Arizona Cardinals vs Oakland Raiders: Player of the Game

The Arizona Cardinals are now .500 for the first time this season. Hopefully, this is also the last time the team sits at or under .500. A 20-10 game in the Cardinals favor saw the first team offense play 15 snaps, and score on their only drive.

The rest of the game was what you would expect from a preseason matchup. The 2nd stringers looked solid, and the third and fourth stringers looked like the NFL bubble players they are. There were, however, a few players who caught the attention of many. Most caught the attention for good reasons, as they were impressive on the field. Those players will get some ROTB recognition, as we will hand one of these lucky players an ROTB game ball!

Josh Bynes:

Bynes was all over the field it seemed on Saturday. He lead the team with 6.5 tackles and forced a fumble with the Raiders driving towards the end zone. He also recorded a split sack with Kareem Martin.

In a loaded linebacking room, Bynes still has an uphill battle, but he took a good first step this week.

Robert Nkemdiche:

Another solid week from Nkemdiche. He is showing that his strong offseason work and camp work are not a fluke and that he is ready to be the player the Cardinals drafted. Nkemdiche was responsible for 2.5 tackles, with 1.5 being tackles for a loss. He was responsible for a number of other disrupted running plays, eating up three blocks on a 4th and one play, allowing Scooby Wright to make the play in the backfield.

Drew Stanton:

Fun fact: Drew Stanton only completed 11 passes all last preseason. He completed 11/15 on Saturday. Stanton looked the best we have seen since 2014. He made defenders miss, and used his legs well enough to get himself out of trouble and find Troy Niklas for a touchdown.

With Blaine Gabbert having a strong performance in his first game, it appeared to have lit a fire under Stanton.

Phil Dawson:

Dawson converted both his field goal attempts and hit both extra points. I was honestly upset when the team decided to part ways with Chandler Catanzaro, thinking he would bounce back this year. I was clearly wrong. Dawson brings stability to the special teams unit, a unit that ranked dead last in 2016.

Giving Dawson a game ball is simply out of excitement at not missing many, if any, game winning kicks.

Budda Baker

Baker wasn’t eye popping. But Baker looked impressive yet again. Baker had a pass defended and was solid in coverage. He continues to develop, and for a player who missed all of the offseason workouts, Baker has been impressive with his playing ability. There is a very good reason why he draws comparisons to Tyrann Mathieu.

Someone I missed? Be sure to comment and vote in the poll!

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