Arizona Cardinals Defeat Denver Broncos 26-7, Bartel Shines

If you were to look at the yards allowed by the Defense, you wouldn't think the Cardinals Defense had held up too good.

If you were to think that, we'd know you didn't watch the game.  The Defense was spectacular throughout the game, and so were numerous other Cardinals players.

Hit the jump for some quick details from the Cardinals NFL Preseason finale.

Kevin Kolb didn't play long, leaving after his 1st Drive.  Richard Bartel came in to replace him, and saying he did great is an understatement.  Bartel played up until the half, and finished 12-16 with 216 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  He also had a passer rating of 130.2, and although this is only Preseason, it was definitely fun to watch Bartel make a huge case to pass John Skelton on the QB depth chart.

It was the Defense that was the other star of the game.  The Cards Defense prevented the Broncos from getting a single 1st Down in the entire 1st Quarter.  They also managed to cause a fumble, get an interception, and sacked the Broncos QB's four times.  (And thanks to Tim Tebow, the Broncos managed to gain 83 yards on the final drive of the game, which explains the high number of yards allowed).

Chansi Stuckey led the Cardinals WR's with 4 receptions for 99 yards, and 1 touchdown.  The time of possesion for the Cardinals was 39:23, vs. 20:37 for the Broncos.  That right there shows you how efficient the Offense was today.

The Carolina Panthers come to the desert next week for the season opener, and after today, I'm a lot more confident.  Bring on Cam Newton.