Days removed, it’s easy to view the Arizona Cardinals’ preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders through the lens of their injury casualties.
Guard Chase Bisontis, their second-round rookie, is out for the season with a torn MCL. Running back Jeremiyah Love, drafted a round earlier, is dealing with an ankle sprain that may put his status for Week 1 in doubt. At a time of year when staying healthy is paramount, the news coming out of the trainer’s room is far from ideal.
Those two injuries, though, shouldn’t entirely overshadow an otherwise impressive day for the Cardinals. At the end of a strong training camp, Arizona carried its positive vibes into Las Vegas on Aug. 13, where plenty of key players impressed.
Among that group, here are three standouts, based on a review of the tape.
Right guard Isaiah Adams
Now, you might think the logical place to start would be with Love. Every post-game highlight show certainly began there, with the rookie racking up 72 yards on 14 total touches in his NFL debut.
And we’ll get there. But no offensive player stood out more on the Cardinals tape than Isaiah Adams — which is good news, since Bisontis’ injury means he’s now entrenched in his starting job.
The good news for the Cardinals O-line: Isaiah Adams was excellent last night.
— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) August 15, 2026
He was moving people in the run game and showed nice awareness in pass protection. pic.twitter.com/fA3ImmrVSE
Adams stood out most with his ability to move people in the run game, as he showed on the first two plays here.
The second clip is particularly impressive, as he gets knocked back off the line of scrimmage but has the strength to anchor with his inside leg, regain control of the rep and move the defensive tackle out of the play. Had center Hjalte Froholdt been able to hold onto his block, Adams’ work would have sprung running back Tyler Allgeier for a big gain.
But for a player who has sometimes struggled with the mental acclimation to the NFL, Adams’ awareness in pass protection was just as encouraging. On the third play here, he shows excellent timing in passing off a stunt before handling the looping defensive tackle with ease. On the fourth play, he has no one to block, so he searches for a teammate in need of help and then levels the edge rusher to aid right tackle Elijah Wilkinson — although left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. was beaten elsewhere on the play.
Both times, Adams’ work helped the Cardinals find big gains through the air.
“He’s just been solid and steady,” head coach Mike LaFleur said. “What’s really stood out to me with him is it looks like he plays at his pace, which is a good thing. He doesn’t look rushed.”
Running back Jeremiyah Love
Now, onto Love. Before he went down with his ankle injury — which will keep him out of practice this week but seems unlikely to be a long-term concern — Love electrified a fanbase that is in search of reasons to be excited.
The standout trait, as in his decorated Notre Dame career, was Love’s elusiveness.
— Theo Mackie film (@theomackie_film) August 16, 2026
The spin move in the open field is classic Love, a player whose ability to turn 10 yards into 70 was unmatched in college football. But the jump cut in the second clip here is just as important in the process of becoming an elite NFL running back. That play was blown up for a loss of yardage, but Love turns it into a positive play, keeping Arizona ahead of the sticks.
The other area in which Love impressed was his decisiveness.
“When I first got here, I still was kind of in my college ways,” Love said. “I would do a lot of jump cuts .... But now I’m a lot more grounded, more patient. I keep my feet on the ground more. So the second that hole opens up, my feet are ready and I can shoot through it.”
Like with his elusiveness, that was on display on both short carries and chunk gains.
— Theo Mackie film (@theomackie_film) August 16, 2026
Both of these runs came on zone runs, which can create a complicated picture for young running backs. But Love doesn’t dance in the backfield, opening the risk for a negative play. He picks his hole — even if space is scarce — and hits it quickly.
Defensive tackle Walter Nolen
When a Cardinals player is in the opposing backfield, it’s a safe bet that Walter Nolen is the culprit — a product of both their lack of impactful pass rushers and Nolen’s emerging dominance.
Last season, his 15.1% pressure rate would have led all qualified defensive tackles over a full season. Against the Raiders, he picked up where he left off, with three pressures and a sack on 13 pass-rush snaps.
Walter Nolen is so damn good pic.twitter.com/uB1o1bDpdj
— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) August 15, 2026
Nolen’s go-to pass rush plan is using his first-step burst to explode past the opposing lineman, then ripping down on that player’s hands to create separation — as he shows in both the first and third clips here.
The second clip shows Nolen’s ability to work to a backup plan. The right guard sets aggressively to cut off Nolen’s first step, so Nolen displays his bend to work around the block. His effort punctures the pocket and ultimately forces a throwaway.
And while Nolen’s disruptiveness is most evident against the pass, he’s also capable of making a major impact in the run game. Just watch the final clip here, when Nolen lands his hands on the left tackle’s chest and manhandles him out of the way to make the tackle.
LaFleur, though, did seem to pour some cold water on the hype surrounding Nolen’s performance.
“There were some disruptive times, just like you guys saw,” LaFleur said. “But we’ve still got a long way to go.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 standouts from film of Cardinals win over Raiders