders lead the Cardinals 15-3 at halftime.

The offense has sputtered and the defense has at times as well. Even kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed a field goal from 54-yards. He did hit from 53-yards later on.

The good:

Larry Fitzgerald. He looked great hauling in a couple of catches. Also looking good was receiver John Brown. He made a beautiful catch that helped set up the Cardinals only score of the first half.

The bad:

Palmer has overthrown his receivers at times. It is disappointing to see that but I also think there have been some communication issues. Not everyone seems to be on the same page. That is something you hope that gets worked out in the next two weeks. His two interceptions and 7-21 in the air though are not giving Cardinals fans much to cheer about right now.

Raiders receiver Amari Cooper and fullback Marcel Reese got open for long gains. The Cards corners have been burned including Patrick Peterson. Again, it is preseason and you have to hope they are getting this out of their system now.

The ugly:

The Cardinals offensive line. Just bad. Bradley Sowell is every bit the struggling lineman again. The Cardinals will have to rely on him though for the time being. Some of Palmer’s struggles can be traced to Palmer himself but the offensive line hasn’t been able to pass protect or run block very well in the first half.

Missed tackles. The Cardinals have re-visited the issue that haunted them against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first preseason game. If the Cards can’t tackle, it doesn’t matter who they are playing on the other side of the field.

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