The Arizona Cardinals concluded preseason action with a 42-38 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Friday. While the first-ever LaFleur Bowl was a feel-good story, that narrative unfortunately quickly has to shift to brutal roster decisions as the Cardinals have to narrow down their roster to 53.
With a preseason that was overall stronger than their final 1-3 record suggests, this decision won't be easy. Here are a few Cardinals who strengthened their case one final time.
Winner: Evan Hull
In a high-scoring affair with plenty of offense from both teams, Evan Hull still managed to stand out amongst the rest.
The Cardinals' running back led the contest with 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, finishing with an efficient 6.7 YPC. That's the good news.
The bad news? While the breakout performance came at an ideal time, it may be too little too late for Hull. Even with Trey Benson joining IR, this is a deep running back room in Arizona.
Winner: Gardner Minshew II
It was a limited sample size of just nine pass completions for Gardner Minshew II, who didn't need to stick around longer as he's already proven to be a strong backup quarterback. He looked the part of a veteran in terms of his pocket presence and ability to stand in to deliver the ball in stride.
Minshew finished 7-of-9 passing for 126 yards, one touchdown, and a 155.8 QB rating.
Winner: Simi Fehoko
It remains to be seen if Simi Fehoko will ultimately make Arizona's 53-man roster, with cuts soon taking place. Unfortunately, it's a crowded wide receiver room loaded with talent beyond Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson.
A handful of receivers played well throughout the offseason. Fehoko, the touchdown machine, is one of them, leading the Cardinals with five receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Green Bay.
Loser: Cardinals defense
The Cardinals' defense surrendered 42 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter, where the Packers scored on every single possession.
Overall, their second-stringers played relatively well, as that lead was blown around the time when Arizona's third-string defense was in. Still, the way this game fell apart exposed the Cardinals' lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball.
Loser: Mike LaFleur
Officially 0-1 after losing the inaugural LaFleur Bowl against big brother Matt.
Should be the start of a good sibling rivalry, and you could see the overlap in schemes in Friday's contest. Arizona's offense has a high ceiling with LaFleur, which was already on display throughout what was an overall impressive first preseason.
It wasn't perfect, however, as the Cardinals were unable to secure bragging rights at the LaFleur Thanksgiving dinner.
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