THE HIGHLIGHTS: Tune ran unchallenged for a 12-yard touchdown just before halftime to cap off his night by giving his team the lead. The drive was started by the first interception by rookie safety Rabbit Taylor-Demerson, who made a great play on a fourth-down throw from Colts quarterback Jason Bean.
“I was really special,” Taylor-Demerson said. “I told JT (Jalen Thompson) and Budda (Baker) all day today that I was going to get one. Then I literally told my two best friends that I was up for one. I told my agent that I was going to get one. That was on my mind all day.”
“Finally the play came and I caught it. I was cool. When I caught it, it was like an electric shock went through my body. I didn’t know what to do.”
TURNING POINT: As the teams traded points in the second half, the Cardinals got stuck at the Colts’ 9-yard line and were forced to kick a field goal. With the Colts holding a one-point lead, fourth-down quarterback Jason Bean led a touchdown charge that culminated with his own 1-yard run on fourth down and a 21-13 lead.
Defense makes the difference: The Cardinals had three sacks in the first half — LJ Collier, Cam Thomas and Xavier Thomas — and applied consistent pressure on passing plays. In addition to the interception, cornerback Kei’Trel Clark also forced a fumble that Dante Stills recovered.
“The takeaways were the reason we stayed in the game,” Gannon said. “Without the takeaways, we get slowed down.”
SIT OUT: After the two joint practices during the week, it was not surprising that Gannon again benched his starters. First-round picks Marvin Harrison Jr. and Darius Robinson did not play (unlike Week 1). On offense, the entire starting offensive line, receivers Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Zay Jones, and tight ends Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins all sat on the bench. On defense, defensive linemen Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and Roy Lopez, linebackers Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck, Kyzir White and Mack Wilson Sr., and defensive backs Garrett Williams, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson also did not play.
