Cardinals Vs. Chiefs: How Did The Non-Starters Perform?

Despite the awful performance by the starters of the Cardinals, the second and third teams actually played somewhat decently against the Chiefs. Both Ryan Lindley and Rich Bartel led a scoring drive and the defense had some good performers.

After the jump, get my take on the players that performed well and are inevitably helping their bids at making the 53 man roster.

Ryan Lindley:

So, I already mentioned the big rookie QB, but let's go a little bit more in depth. Lindley went 6/11 on the night for 48 yards. He made a seam pass to Laron Byrd at the end of the first half that announcer Ron Wolfley proceeded to call an NFL caliber throw. He shows poise in the pocket and has a quick release. I really like this kid and with some work, he could make an impact on the Cardinals down the road, but not this season.

Rich Bartel:

Again, we talked about Bartel, but he was actually pretty superb. He threw a nice touchdown pass to Jaymar Johnson in the 4th quarter and was extremely accurate with his throws. His final line was 5/6 for 69 yards and a TD. Neither him or Lindley threw an interception, so that's progress as well.

LaRon Byrd:

I honestly should have started this post with Byrd, but I figured I'd save him until after the quarterbacks. Byrd lives up to the hype of being a mini-Fitzgerald in almost every way. He has great range, jumping ability and he catches almost any ball thrown his way. 3 catches for 33 yards on four targets isn't too shabby if you ask me.

William Powell:

Powell played well and as always during the preseason, he was asked to carry the football plenty of times for the Cardinals. He broke a 67 yard run in the third quarter that inspired some excitement throughout the fanbase. After that, he ran 8 times for 25 yards, which isn't great, but considering his workload, it's not that bad, either.

Jamell Fleming:

Fleming is seemingly everything defensive coordinator Ray Horton has hyped him up to be. He plays with a level of physicality that is almost unseen when it comes to defensive backs. The tackle that he made of Shaun Draughn in the second quarter by using an offensive lineman that is 100 pounds heavier than him was a sight for sore eyes. The way the Chiefs were picking on Michael Adams, I wouldn't be surprised to see Fleming get some time at the nickel corner as the preseason wears on.

Rashad Johnson:

After having a rather subpar week against the Saints, Johnson rebounded to have a nice night against the Chiefs. He picked off a deflected pass in the second quarter and returned it to give the offense some good field position and enough time to get a field goal. He also finished with 3 solo tackles and looked solid in the secondary.

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