ARIZONA – The Arizona Cardinals lost their second straight preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts 21-13. The Cardinals struggled with penalties on both sides of the ball and many missed opportunities led to an extremely sloppy loss.

Nevertheless, there were some bright spots on the field as two units consisting mostly of substitutes fought for their place in the squad.

Here are some Cardinals players whose value increased in Week 2:

The third-year OLB had a stellar game, staying in the Colts’ backfield and giving their quarterbacks hell. Thomas recorded three solo tackles, including a tackle for a loss, and most importantly, two sacks.

He caused trouble throughout the game, constantly winning reps and getting close to the quarterback, although he ultimately failed to bring him down more than twice.

In a pass rush where some of the more mature players need to step up their game, Thomas’ performance was certainly encouraging.

For the second week in a row, rookie safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson was a player to watch. He made three solo tackles, continued to show his physicality and strong drive, and made an excellent play when he hauled in a throw from Colts QB Jason Bean and intercepted a long pass just inside the perimeter to an initially open receiver.

The Cardinals should have seen more from Benson and today they got a slightly better performance from him. There were some missed opportunities in terms of open gaps, but the rookie from Florida State looked more like the patient, responsive running back the Cardinals drafted.

Although he only managed 43 yards, he achieved a much better average of 4.8 yards per run and had a gain of 20+ (and a possible subsequent touchdown), which was set up by one of the many During the night there were penalties for offensive holding.

Although it is not clear from the game report, Benson was able to run with momentum, fight through tackles to gain the extra yard, and patiently find his running lane quicker than he did the previous week.

Clark didn’t get on the field often, but he was able to make an impact when he did. Late in the first quarter, Colts QB Sam Ehlinger found WR Anthony Gould for a short gain. Clark charged in from the secondary and landed a good, clean hit that put the ball in Colts territory.

The Cardinals then managed a field goal and Clark finished his day with two solo tackles and the forced fumble.

Thomas played another solid game and emerged as a menacing force in the Colts backfield. He was on the quarterback’s heels the entire game, had two official quarterback hits, a tackle for loss and a sack.

Late in the second quarter, on the first attempt, Thomas beat the left tackle at the snap and ran Bean down without help, resulting in a loss of 12 points and a sack.

Thomas is exactly the type of disruptor the Cardinals need, and he delivered another strong performance. While he – and the rest of the pass rush – were sometimes unable to catch the quarterback and finish the play, he forced plenty of improvised throws and made his presence felt in the backfield.

Right now, Tune is winning the race to be the Cardinals’ backup QB. The second-year thrower was efficient on 8 of 10 passes for 79 yards and a 99.6 passer rating.

Although the offensive line did him no favors and he was sacked three times, he scurried unchallenged into the end zone on a beautiful improvised play – the Cardinals’ only touchdown of the evening.

He certainly made some mistakes and seemed to struggle with the pace of the game at times, but delivered a solid performance while Desmond Ridder seemed less focused.

Another week, another strong performance from Hall. He once again flew all over the field and led the Cardinals with five tackles (four solo) and two PBUs.

The 24-year-old has already shown serious potential in the Cardinals’ limited preseason. While it’s hard to imagine him being a starter, his physicality and speed make him exactly the type of player head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis want on their team.