Raiders dominate 1st half, but lose to Cardinals 30-23

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Some Raiders fans had started heading for the exits midway through the fourth quarter after the Cardinals scored 20 straight points. Most, though, stayed because the King of the Preseason was getting loose.

Onetime starter Matt McGloin led Oakland 83 yards down the field in 12 plays. He threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Kris Durham and then a two-point conversion pass to Brice Butler to tie the game 23-23 with 2:18 left.

McGloin’s annual domination of third-team defenses would not save the day, as with 31 seconds left, Marion Grice ran for a 12-yard touchdown and a 30-23 Arizona win at the Coliseum on Sunday night.

It was a fitting end to an uneven game the Raiders had dominated — in ugly fashion — early.

Head coach Jack Del Rio, with his team up 15-3, wanted his starters to get a taste of playing in the third quarter in their third preseason game.

So, he watched Derek Carr lob a pass into double coverage and the Cardinals’ Cariel Brooks returned the interception 81 yards for a touchdown. Then, Oakland’s starting defense gave up a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to Arizona’s second-team offense.

Oakland Raiders' Ray-Ray Armstrong (57) leaps as Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald is wrapped up by T.J. Carrie (38) and Nate Allen (20) in 1st quarter of preseason game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015. less Oakland Raiders' Ray-Ray Armstrong (57) leaps as Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald is wrapped up by T.J. Carrie (38) and Nate Allen (20) in 1st quarter of preseason game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Raiders dominate 1st half, but lose to Cardinals 30-23 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Just like that, after a failed two-point conversion, the Raiders were down 16-15 and a dominant first half by their defense wasn’t the main story line.

Khalil Mack and rookie Mario Edwards Jr. each had two sacks, torturing former Raiders tackle Jared Veldheer, Denico Autry knocked down two Carson Palmer passes and Nate Allen had two interceptions in the first two quarters.

“We feel like our front is going to be pretty stout,” Del Rio said. “Some lapses there at the end, need to see the tape on that. I thought early in the game, they were rugged, did a good job clogging the running lanes, did a good job knocking the ball down and sacking the quarterback.”

The offense couldn’t capitalize, settling for five Sebastian Janikowski field goals. Including Carr’s third-quarter interception, Oakland didn’t score a touchdown on its first four trips inside the red zone.

“We’d obviously like to close the deal there,” Del Rio said.

Carr finished 18-for-34 for 213 yards and the interception, with a lot of his passes sailing high.

Wait … we know what you’re thinking. Why did Carr throw the ball 34 times in 2½ quarters?

Because the Cardinals’ defense ate the Raiders’ offensive line for dinner, and Oakland running backs could muster only 28 yards on 18 carries through the first three quarters. Starter Latavius Murray gained a yard on seven carries, Roy Helu picked up 8 on four carries and Trent Richardson — more and more a longshot to make the roster — had 4 yards on four carries before popping a 15-yarder.

“I didn’t see anything from our running game,” Del Rio said. “We expect to run it better. I told our team tonight after the game, we’re going to run the ball better than that. We have to. We will. …

“Clearly when they’re nailing you behind the line as many times as they hit us tonight, not a good night for the running game.”

A national television audience stayed tuned, and did get to see first-round pick Amari Cooper, after some early troubles with the sun, pull down four catches for 62 yards.

The fans also got to see that bad decision by Carr to toss a ball while back-pedaling, intended for a double-covered Butler. Carr said he was not trying to throw the ball away, and Del Rio said that was the problem.

“The play started breaking down and he kind of tried to keep it alive; he knew that was his last series,” Del Rio said. “I don’t know if that played into the decision to go ahead and put it in play there ... really, we’re better off with him just dumping that ball and moving on to the next play.”

Kicking enthusiasts probably didn’t mind the offense’s struggles as they got to see Janikowski swing true on field goals of 49, 33, 42, 28 and 32 yards.

Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur

3 players of note

Khalil Mack: Defensive end continues to look like he is on verge of Pro Bowl season. Had two sacks and a forced fumble in the first half, and harassed Carson Palmer countless other times.

Matt McGloin: Treated fans to another preseason comeback. Will it be enough to beat out Christian Ponder for the backup quarterback job? Will Raiders keep three quarterbacks? Stay tuned.

Sebastian Janikowski: Five field goals in a half deserves a tip of the cap, preseason or not.