OAKLAND, Calif. -- A few thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals' 24-13 win at O.co Coliseum.
What it means: No matter how much the Cardinals tried to deny it or downplay it, Sunday in Oakland was a trap game. The winless Raiders were feeling positive under a new coach with a new philosophy. It was the perfect recipe to upset the Cardinals, the first-place team in the NFC West. Even as the Raiders cut their deficit to just one point, Arizona showed enough resiliency to hold off Oakland and improve to 5-1. But it’s how the Cardinals were able to do it despite an offense that did not put together a complete game and threw its first interception of the season. The Cardinals converted their third downs -- 9-for-15 on Sunday -- while holding the Raiders to 56 rushing yards. They showed they had what it takes to win in a game that lacked emotion.
Stock watch: Ted Ginn was signed to relieve Patrick Peterson of his return duties while adding a dynamic punt and kick returner. With the exception of one return for a touchdown against the New York Giants, Ginn hasn’t lived up to the hype or expectations, and that continued Sunday. He fielded six punts and returned just two of them -- opting for fair catches or field catches. In his defense, most were not returnable. But the one punt he had room to return came at the end of the third quarter, and he opted for the fair catch instead of trying to gain a few extra yards. When he did return punts, they went for 7 yards.
Less penalized, but needs work: Arizona followed up its 14-penalty performance against Washington with six against Oakland -- a lower number, but more than any team wants. It’s Arizona’s third-most this season.
Game ball: Andre Ellington single-handedly extended Arizona’s lead in the third quarter. He finished with 88 yards and 24 carries, and 72 receiving yards on six receptions.
What’s next: The Cardinals host the Philadelphia Eagles at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
