Cards offense not in sync

The first three plays of the Arizona Cardinals' win against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night were clean and well executed.

Arizona gained 11 yards and a first down on two runs and a pass. Quarterback Carson Palmer stayed upright. Arizona looked like it was on its way to another offensive outpouring.

Then on the Cardinals' fourth play from scrimmage, right guard Jonathan Cooper got beat by Oakland defensive end Denico Autry, which ignited a chain of events that led to the offense crashing down. Autry then bulldozed Cardinals running back Andre Ellington, who nearly fell into Palmer, who had to tuck the ball for a moment to avoid getting hit and losing it. Palmer then missed the opening to hit Larry Fitzgerald, which led to an interception.

And it didn't stop there.

Palmer was sacked three times and threw two interceptions in the first half before backup Drew Stanton replaced him in the third quarter. After weeks of promising practices with air-tight pockets and pinpoint accuracy, the Cardinals' offense looked scattered. The tackles -- both Jared Veldheer on the left side and Bradley Sowell on the right -- were consistently beat, which led to Palmer getting hit 14 times in the first half.

It's not good news for Palmer and his owners, but it is just the preseason. The team had concerns about keeping Palmer upright and healthy this season all through the offseason. As we saw last year, Palmer is the key to making this talented offense run.