Arizona Cardinals LB Kareem Martin and RB Stepfan Taylor among the inactives Week 1

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Two days prior, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians announced all players, with the exception of linebacker Kareem Martin, would be available for its season-opening showdown against the New England Patriots.

In other words, there would be several healthy scratches.

The same cannot be said of the Patriots.

The Cardinals’ inactives included Martin plus safety Marqui Christian, running back Stepfan Taylor, guard Cole Toner, as well as defensive tackles Olsen Pierre, Ed Stinson and Xavier Williams.

Martin is expected to miss another week, maybe two, due to a knee injury. He suffered a sprained MCL in the preseason finale against Denver.

That same game, Taylor hurt his knee. His injury, however, is not considered serious.

For the Patriots, who were already minus quarterback Tom Brady and defensive end Rob Ninkovich because of suspension, they arrived in the Valley without tight end Rob Gronkowski and a pair of offensive linemen, Jonathan Cooper, the former Cardinals first-round draft pick, and Nate Solder.

All three were ruled out due to injury.

Gronkowski is dealing with a hamstring issue as is Solder, while Cooper remained in Boston with a foot problem.

The others not in uniform for New England are tight end Clay Harbor, linebacker Elandon Roberts, cornerback Eric Rowe and running back D.J. Foster, the former Arizona State Sun Devil.

The Cardinals open their 11^th season at University of Phoenix Stadium. All 107 games played in the building, including this week, have sold out.

“Oh gosh, we’ve won a lot of close games because of our fans,” Arians said. “I think we might lead the league in fourth quarter wins the last few years, or close game wins, and I think a ton of it is due to our fan base and how great they are in the stadium.”

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