GLENDALE, Ariz. — After the second touchdown, Paris Johnson Jr. sprinted down the field and picked up his teammate, just as he had done several times during their time together at Ohio State.
The 6-foot-6 left tackle grabbed Marvin Harrison Jr., placed his hands under the rookie receiver’s arms and lifted him up. As their Arizona Cardinals teammates surrounded them, Harrison spread his arms, held the football in his left hand and smiled.
When Johnson saw a photo of this after Sunday’s 41-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams, he said it was great to celebrate with Harrison again. Harrison said the two had talked about this for a while, their first touchdown together as professionals.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Harrison is a serious person, someone who never deviates from the routine. Still, the second-year head coach admitted, “It was good to see him smile.”
After an opening loss, Week 2 is arguably the most important week of the NFL regular season. Another loss creates panic on the outside. That’s dangerous for a team like Arizona, which hasn’t won a playoff game since 2015 and has historically given fans more reason to doubt than to believe.
A win restores optimism. In that sense, Arizona’s effort against the Rams was desperately needed for the present, but it was the way it unfolded that offered optimism for the future. This was the Cardinals’ most dominant performance in a few years — their first win over an NFC West opponent under Gannon and his staff.
“You then think: ‘Okay, now we can get started,’” said midfielder Hjalte Froholdt.
Someone, frame this right now photo.twitter.com/knBOZdJVRz
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024
On a day when Kyler Murray posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating, it started with Harrison. In a Week 1 loss at Buffalo, Harrison had been a nonfactor, with one catch for four yards and three targets. The performance had some questioning the play calling and others questioning Harrison.
If this stressed Harrison, he didn’t show it. Asked about last week’s check, he stuck to a familiar script of never going too high (Johnson’s touchdown lifts aside) and never going too low. Tellingly, after posting four catches for 130 yards — all in the first quarter Sunday — Harrison seemed more concerned about Murray’s four incomplete passes. On the sideline, Harrison realized late in the game that he had been the intended recipient on all four incompletions.
“I’m not too happy about that; we definitely have to fix that,” Harrison said. “But we’re going to continue to build our chemistry as the season goes on.”
Perfection is a difficult task to pursue, it motivates some and consumes others. But it is the only path Harrison knows. It is what has led him to this point, and it is why so many were disappointed with his underwhelming Week 1 performance. Those concerns have faded.
His first touchdown catch came on Arizona’s first possession. He wasn’t completely free, but Harrison had a step ahead of Rams corner Tre’Davious White. Murray placed the 23-yard pass exactly where it needed to be, leading Harrison to the back of the end zone, where only he could catch the ball.
MARVIN HARRISON JR.’S FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN HAS COME photo.twitter.com/EFquDWaM8V
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024
The second came on Arizona’s second possession. Murray faked a handoff to James Conner and rolled to his right. Harrison, starting on the left side, broke his route, crossed the field and beat safety Kamren Curl. The rookie receiver caught the ball at the 25 and ran toward the end zone. Curl leaped and wrapped Harrison’s right ankle at the 7. Harrison straightened and leaped into the end zone.
“When Kyler rolled to the right, I felt like there wasn’t going to be anybody deep,” Harrison said. “And obviously, with Kyler and his ability to extend the play, you always have to be ready and know ahead of time what (you) want to do when he starts scrambling.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. we love you photo.twitter.com/GE6a9vVabw
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024
Gannon vowed that Arizona didn’t go into the game with any intention of getting Harrison involved early — “You’re going to think I’m a liar,” he said — it’s just how it all unfolded. But the effect can’t be overstated. With the threat of Harrison making big plays, the offense opened up. Conner rushed 21 times for 122 yards. Tight end Trey McBride had six catches for 67 yards.
And Murray was the one orchestrating it all, who wasn’t flawless, but was close. He completed 17 of 21 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. His decision-making was sound. He rarely forced passes. This was a quarterback in complete control, something Murray hasn’t shown much of since his 2021 Pro Bowl season.
Murray’s best touchdown pass may have been the third, which covered 18 yards in the air but far more on the ground. With a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, he eluded outside linebacker Jared Verse, circling 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Murray reset, shot up as his linemen recovered. He broke away from Verse once more before finding tight end Elijah Higgins scampering across the end zone. Murray said he knew it was a touchdown the moment the ball left his hand.
MURRAY’S MAGIC IS STRONG TODAY 🪄 photo.twitter.com/FYDZCoSRNH
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024
“He was awesome,” Gannon said of his quarterback. “He’s a premium player for a reason. You’d challenge him against anybody. That’s the way I feel about it. That’s what he did today.”
After a shaky Week 1 performance, Arizona (1-1) was much better defensively. The Cardinals limited the 0-2 Rams — who were without injured receiver Puka Nacua and lost star Cooper Kupp in the first half to an ankle injury — to 245 yards. Safety Budda Baker made several key stops and outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck had three sacks.
But the biggest takeaway comes on offense. The Cardinals didn’t give up a third down until their third series, a 13-play series. They totaled 489 yards, 231 of which were on the ground. They were poised and explosive, and it started with Murray hitting Harrison.
“The more we play together and the more we practice together, the better we get,” Murray said.He is just getting better. … We did a good job today. Obviously there were a couple of throws I would have liked to have back, but he had a great game.”
(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
