

SAN DIEGO -- The score was meaningless, so the Cardinals won’t fret the 12-9 win by the Chargers over the Cardinals at Qualcomm Stadium Thursday night. That didn’t mean the game was meaningless.
It sounded meaningful to a few players, who went unnamed by coach Bruce Arians, as he talked about the players who had been in the fight to make the team.
“I was pleased with a couple and very disturbed with some others,” Arians said. “They made the choices easy.”
The Cardinals are expected to make some of their final 22 cuts/roster moves Friday – Arians is due to meet with the media at 1 p.m. – and more Saturday by 1 p.m. when all teams must get down to the 53-man limit.
A total of 30 Cardinals did not play. Almost all were healthy enough to do so, but the starters -- as Arians promised – were not going to go and risk injury with the season 11 days away.
Safety
“I thought the best thing to do was not play this game,” Mathieu said. “I think my coaches want to see more as far as the things I am doing and the contact I am getting in practice.”
The rest of the Cardinals (1-3) who had been hurt did get to play however. Linebacker Kevin Minter (pectoral) and guard
“I felt alright,” Minter said. “I’ve got to knock off the rust. I definitely didn’t play as well as I could have.
“It’s my first time really hitting. I gotta practice. I gotta practice. That’s all it is.”
Cooper gave up a sack early in the game, but Arians said he was generally pleased with the interior of the line in the first half, when Cooper and
“There are definitely things to work on,” Cooper said. “I got out of it healthy and I showed some plays where I was moving around pretty good.
“There were some fundamentals that, I don’t know if I got too amped up. Forgot some basic fundamentals. I feel I was able to play at a decent level.”
The one play of note – that is to say, it fell into the
But the Chargers were called for a horsecollar tackle, allowing rookie kicker
That was the extent of the excitement.
In a game with no touchdowns, quarterback
As for the decisions that still must be made, Arians was giving few hints. He wasn’t happy about “some big hits” on the quarterback. Newcomer defensive lineman
Now, though, many players will wait for their fate over the next day or so.
“I came into the game today with a chip on my shoulder, looking to show my teammates and coaches I am ready to contribute,” said on-the-bubble wide receiver
“It’s going to be a nervous day, a nervous night. Draft day, you’re waiting for that call. Now with cuts, you’re hoping not to get that call.”