The Arizona Cardinals concluded their NFL preseason schedule with a 38-12 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Look back at our updates from the game.
The Cardinals lost the game and could have lost even more, as a handful of players left the game with injuries.
Among those leaving was rookie offensive lineman Christian Jones, who went down late in the fourth quarter and left the field on a cart.
Clayton Tune, who previously appeared to make a solid case to be the backup to quarterback Kyler Murray, might have lost that position. Tune played the first half and was 12-for-17 passing for 119 yards. He was forced to re-enter following the play that sent Jones off the field and forced fellow QB Desmond Ridder into the injury tent.
Tune promptly threw an interception, which the Broncos returned for a touchdown.
Ridder finished 10-for-16 passing for 111 yards.
Running back Hassan Hall scored the only touchdown for the Cardinals. He had 19 carries for 59 yards. Tony Jones Jr. was the only other running back to see action. He has seven carries for 29 yards but lost a fumble.
Broncos QB Zach Wilson was 16-for-25 passing for 251 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals, who were winless in the preseason, open the regular season on Sept. 8 at Buffalo.
Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Christian Jones was injured during a play late in the fourth quarter.
The nature of the injury was unknown. He left the field on a cart.
On the play, quarterback Desmond Ridder hit and forced into Jones. Ridder, who lost his helmet on the play, had to leave the game to be checked out.
Clayton Tune, who thought his day was over after playing the first half, was picked off on his first pass. It was returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Levelle Bailey.
Score: Broncos 38, Cardinals 12 (3:57 Q4)
Hassan Hall carried the ball 3 yards for the first touchdown of the game for the Cardinals. Arizona attempted a two-point conversion, but the ball was batted out of the hands of Andre Baccellia.
The 70-yard drive took 4:27 off the clock.
Desmond Ridder is now 8-for-12 for 90 yards.
Score: Broncos 24, Cardinals 12 (10:46 Q4)
Denver put together an 88-yard drive led by quarterback Zach Wilson to add to its lead.
The big play was a 37-yard pass from Wilson to Brandon Johnson that set the Broncos up with a first down on the Arizona 1.
Wilson carried the ball for the touchdown.
The Broncos now have 316 yards of offense, compared to 217 for the Cardinals. The big difference is on the scoreboard, where Denver has consistently been able to add touchdowns, while the Cardinals settle for field goal attempts.
Score: Broncos 24, Cardinals 6 (End of Q3)
The Broncos added a field goal on the opening drive of the first half.
The Cardinals answered with one of their own.
Desmond Ridder led the 64-yard, 10-play drive for the Cardinals. Ridder, who is battling Clayton Tune to earn the role of backup to Kyler Murray, entered in the second half.
He is 3-for-4 passing for 38 yards. His lone incompletion came on fourth-and-goal from the Denver 6 when he tried to force a pass to the end zone.
Score: Broncos 17, Cardinals 6 (7:44 Q3)
After missing an attempt earlier in the game, Matt Prater was good from 50 yards to give the Cardinals their first points of the game.
Clayton Tune led the Cardinals on a 45-yard drive that ended with the field goal as the clock expired in the first half.
Tune, who is only expected to play the first half for the Cardinals, was 12-for-17 passing for 120 yards.
Xavier Weaver has two catches for 56 yards. He leads the six Cardinals with at least one receptions. Weaver adds another 71 yards on punt and kick returns.
Score: Broncos 14, Cardinals 3 (halftime)
Arizona Cardinals running back Tony Jones Jr. fumbled the ball when he took a hit, which means his chance of making the roster also took a hit.
Jones has two catches for 15 yards against the Broncos. He also has seven carries for 29 yards. It is the most he's seen the ball in any of the team's preseason games.
Jones caught a pass from Clayton Tune on third-and-goal from the Denver 13. He got the ball near the 10 and was hit as he turned upfield. The ball was recovered by Keidron Smith for the Broncos.
On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Broncos QB Zach Wilson threw to Nate Adkins, who made an easy catch.
The Broncos faced a third down just once during the 11-play drive.
Wilson is now 4-for-6 for 57 yards in the game. However, his most noteable play may have been a 21-yard run to convert on second-and-20.
Score: Broncos 14, Cardinals 0 (8:35 Q2)
The Cardinals managed just 37 yards over three offensive series in the first quarter. They ran 14 plays and were 0-for-3 on third down.
Clayton Tune started at quarterback. He is 5-for-7 passing for 30 yards. He's been sacked twice for a loss of 15.
Score: Broncos 7, Cardinals 0 (End Q1)
Wilson entered for the Broncos second series and is expected to play the remainder of the game. Wilson and Jarrett Stidham are competing for the role of backing up Bo Nix at quarterback. Nix was named the Week 1 starter last week.
Wilson, a product of BYU, spent three seasons with the New York Jets.
Faced with fourth-and-2, the Denver Broncos went for it and converted with a 14-yard pass from Jarrett Stidham to Devaughn Vele.
Stidham was 2-for-4 passing for 28 yards on the drive. His other completion went to Audric Estime for 14 yards. Estime also had five carries for 17 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run.
Score: Broncos 7, Cardinals 0 (6:44 Q1)
The Arizona Cardinals received the opening kickoff and started rolling. The drive stalled inside the 40 and veteran kicker Matt Prater attempted a 50-yard field goal. The kicker missed.
The Cardinals picked up a pair of first downs on the possession. The first was an 11-yard run by Tony Jones Jr. The second came on a pass from Clayton Tune to Jones.
Broncos Damarri Mathis was injured on the second play of the game and is questionable to return.
The Broncos took over on their own 45.
Score: Cardinals 0, Broncos 0 (11:09 Q1)
Bo Nix will not play against the Arizona Cardinals during the final preseason game for both teams.
It was announced last week that Nix, a rookie, would start for the Broncos in their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8.
Nearly three dozen players on the Denver roster are expected to be inactive against the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray, the starting quarterback for the Cardinals, has not played in any of the preseason games and will not play vs. the Broncos.
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Cardinals vs Broncos schedule: What time is NFL preseason game?
The game is on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m. MST, 2:30 p.m. MDT.
Cardinals vs Broncos venue: Where is NFL preseason game?
The game is being played at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
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Cardinals vs Broncos TV: What channel is NFL preseason game on?
The game can be seen on CBS.
Cardinals vs Broncos streaming: How do I watch NFL preseason game on livestream?
Streaming options for the game include Paramount+ , CBS's subscription streaming service, and FUBO , which offers a free trial.
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Cardinals vs Broncos game odds: Who is favored?
The Broncos are a 3.5-point favorite over the Cardinals in the game, according to odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook .
Denver is -190 on the moneyline, while Arizona is +155.
The over/under (point total) is set at 36.5 points.
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Arizona Cardinals schedule 2024
- Preseason Week 1: Saints 16, Cardinals 14
- Preseason Week 2: Colts 21, Cardinals 13
- Preseason Week 3: At Denver Broncos, Sunday, Aug. 25, 1:30 p.m., CBS
- NFL Week 1: At Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 8, CBS, 10 a.m.
- NFL Week 2: Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Sept. 15, FOX, 1:05 p.m.
- NFL Week 3: Detroit Lions, Sunday, Sept. 22, FOX, 1:25 p.m.
- NFL Week 4: Washington Commanders, Sunday, Sept. 29, FOX, 1:05 p.m.
- NFL Week 5: At San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Oct. 6, FOX, 1:05 p.m.
- NFL Week 6: At Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Oct. 13, FOX, 10 a.m.
- NFL Week 7: Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Oct. 21, ESPN+, 6 p.m.
- NFL Week 8: At Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 27, FOX, 10 a.m.
- NFL Week 9: Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 3, CBS, 2:05 p.m.
- NFL Week 10: New York Jets, Sunday, Nov. 10, CBS, 2:25 p.m.
- NFL Week 11: BYE
- NFL Week 12: At Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Nov. 24, FOX, 2:25 p.m.
- NFL Week 13: At Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 1, FOX, 11 a.m.
- NFL Week 14: Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 8, CBS, 2:05 p.m.
- NFL Week 15: New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 15, CBS, 2:25 p.m.
- NFL Week 16: At Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 22, FOX, 1 p.m.
- NFL Week 17: At Los Angeles Rams, Saturday Dec. 28 or Sunday, Dec. 29, TBD, TBD
- NFL Week 18: San Francisco 49ers, Saturday, Jan. 4 or Sunday, Jan 5, TBD, TBD
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals end preseason winless; Bills await in 2 weeks
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