Marvin Harrison Jr., after underwhelming debut, breaks out for Cardinals in Week 2

GLENDALE, Ariz. — After the second touchdown, Paris Johnson Jr., sprinted downfield and lifted his teammate, just as he had done numerous times during their time together at Ohio State.

The 6-foot-6 left tackle grabbed Marvin Harrison Jr., placing his hands underneath the rookie receiver’s arms, and lifted. As their Arizona Cardinals teammates surrounded them, Harrison spread his arms, holding the football in his left hand, and smiled.

Shown a photo of this after Sunday’s 41-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Johnson said to celebrate again like this with Harrison was awesome. 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, one who never strays from routine. Even so, the second-year head coach admitted: “It was good to see him smile.”

Coming off an opening loss, Week 2 might be the most important week of the NFL regular season. Another loss sparks panic from the outside. That’s dangerous for an organization such as Arizona, which hasn’t won a playoff game since 2015 and historically has given fans more reasons to doubt than to believe.

A win restores optimism. In that sense, Arizona’s effort over the Rams was much needed for the present, but it was how it unfolded that provided optimism for the future. This was the most dominant the Cardinals have looked in a couple of years — their first win over an NFC West opponent under Gannon and his staff.

“You feel like, ‘OK, now we can get the ball rolling,’” center Hjalte Froholdt said.

Someone frame this right now pic.twitter.com/knBOZdJVRz

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

On a day in which Kyler Murray posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating, it started with Harrison. In a Week 1 loss at Buffalo, Harrison had been a non-factor, with one catch for four yards and targeted three times. The performance left some questioning the play calling and others questioning Harrison.

If this stressed Harrison, he didn’t let on. Asked about last week’s scrutiny, he stuck with a familiar script of never getting too high (Johnson’s touchdown lifts aside) and never getting too low. It’s telling that after posting four catches for 130 yards — all coming in Sunday’s first quarter — Harrison seemed more concerned about Murray’s four incomplete passes. On the sideline late in the game, Harrison realized that he had been the targeted receiver on all four incompletions.

“I’m not very happy about that; we definitely got to get that fixed,” Harrison said. “But we’ll continue to build our chemistry as the season goes on.”

Perfection is a difficult task to pursue, motivating some and consuming others. But this is the only path Harrison knows. It’s what has led him to this point, and it’s 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 wide open, but Harrison had a step on 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 football.

MARVIN HARRISON JR.’S FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN HAS ARRIVED pic.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 right. Harrison started on the left side and broke his route, crossing the field, beating safety Kamren Curl. The rookie receiver caught the ball on the 25 and raced to the end zone. Curl jumped and wrapped Harrison’s right ankle at the 7. Harrison stretched and leaped into the end zone.

“Once Kyler rolled to the right, I kind of felt like there was going to be nobody deep there,” Harrison said. “And, obviously, with Kyler and his ability to extend the play, you always have to be ready and kind of pre-snap know what (you) want to do if he starts to scramble.”

Marvin Harrison Jr. we love you pic.twitter.com/GE6a9vVabw

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

Gannon swore that Arizona did not enter the game intending to get Harrison involved early — “You guys are going to think I’m a liar,” he said — it’s just how everything unfolded. But the effect cannot be overstated. With the threat of Harrison making big plays, the offense opened. Conner rushed 21 times for 122 yards. Tight end Trey McBride had six catches for 67 yards.

And orchestrating it all was Murray, who wasn’t flawless, but close. He completed 17 of 21 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. His decision-making was sound. He seldom forced passes. This was a quarterback in complete command, something Murray hasn’t shown much since his 2021 Pro Bowl season.

Murray’s best touchdown pass may have been the third, which covered 18 yards in the air but much more on the ground. Leading 14-0 in the second quarter, he dodged outside linebacker Jared Verse, circling 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Murray reset, darting up as his linemen recovered. He broke free from Verse once more before spotting tight end Elijah Higgins running across the end zone. Murray said he knew it was a touchdown as soon as the ball left his hand.

THE MURRAY MAGIC IS STRONG TODAY 🪄 pic.twitter.com/FYDZCoSRNH

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

“He was lights out,” Gannon said of his quarterback. “He’s a premium player for a reason. You’d take him against anybody. That’s how I feel. 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 played without injured receiver Puka Nacua and lost star Cooper Kupp in the first half to an ankle issue — 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 face a third down until their third series, a stretch of 13 plays. They totaled 489 yards, 231 coming on the ground. They were balanced and explosive, and it started with Murray hooking up with Harrison.

“The more we play together, the more we practice together, we’re only going to get better,” Murray said. “He’s only going to get better. … We executed well today. Obviously, there were a couple throws I wish I had back, but he had a great game.”

(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)