If Clayton Tune has any chance to supplant Colt McCoy as Cardinals quarterback while Kyler Murray is out, his legs could be the factor.
Tune, the fifth-round rookie, isn’t Kyler-esque in his mobility, but his legs — particularly his ability to avoid the rush and turn a probable sack into something positive — was hard not to notice Saturday night, although the Cardinals were routed by the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, 38-10, at State Farm Stadium.
Tune led the Cardinals on their only two scoring drives of the night, coming in after McCoy was in 15 plays and completed 5-of-8 passes for only 25 yards. Tune finished 12-of-24 for 133 yards, along with six rushes for 35 yards. He lost two touchdown passes, one on a penalty and another when Greg Dortch was ruled down at the half-yard line on replay.
His numbers don’t factor in the negatives he avoided — he took zero sacks and didn’t turn the ball over — and that is something offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will certainly do.
Unfortunately, the quarterback play ended up lopsided, as the Cardinals defense struggled against all three signal-callers the Chiefs put out on the field.
Patrick Mahomes started and despite having two passes dropped and another completion wiped out by penalty, still was 10-of-15 for 105 yards and a touchdown. Shane Buechele and former Cardinal Blaine Gabbert also were sharp — through the first three quarters, when the Chiefs built a 21-point lead, the Chiefs QBs were a combined 27-for-33 for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
Coach Jonathan Gannon will want more from his defense, but injuries could make that more difficult. Linebacker Dennis Gardeck and cornerback Marco Wilson both left the game and went to the locker room after getting dinged up (as did defensive back/special teamer Kris Boyd).
More to come on azcardinals.com.
