Aug 22, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro (7) looks on against the San Diego Chargers at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Chargers won 22-19. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Kicker Chandler Catanzaro has not looked like his usual self this preseason. So far this season he has missed 2 field goals, he missed 4 field goals all of last season. I don’t want to say he’s having the sophomore slumps, but time will tell whether he has hit a wall or if he’s just having one of those days. With the type of field the Raiders play on (sharing it with the Oakland A’s) this will be the opportune time for Catanzaro to put any worries to rest that he may be losing his touch.
Players to look out for against the Raiders are linebackers Kevin Minter and Alex Okafor. Okafor finished the 2014 strong, and hopefully he can pick where he left off and assume the starting role at inside linebacker. Kevin Minter has received a lot praise from teammates and coaching staff and state he has become more of a leader during camp with Sean Witherspoon nursing a hamstring injury.
Rodney Gunter has been the surprise of the preseason and is getting better game by game. Gunter had his coming out party in his NFL debut with a monstrous sack against Cheifs quarterback Aaron Murray. With Gunter now starting in place of Corey Peters has so far exceeded expectations. Look for Gunter to put pressure on the Raiders offensive line and David Carr.
Odds:
EVEN
O/U 40
Prediction:
While I have mentioned for the past 2 weeks that the result is not as important as players performances, the team should start looking to close out games against inferior opponents. The offensive line still needs to improve their pass protection for Carson Palmer, the defensive back ups still need to improve their tackling. All these are fixable problems, but should be looked to be shored by the end of this game. With rookies David Johnson and Rodney Gunter leading the way, I expect the Arizona Cardinals to be rewarded with their first win of the 2015 preseason. Cardinals 31 Raiders 24
More from Raising Zona
- Arizona Cardinals: Could Eric Bieniemy come to the desert?
- Would Jonathan Gannon be a good fit for the Arizona Cardinals?
- Arizona Cardinals: Budda Baker right in his take regarding the next coach
- Arizona Cardinals: 3 reasons new coach should want to work with Murray
- Arizona Cardinals special teams could be completely revamped in 2023