Cardinals Wisely Sit Carson Beck After Hall of Fame Game Rib Injury

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck is officially sitting out tonight’s preseason matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, proving that someone in the desert actually has some common sense when it comes to August football.\n\nAccording to Ian Rapoport, Beck is dealing with a rib injury he picked up during last Thursday’s Hall of Fame game. The injury is not considered serious, but the team is keeping him on the sideline as a pure precaution.\n\nBeck actually practiced through the soreness all week. That is the exact kind of tough-guy behavior coaches love to praise in press conferences right before they firmly tell the training staff to hide the player's helmet.\n\nThe injury stems from Arizona's 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers on August 7. Taking a shot to the ribs in the Hall of Fame game is the NFL equivalent of twisting your ankle while walking to the mailbox. It hurts, it is annoying, and it happened during an activity that barely counts as real football.\n\nFor anyone degenerate enough to be sweating the preseason betting lines for an exhibition game in Vegas, this obviously shifts the math. Arizona will be handing the keys to the backup quarterbacks for the entire night, which usually turns the second half into a chaotic scramble of guys fighting for practice squad spots.\n\nGiving Beck the night off is the only logical move here. He gets extra time to heal those ribs, and the Cardinals avoid turning a minor soreness issue into a lingering regular-season problem. Expect him to stay wrapped in bubble wrap until the games actually matter.