What did we learn from Cardinals’ win vs. Raiders?

The Arizona Cardinals notched their first unofficial win under head coach Mike LaFleur with their 27-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night.

It was another strong showing from the offense, with plenty of question marks defensively.

A look at what was gleaned from Thursday’s showing:

What were the biggest takeaways from Cardinals-Raiders?

Jacoby Brissett catching up

The veteran quarterback admitted he was still in catch-up mode with training camp breaking on Tuesday.

Given his rough Red & White Practice showing the day prior, where he missed on multiple throws, that was evident even without the confirmation.

On Thursday, though, the operation and play looked much better from Brissett as he got his first chance operating the offense in a game setting.

Completing all five of his passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in his lone series, Brissett looked like the expected Week 1 starter.

His threading of the needle to Marvin Harrison Jr. on a crossing route in the end zone was his biggest highlight of the evening.

Marvin Harrison Jr. for 6!

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/veLsiXMlsY

— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026

“I said, ‘Save those for September, dude,'” LaFleur told reporters postgame when discussing Brissett’s touchdown and the offense’s overall performance.

This run game could be really fun

We got the first look of the one-two punch of Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier on Thursday.

The rookie running back, who picked up an ankle injury, led the way with 14 touches (11 carries, three catches) to Allgeier’s four (all rushes).

Both were able to find their openings, with each averaging at least 4.8 yards per carry in the limited sample size and offensive line inconsistencies.

Love got the first looks with the starters, something he hadn’t done for the bulk of training camp.

Toss in James Conner (whenever he returns to full participation) and Bam Knight and this running backs room looks a whole lot sturdier than it was last year.

Clean it up

False starts continue to be an issue for this Cardinals offense.

In the first quarter alone, Isaac Seumalo and Teagan Quitoriano were flagged for false starts.

LaFleur has an absolute disdain for false starts and the lack of focus that shows.

For an offense that has the potential to really get going thanks to its playmakers and scheme, those pre-snap penalties are a good way to ruin momentum.

Tough decisions loom in the WRs room

Whether it be Jalen Brooks picking up where he left off from the Hall of Fame game, Reggie Virgil making another spectacular catch or Simi Fehoko finding the end zone for a second straight game, one thing is certain:

The Cardinals’ wide receivers room is deep and competitive.

Harrison, Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne don’t need much of an introduction and are shoo-ins to make the roster. Devin Duvernay is locked in as Arizona’s primary returner.

Brooks, Virgil, Fehoko, Xavier Weaver, Bryson Green and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, however, are making things difficult (in a good way) for Arizona’s coaching staff.

Arizona hasn’t kept more than six wideouts on the initial 53-man roster since general manager Monti Ossenfort came to town in 2023.

If that’s the case, four pass catchers who have flashed in camp are going to be on the outs.

Brooks seems like a hard one to cut at this rate given his stretch of preseason games. Fehoko has gotten after it and presents a strong special teamer. Smith-Marsette is right there, too.

Walter Nolen III pops

Nolen was in the starting lineup after dealing with another injury scare this past week.

Fitted with a brace on his left arm, Nolen looked just fine as he applied pressure early on Thursday.

He added a sack in the second quarter to put an exclamation mark on his evening.

The second-year pro did look a bit gassed after getting the quarterback to the ground, but it’s better than talking about any injury issues or limitations.

Defense remains a liability

The Raiders’ starting offense led by Kirk Cousins were met with little resistance to open up Thursday’s tilt.

Driving 68 yards on 10 plays (which included four that went for at least 10 yards), Las Vegas struck first while also giving Cardinals fans flashbacks of last year’s failings.

Toss in 5.4 yards per carry from the Raiders’ ground game and it’s another tough look for the defense, especially given some of the tackling that was on display.

Yes, it’s preseason, but the unit is living up to the low expectations many had with Nick Rallis back running the show and limited upgrades as a whole.

That was fast!

Blink and you might have missed tight end Trey McBride on Thursday.

The tight end saw one snap before coming out of the game.

But hey, it’s preseason and it’s one more snap than safety Budda Baker saw.

Isaiah Adams’ job to lose?

The worst thing to come out of Arizona’s win was seeing Chase Bisontis go down with a left knee injury.

He was eventually carted off after getting looked at in the blue medical tent.

LaFleur told reporters postgame that the injury was “not good” and the second-rounder was undergoing testing.

With that kind of prognosis, there’s a real chance Bisontis misses an extended amount of time. And that’s a brutal blow for the rookie and the offensive line as a whole.

Bisontis was on an upward trajectory in the starting right guard competition with Adams after the rookie got after it in the Hall of Fame game.

If anyone was going to challenge Adams, it was Bisontis.

But if he has to miss time due to injury, Adams might have all but locked things down at right guard.

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