How Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals Starters Looked in Preseason Game 2

It wasn’t technically week one of the Arizona Cardinals‘ preseason festivities, but Thursday night’s 27-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders did offer fans their first look at what this Cardinals team could be in its true form come early September.

And so, all eyes turned to RB Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick — as well as the non-Carson Beck quarterbacks tasked with getting him the football.

It was quite the game.

Jeremiyah Love makes good first impression

Love’s first snaps in a Cardinals uniform were quite the appetizer of his capabilities. The 21-year-old Notre Dame product made an immediate impact on Arizona’s offense — an encouraging sign for the return on the Cardinals’ third-overall investment.

Love carried the ball 11 times for 58 yards — an average clip of 5.3 yards per scamper. He also caught three passes for 14 yards, for a total of 73 all-purpose yardage.

Beyond the production itself, Love displayed the mature, well-rounded skillset that is rare in a player of his age. He showcased his plus vision, acceleration and agility, all while leaning into contact and falling forward in power-back fashion. He rushed for chunks of nine, 14 and 16 yards.

Even against some of the Raiders’ starting defenders, Love looked every bit the part of a legitimate NFL bell-cow back, with some route-running and pass-protecting prowess in his back pocket.

As early as it may be, Love’s debut offered plenty of excitement for Cardinals fans.

Brissett, Cardinals’ first-team offense look strong

After Carson Beck’s eye-opening debut in the Hall Of Fame Game last week, it was Jacoby Brissett’s turn to remind the Cardinals not to make any hasty decisions at the QB position. Brissett certainly did that Thursday alongside most of Arizona’s other first-team offensive playmakers.

Brissett looked poised, sharp and accurate. He only got one drive, but completed all five of his passes for 44 yards and fired a well-placed strike to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone, capping off what was an impressive 10-play, 73-yard opening drive. Brissett averaged 8.8 yards per completion, did not take a sack and posted a passer rating of 142.9.

As a long-time NFL veteran, that’s how Brissett should look in the preseason. But he certainly looked the part of Arizona’s starting QB in his first taste of 2026 action.

Trey McBride did not play in this game. He didn’t need to. But Michael Wilson caught two passes for 23 yards in the Puka Nacua role of Mike LaFleur’s offense, Kendrick Bourne had a gain of 12 and Harrison looks ready to become a serious red zone threat.

All of this was also made possible by a relatively strong showing by the Cardinals’ offensive line, who allowed just two sacks on 30 passing attempts.

It was another encouraging look by Arizona’s offense. But as good as Brissett looked, it didn’t seem to matter which QB was throwing the ball. Cardinals QBs combined to go 26-for-30 for 212 yards, three touchdowns, no turnovers and a 130.6 passer rating. That speaks volumes about both the playmakers themselves and the upgrade in offensive scheme under LaFleur.

Cardinals’ starting defense struggles

The Cardinals’ defense held the Raiders to just 14 points on 317 total yards. Unfortunately, most of that defensive production occurred once the Las Vegas backups entered the game.

The Raiders marched down the field with ease in the first and second quarters, putting together scoring drives of 68 and 79 yards. Both Kirk Cousins and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza had their way with Arizona’s starting defense, combining to go 15-for-22 with 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Arizona’s defensive 1’s looked, as they often did in 2025, a step behind their opposing offense. While they played a mostly clean game, it was clear the lack of high-impact defensive talent was an issue for the Cardinals.

Standout DL Walter Nolen III had the lone sack of Mendoza and CB Denzel Burke had two pass breakups, but if not for a 4-for-13 performance by third-string Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell against Arizona’s reserves, there might have been a bloodbath on defensive coordinator Nick Rallis’ hands.

For as good as the offense looked, the Cardinals’ starting defense did little to quiet any of their concerns.