The Arizona Cardinals dropped to 0-2 in the preseason on Saturday night as they fell 21-13 to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
They allowed two second-half touchdowns after taking the lead just before halftime.
They improved in their pass rush but were penalized 11 times and flagged other times when they were declined or offset.
Clayton Tune scored the Cardinals’ only touchdown of the game.
Here is how it went down.
Clayton Tune gets the start
Before the game started, it was announced on television that Tune would get the start with Desmond Ridder likely to play the second half.
Jon Gaines in starting O-line
The Cardinals had a starting offensive line of Kelvin Beachum at left tackle, Isaiah Adams at left guard, Trystan Colon at center, Jon Gaines at right guard and Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle.
Gaines was playing in a game for the first time since he tore his ACL in last year’s preseason finale.
Colts 7, Cardinals 0
After a bad punt, Sam Ehlinger threw a 27-yard pass to get in scoring position. Ehlinger scrambled for 10 yards and Tyler Goodson ran eight yards for the touchdown.
Ball out!
After the Cardinals had to punt again, the defense got a turnover. Kei’Trel forced Anthony Gould to fumble after a catch and Dante Stills recovered it, giving the offense the ball at the Indy 45.
Colts 7, Cardinals 3
The Cardinals turned the takeaway into points, but it was an ugly drive. Rookie tackle Christian Jones was flagged on three straight plays for holding. One of them negated a 20-yard run to the two-yard line by rookie running back Trey Benson. They ended up with 2nd-and-33. They settled on a 40-yard field goal to get on the board.
Rabbit interception!
BEWARE: RABBIT ON THE LOOSE 🐰
📺: #AZvsIND on CBS | @DadrionT pic.twitter.com/yosmhhLDD7
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 18, 2024
After Blake Gillikin had a 64-yard punt, pinning the Colts inside the 10, the Cardinals forced another turnover. Rookie safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson picked off a pass and gave the offense the ball at the Indianapolis 41 with 1:44 left in the first half.
Clayton Tune tuddy! Cardinals 10, Colts 7
*checks watch*
It's TUNE TIME ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/iiXBDXFbSQ
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 18, 2024
Tune gave the Cardinals the lead before halftime, showing off his athleticism, running 12 yards for the score.
Colts 14, Cardinals 10
Indy opened the second half with a 10-play. 75-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Zavier Scott.
Colts 14, Cardinals 13
Desmond Ridder entered the game at quarterback and led the Cardinals to some points. Michael Carter had a third-down conversion catch but also failed to catch a third-down pass inside the 10, leading to a 27-yard field goal by Matt Prater to pull within a point.
Colts 21, Cardinals 13
Going for it on fourth-and-goal, quarterback Jason Bean ran one yard for a touchdown for the first play of the fourth quarter. It capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive.
Colts missed FG
The Cardinals went three-and-out and then the Colts were aided by a personal foul penalty on third down. But on a play when quarterback Kedon Slovis should have been sacked (Victor Dimukeje couldn’t hold on) and should have been intercepted (Darren Hall couldn’t hold on to the ball), Matt Gay missed a 53-yard field goal wide left, giving the Cardinals the ball at the 43.
Another missed FG
The offense went three-and-out and the Colts had a chance to seal a victory, but Gay missed a 44-yard field goal with 27 seconds left, giving the Cardinals at least a shot to perhaps tie the game.
Penalty ends game, Cardinals lose
After three completions, Dennis Daley had a false start with five seconds remaining in the game. Since the Cardinals had no timeouts remaining, time expired with the required 10-second runoff. The Cardinals lost 21-13.
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