2 Cardinals Overreactions You Have to Avoid After Preseason Opener

ARIZONA — The dust has settled on the Arizona Cardinals' preseason opener, a thrilling battle with the Carolina Panthers that ultimately ended in a walk-off touchdown loss for Mike LaFleur and co. in Canton.

Wins and losses don't matter in preseason. The Cardinals looked great offensively — spearheaded by Carson Beck and his tremendous outing — while the defense left a lot to be desired.

Two overreactions to last night, starting with the one everybody is seemingly talking about:

1. Carson Beck Should Start for Cardinals in Week 1

Arizona Cardinals QB Carson Bec — Aug 6, 2026; Canton, Ohio, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (19) warms up before playing the the Carolina Panthers at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Why this is an overreaction: First, Beck looked extremely good. He managed the game well, made smart decisions while also mixing in some aggressive shots. His debut went about as close to perfect as some would have asked, as even his incompletions weren't terrible.

The Cardinals' fan base is dying for something to believe in, and Beck's outing in Canton gave them plenty of material. The hope is good, but for the immediate future, there's some wanting Arizona to start Beck immediately.

That simply won't be the case.

Not after Brissett inked his reworked deal, which practically cements him as the guy to start the season in Arizona. But even if Brissett wasn't on his current deal, his veteran experience and rapport with the Cardinals' top playmakers puts him firmly in the driver's seat to win any theoritical battle.

That's not something Cardinals fans want to hear. I'm well aware. They watched Brissett go 1-11 as a starter last season and Beck has provided a fresh dose of hopium in Arizona.

Beck just might get his shot after the Cardinals' opening gauntlet of the schedule. Perhaps Arizona makes a change then if they're losing.

However, at least in terms of Week 1, Beck will be a backup to Brissett and perhaps even Gardner Minshew. One strong preseason game shouldn't massively swing the pendulum on any decision for the organization.

Don't let yourself be a prisoner of the moment. It's possible to acknowledge Beck played great while Brissett is also the clear preferred starting option to begin 2026.

2. Nick Rallis Should Be Fired Already

Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Ralli — Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis walks the field during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Aug 2, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Why this is an overreaction: I'll be the first to admit the Cardinals' defense, after forcing a three-and-out forced on the opening drive, looked flat-out bad. A mix of missed assignments, blown coverages and poor tackling plagued the various units of Nick Rallis' defense.

Rallis was already on the hot seat his fourth season in Arizona, and last night's performance did him no favors with the fan base.

But while we didn't use the "he's playing against backups" argument for Beck above, we will add that context here for Rallis.

It's hard to evaluate the defensive coordinator with backups playing throughout the night. When you're running base plays in a vanilla defense, that simply boils down to execution and players making plays.

Can you make an argument that perhaps Rallis could make changes to the defense to simplify things? The various open receivers and open rushing lanes clearly show there's some sort of breakdown in either communication or understanding of where to be between coach and player.

However, it's really tough to hold last night directly to Rallis when practically none of his starters were on the field. Perhaps once the chef gets his key ingredients, we'll be able to criticize the meal.

There's no doubt Rallis needs to take his defense to the next step in 2026 before he could possibly get canned. Yet last night felt more like a personnel/depth issue than it was on coaching.

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