Key stats from Cardinals Preseason opener

The Arizona Cardinals were the number one offense in 2015. They expect to be number one again this season, and even outperform the numbers the put up in 2015. Thanks to a returning cast of all their skill players, and the addition of Evan Mathis at right guard, that is very well likely.

The starting unit did put up a five minute drive, even converting a third and 10 early on. They stalled in the red zone however, and settled for three. It went downhill from there offensively, as the second string offense had one nice drive, but Stanton had a number of "What the Heck" moments. Statistically the Cardinals dominated.

Time of Possession had an 11 minute Cardinal advantage, (35-24) but thanks to a missed Chandler Catanzaro kick, and a number of turnovers, the Cardinals could not finish their drives.

The Cardinals committed eight less penalties (11-3) than the Raiders did, which looks good for the young players and their ability to be smart on the football field.

Passing, the Cardinals owned that category. The Cardinals threw for 211 yards, to the Raiders 156. Matt Barkley had 121 yards on 8/24 passing. They were beat in the touchdown category however, as the Raiders threw 2 to the Cardinals 0. The Cardinals did have 2 interceptions, while the Raiders had none.

In the run game, the Cardinals also lead in that category. They amassed 172 yards to the Raiders 166. It helps when Andre Ellington, David Johnson, and Kerwynn Williams all had more than 30 yards on the ground. For the game however, the Raiders fielded the most productive running back. George Atkinson ran for 97 yards on 5 rushing attempts, while putting the ball in the endzone 2 times.

The Cardinals also turned the ball over 3 times, compared to only 1 by the Raiders.

The most important stat is the final score. By now we all know the Cardinals lost 31-10.

Obviously these numbers mean nothing. The Cardinals first team offense did well in their lone drive, and that is what matters when the Regular season arrives on September 11th.

The Cardinals take on the San Diego Chargers on August 19th in San Diego.