TEMPE — The depth behind the Arizona Cardinals’ starting lineup is again getting tested this week with playmaker and tight end Trey McBride ruled out against the Washington Commanders with a concussion.

He marks the second Cardinals starter sidelined for the upcoming contest this week after defensive lineman Justin Jones was lost for the season with a triceps injury suffered last week.

Losing McBride is tough. Entering Week 4, McBride is pacing the team in catches with 14 (21 targets) for 122 yards.

Only Marvin Harrison Jr. has recorded more targets (22) and yards (198) than McBride. He’s yet to find the end zone through the air but did score on a fumble recovery in Week 2.

“Obviously, that hurts us that he may or may not be in the game. But for me, I got all the faith in Elijah (Higgins) and Tip (Reiman)” quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday.

With McBride out this weekend, Higgins serves as the most likely candidate to command the majority of the tight end targets against a Washington defense that has been gashed in the passing game to the tune of 291.7 yards per game. That ranks 31st among NFL defenses.

The Commanders, however, haven’t allowed much from a tight ends standpoint. Across three games, Washington has given up nine catches for 74 yards and no touchdowns to opposing tight ends.

That included shutting down Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki, who is second on his team with 14 catches and 156 receiving yards.

Higgins has been praised for his continued transformation from a wide receiver to tight end in Year 2 with the Cardinals.

“I’m completely good with ‘Higgy Bear,’” head coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday. “He’s a good player.”

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder presents another big-bodied target for quarterback Kyler Murray and has already shown off his improved connection with his pass catcher despite limited opportunities in 2024.

In the Cardinals’ Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Higgins was on the other end of an improbable 18-yard touchdown strike from Murray.

The play had a little bit of everything, from Murray putting defenders on skates to Higgins’ awareness to find open space with his signal caller on the run.

KYLER MURRAY ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 😱

📺: #LARvsAZ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/gfHzqbrZ0w

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Per Zebra Sports, the touchdown had a completion probability of 24.7%, the second-lowest mark among tight ends at the time.

Higgins also hasn’t dropped a pass, catching all four of his targets for 41 yards and the score.

“He’s a very talented player. He’s in a room that’s really competitive … and he’s competing. He’s very coachable and wants to keep learning,” pass game specialist Spencer Whipple told Arizona Sports back in August.

“There’s a transition from playing receiver your whole life and then going to tight end. He’s grasped hold of that and now he’s just trying to improve on the little details that he can. Technique, fundamentals, always asking questions, wanting to learn more and eager on the practice fields and in the meeting room.”

Arizona Cardinals TE Elijah Higgins is expected to have an increased workload with Trey McBride out vs. the Commanders. pic.twitter.com/giXQidxBBd

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 27, 2024

What about Tip Reiman taking snaps with Trey McBride out?

Through three games into rookie Tip Reiman’s NFL career, the tight end has more starts (one) than targets (zero).

He came in classified as a blocking tight end and he’s been exactly that for Arizona.

Does that change this week with McBride out?

The Cardinals like to operate with multiple tight ends and while Reiman’s target share isn’t expected to jump off the page this week, he could find himself picking up some of the scraps similarly to how Higgins has operated.

Travis Vokolek could be another Cardinals tight end in line for added reps, though much like Reiman, has been used primarily as a blocker.

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TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort made it a point to bring in players who provided a boost in the talent department and had knack of staying upright.

But even the best laid plans don’t always work out.

After starting every game across the past two seasons with Chicago, veteran defensive lineman Justin Jones’s streak came to an abrupt end three games into his Cardinals tenue due to a season-ending triceps injury suffered in last week’s 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions.

With him now on injured reserve, it’s on Arizona’s depth within the D-line room to avoid any drop off with Jones sidelined the rest of the way.

“Definitely a huge blow. He’s a great D-lineman, great teammate, great friend. Been praying for him. Hopefully he’s doing well,” safety Budda Baker said Thursday.

“Of course, I have all the belief in all the other players to pick up that slack and to play Cardinal football at the end of the day. These other guys have an opportunity to play and just going to be exciting to see what these guys can do.”

Unlike the current depth at right tackle behind Kelvin Beachum, Arizona’s defensive line has a few options to consider, highlighted by second-year pro Dante Stills.

It’s been a couple of weeks to say the least for Stills.

After not putting much on the tape across 25 defensive snaps in Week 1’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Stills was a healthy scratch in Arizona’s big win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Ahead of Sunday’s loss to the Lions, though, the defensive lineman was a limited participant at practice.

That didn’t stop him from making an impact come Sunday, with Stills racking up five tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit. All but one tackle came after Jones left the game with the triceps injury.

Stills stepping up in the wake of injuries isn’t anything new for the young lineman.

As a rookie, Stills was thrown into the mix early on with injuries to L.J. Collier and others along the line in 2023.

After he was a healthy inactive in Week 1, Stills went on to record 47 tackles, five of where were for loss, 3.5 sacks, five QB hits and a fumble recovery across 15 games played (eight starts).

That experience and having gone through a similar situation just a season ago has already come in handy for the lineman.

“It definitely helped me,” Stills said. “I got a big jump on the game I guess you could say with a lot of the experience I had and kinda seeing blocks and play style like that. I feel like last year was big for me.”

As for that shoulder issue? Stills is back to practicing fully after being a limited participant to start the week.

Stills isn’t the only Cardinals defensive lineman that’s in line for increased playing time moving forward, either.

Similar to Jones, veteran defensive lineman L.J. Collier was lost for the season early on last year after signing with the Cardinals that offseason.

Now, Collier has the chance to earn a more prominent role in the rotation and potentially regain the starting role he had entering 2023.

While Stills has been used at a similar rate across the two games he’s appeared in, Collier saw a healthy increase of snaps with Jones out. After seeing no more than 38% of available defensive reps in the two games prior, the six-year veteran saw that number jump to 48% in Week 3.

Getting those added opportunities could go a long way in Collier proving his worth as a 2019 first-round pick.

Since the Seattle Seahawks nabbed him with the 29th overall pick, Collier hasn’t lived up to the price tag behind three sacks, six tackles for loss and two QB hits in 49 games played (18 starts). Injuries have played a factor in his production, appearing in at least 12 games in a single season just once (2020).

Recently signed Naquan Jones could also find himself in the rotations in some capacity if he can get back up to speed after rejoining the team this week following a stint on the Miami Dolphins practice squad.

Waiting in the shadows

Yes, in the immediate aftermath of Jones’ injury, all signs point to Stills and Collier taking on a bigger workload.

But in the potentially not so distant future, Arizona could be getting back a massive reinforcement in rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

Robinson was in the mix to start entering the regular season before a calf injury suffered in practice put him on the injured reserve.

Following Sunday’s game, however, Robinson is eligible to come off the IR, that is if he’s healthy enough to do so.

Either way, whenever the versatile Robinson returns to the mix, he’ll provide an immediate upgrade in the trenches.

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TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals hit the hard eject button on former head coach Kliff Kingsbury after a failing 28-37-1 mark and one embarrassing Wild Card showing across four seasons.

The move off of Kingsbury and an offensive scheme that appeared to have run its course in the NFL — on top of general manager Steve Keim’s resignation — left a sour taste in many Cardinals fans’ mouths given the contract extensions handed down to the pair the previous offseason. Plus, the fall from relevance in 2022 that was plagued with plenty of off-the-field distractions further signaled a change was needed.

It put the Cardinals on a complete course correction and rebuild, especially from a culture and foundational standpoint, now led by head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort.

Kingsbury on the other hand headed back to the college ranks in 2023 as a senior offensive analyst for USC alongside would-be 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams before eventually finding his way back to the NFL. This time, though, as the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator.

Similarly to what he did with the Cardinals in 2019, Kingsbury began his tenure with a first-round rookie quarterback who brings dual-threat and playmaking abilities that needed little time to show up at the NFL level.

But come Sunday, the two sides will once again cross paths — albeit on different sidelines — when the Cardinals host the Commanders in Week 4.

Regardless of Kingsbury’s ending in Arizona, Gannon, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and the rest of the unit are making sure all bases are covered internally heading into game day.

The team and the talent may be different — aside from ex-Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz — but there’s still plenty to glean from those who played under and coached alongside Kingsbury.

“We turn over every stone,” Gannon said Monday. “Obviously, I have a high opinion of Kliff and what he does. They have some good players over there.”

“You got to take in every bit of information you can get. You know what I’m saying?” Rallis added.

Unlike what we saw toward the end of the Kingsbury era in Arizona, the Commanders offense heads into Sunday’s tilt operating at a high level following back-to-back weeks without having to punt. Aside from a trio of kneel downs at the end of the half or game, Washington has scored on all of its 13 drives.

Even with eight of those scoring drives ending with field goals — seven alone coming from Week 2’s 21-18 win over the New York Giants — that’s an impressive feat for any NFL offense.

Kingsbury is also utilizing rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels under center at a much higher rate than he did with Kyler Murray. Through three games, Daniels has already attempted 26 passes out of the formation. For comparison, Murray had 48 throughout his entire rookie season and posted just 29 in 2021.

Cardinals DC Nick Rallis is expecting a blend of new and old from Washington Commanders OC and Arizona’s former head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

And yes, picking the brain of Kyler Murray and others is part of the process for the DC. pic.twitter.com/RT91BIyTFI

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 24, 2024

“He’s got completely new players. There’s going to be differences but then there’s going to be things that he does really well schematically that I’m sure he’s carrying over,” Rallis said Tuesday.

“Or if he hasn’t shown it yet, I’m sure he still has it in his arsenal. So, it’s a combination of some new stuff and some stuff he probably did here.”

But just how Murray was an early catalyst to the team’s success and overly relied on to make things happen, Daniels is giving off a lot of the same vibes early on.

After failing to find the end zone through the air across the first two weeks of his NFL career, Daniels lit up the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football behind 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns (both from under center) on an uber-efficient 91% passing. He continued to be a threat on the ground, too, scoring his third rushing touchdown of the season in the 38-33 victory.

Now entering Week 4’s matchup, Daniels has accounted for all but 290 yards of Washington’s total offense (1,080). He’s scored all but three of the Commanders’ eight total touchdowns.

Sound familiar?

Quarterback Kyler Murray on the differences between playing in former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s system compared to OC Drew Petzing’s offense.

Come for the quote, stay for the wink. 😉 pic.twitter.com/ZWvV2ri6CG

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 25, 2024

“Two different systems, obviously. One is more reliant on other things and the other one is more reliant on other things,” Murray said before ending his answer with a wink.

I’ll let you decipher that last part on your own.

The return of Kingsbury is bound to bring back memories of a previous regime that showed early promise only to crash and burn.

But if there’s at least one memory wouldn’t mind reliving on Sunday, it’s Kingsbury’s parting 1-8 record at State Farm Stadium.

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TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals didn’t get more than 22 offensive snaps from free agent signing and starting right tackle Jonah Williams before he was placed lost to a knee injury in the season opener.

There have been few updates regarding his status since the Week 2 move to place him on injured reserve, leaving many to wonder if he will even make it back to the trenches this year.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon, who had said on Sept. 11 he wasn’t going to speculate on a timeline for Williams, did little to alleviate that fear on Wednesday morning.

“We’ll see. Hypotheticals, I don’t know,” he said Wednesday when asked if Williams was expected back this year.

Gannon did add Williams was doing well but did not provide any other information regarding his progress.

The earliest Williams can come off the IR is in Week 6 — that is if he’s healthy enough to go by then.

But while there is plenty of unknown surrounding Williams’ status, the Cardinals could be getting some added clarity regarding fellow right tackle and Week 2 starter Kelvin Beachum.

The veteran, who logged his 150th start against the Los Angeles Rams, was back practicing Wednesday after missing last week’s contest with a hamstring issue that popped up midweek.

Kelvin Beachum a.k.a Grandpa was back practicing during the open portion of Arizona Cardinals practice on Wednesday.

Did not see TE Trey McBride or OL Jackson Barton. pic.twitter.com/C5JJoZSFNF

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 25, 2024

He’ll have to get through the week of practice before getting the green light, but it’s a promising development for Arizona’s O-line, especially given the depth at tackle.

With Week 3 starter and practice squad member Jackson Barton headed to injured reserve with a toe issue suffered Sunday, the Cardinals’ next best option is another practice squader in Charlie Heck.

Heck played 11 offensive snaps once Barton went down but allowed two quarterback pressures against Detroit pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Heck does have 21 games of starting experience from his four years (2020-23) with the Houston Texans.

Beyond him, the cupboard is pretty barren given Christian Jones’ place on injured reserve.

If Arizona was really in a pinch, it could roll out rookie guard Isaiah Adams.

Despite his role as a backup guard, Adams does have some prior experience lining up on the outside. In his final season at Illinois, he was used primarily at right tackle, recording 730 of his 840 offensive snaps at the position.

Arizona also re-signed tackle Austen Pleasants to the practice squad as another potential option.

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TEMPE — Early on into the Cardinals’ 20-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, it looked like Arizona’s defense was in for a long afternoon after back-to-back scoring drives and a 20-point first half by the visitors.

Detroit’s two-headed running game was as advertised behind 109 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while quarterback Jared Goff completed all 12 of his passing attempts for 137 yards and a pair of scores in the first two quarters.

There really wasn’t an area the Lions couldn’t beat the Cardinals, who trailed at the half for the first time this year, leaving some expecting the worst for the rest of the game.

The defense, however, didn’t just bounce back in the second half, it gave it right back to Detroit. And even though Arizona was on the losing end of the one-score ballgame, head coach Jonathan Gannon got a glimpse of what the unit can be.

“You give up 20 points in a half, that’s not great. And then to keep the score at 20 with the takeaway, the fourth-down stop, the punts in there … I thought they battled and gave us a chance,” Gannon said Monday. “That game could have gotten out of hand if they’re not physiologically prepped the right way. I think they showed me that they were.

“That’s the first time we’ve been down at half, right? What are you going to do about it? I thought that we made some adjustments and they executed the adjustments and we had guys make a bunch of plays. That was really good to see. That was one of the things I was enthused about last night watching it was we responded the right way. That’s typically the sign of a good unit.”

After quarterback Kyler Murray’s interception on the first drive of the second half put the Cardinals even further behind the eight ball at home, Arizona’s defense locked in and pitched a shutout the rest of the way.

Allowing just 123 yards of total offense across Detroit’s final seven drives of the game, the Cardinals defense forced four punts, a turnover on downs and an interception courtesy of pass rusher Dennis Gardeck.

A big part of Arizona’s success was limiting Detroit’s run game across the final two quarters and forcing the Lions into third-and-longer situations.

Following their strong first half on the ground behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions ran for just 78 yards on 22 carries.

Detroit’s average distance on third down meanwhile pumped up from 4.2 yards in the first half to 6.7 in the second. And when the Lions were in those short third-down situations of two yards or fewer — twice in the second half — the Cardinals defense was right there to force a fourth down.

That wasn’t the case early on, with Arizona allowing five third-down conversions out of six tries.

The Cardinals’ pass rush also saw an uptick in play as the game went on, doubling its pressures on Goff from two in the first to four in the second. It also doubled Detroit’s sacks allowed with a pair across Sunday’s action.

It’s an encouraging sign for the Cardinals pass rush heading into a Week 4 clash with former head coach Kliff Kingsbury and the Washington Commanders.

“I think we’re affecting the quarterback. I really do, especially in times of not known pass I think we’re doing a good job,” Gannon said. “A little bit better than last year I think. … In known pass (situations), I think we’re doing a better job of making the ball come out a little bit quicker, moving the quarterback off the spot and disrupting and affecting his timing and rhythm.”

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GLENDALE — Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon isn’t big on momentum. In fact, he’s still not a true believer after doing a deep dive this offseason on it.

But what transpired in the second quarter of the Cardinals’ 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions might be worth another case study.

Looking to stop the Lions deep in their own territory, the Cardinals successfully got quarterback Jared Goff out of sorts. With Jalen Thompson and Owen Pappoe applying pressure, Goff attempted to get the ball out.

Instead of finding an open receiver, Goff’s pass was tipped before falling right into the hand of Mack Wilson Sr., who took the interception to the house.

Just like that, it was at the very least a tie ballgame.

That was until the referees blew the play dead, signaling that the two-minute warning had been reached before the ball was snapped.

From the replay, it looked like Detroit got the ball off in time. The referees saw something different, however.

“Mechanically, we have an official that is watching the clock and what he had as a ruling was the clock was at two minutes and the ball was snapped,” referee Brad Rogers told pool reporter Josh Weinfuss. “So, by rule when the clock is at two minutes, it is then dead. We’re not going to let the play get off. We started killing the play by blowing whistles.

“I know the play started, but when we start blowing the whistle, it shuts it down. Some of the players were still going because they couldn’t hear our whistles apparently – so it looks like there’s part of the action that’s still moving and some of the action is stopping. So, when we start blowing our whistles, it shuts the play down completely.”

It was a brutal development for the Cardinals, who then watched the Lions bounce back from the pseudo-interception with a seven-play, 72-yard touchdown drive late in the half.

As for Gannon’s thoughts of the whole ordeal?

“They call what they call,” he said postgame.

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GLENDALE — Don’t get it twisted. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is not about moral victories. If they don’t show up in the win column, they’re not for him.

But while Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions moves his team to 1-2 on the year, Murray is keeping his head up knowing the Cardinals went toe-to-toe with a playoff contender despite leaving so much out there.

“Losing’s frustrating, but honestly, I’m encouraged because I know what could have been in that game and I know how things didn’t go our way,” Murray said postgame. “I’m excited, because of the opportunity out there. That’s a good football team and we had a lot of opportunities to make something happen and win that game. … I’m excited for the road ahead.”

“I know what this team’s capable of and that’s the exciting part. That’s all it comes down to,” the QB added. “I know what we’re capable of and the level we have in that locker room. We just didn’t make enough plays today. I know those plays are out there to be made and we will make them.”

The most glaring issue for the Cardinals offense Sunday afternoon was the lack of an established rushing attack after entering the week as one of the top ground threats in the NFL.

Starter James Conner was nowhere near his typical workload, registering just nine carries for 19 yards and no scores. He also had an eight-yard catch.

When Conner has gotten fewer than 10 carries in a game, Arizona is a dismal 2-7.

It wasn’t just him, though, as Arizona’s run game recorded only 77 yards on 18 attempts. Forty-five of those yards came courtesy of Murray.

And with the run game sputtering along, the onus was on Murray that much more to make something happen through the air.

Unfortunately, Murray couldn’t replicate — or get close to — his perfect passer rating from a week prior, throwing for 207 yards, a touchdown and one interception on 61.8% passing.

That pick marked another one of those opportunities Murray and the Cardinals couldn’t cash in on.

Down 20-10 early on in the third quarter, the Cardinals were threatening to put points on the board with a second-and-three look on Detroit’s 36-yard line.

But instead of picking up the first down on short yardage, Murray opted to go for it all in the form of a jump ball in double coverage to rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

The force job didn’t pay off, with safety Kerby Joseph corralling the pass for an interception in the end zone. Even with just a field goal, the Cardinals could have made it a one score game that drive.

Kyler Murray said the Cardinals’ Week 3 loss to the Lions was just about not executing.

He also said it was “probably not the right time” to force the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. on his interception. pic.twitter.com/z9ELSeKsA7

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 23, 2024

“We did it quite a few times today and we just didn’t connect and that’s the game,” Murray said of his connection with Harrison. “If you’re going to come up and play man one-on-one, we got to beat them one-on-one. We did it sometimes, just didn’t do it enough.

“I didn’t have a blemish on my record throughout the three games and to throw it up, that one stung, especially since I felt like we were going to score on that drive,” the QB added. “To end it like that, it sucks.”

There was at least one play, though, that wasn’t on Murray or any other Cardinals for that matter.

What first looked like a Mack Wilson Sr. pick-6 ended up being a dead play due to the two-minute warning.

Upon further review, it appeared the Lions snapped the ball just before the clock hit 2:00. But with the play already blown dead by the officials, head coach Jonathan Gannon could throw the challenge flag.

Instead, he watched Detroit rebound from the near turnover for a touchdown.

“I was so in my own zone that when stuff like that happens, I’m usually surprised by it,” Murray said. “I didn’t really understand what was going on at the time … but it is what it is. You can either be frustrated about it or move on.”

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GLENDALE — Last week, the Arizona Cardinals offense could do no wrong. This week, that was nowhere near the case.

Despite kicking off Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions with an opening-drive touchdown for a third consecutive game, the Cardinals offense dropped off in a major way throughout most of the contest.

After racking up 70 yards on its first scoring drive of the afternoon, Arizona posted just 205 for the rest of the game. Arizona’s third-down efficiency fell off a cliff behind a 1-for-9 conversion rate (11%).

Quarterback Kyler Murray, one week removed from posting a perfect passer rating, was far from his Week-2 self, completing just 61.2% of his passes for 205 yards, a touchdown and one interception.

Arizona’s running game didn’t fare much better, though, averaging 4.3 yards per carry on its way to 77 yards on 18 carries.

Murray did most of the heavy lifting there behind 45 rushing yards on five carries. Starting running back James Conner struggled to find consistency on nine carries for 17 yards.

It’s a tough pill to swallow for a Cardinals defense that really upped its game following back-to-back touchdowns from the Lions to open up Sunday’s action.

Aside from the early scores, Arizona kept quarterback Jared Goff and Detroit’s offense largely in check, forcing four punts, a turnover on downs and an interception courtesy of pass rusher Dennis Gardeck.

The defense’s impact could have been even more, too, had it not been for a premature two-minute warning call that nullified a Mack Wilson Sr. pick-6.

Wilson along with defensive lineman Dante Stills, who was thrown into a bigger role Sunday after Justin Jones went down with a triceps injury, each recorded a sack in the losing effort.

Entering play Sunday, the Lions offensive line had allowed just two sacks on the season. That tally has now doubled thanks to Arizona’s pass rush.

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GLENDALE — The Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Justin Jones did not return in his team’s 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions due to a triceps injury.

The veteran, who signed a three-year deal with Arizona this past offseason, recorded one tackle before going down. That brought his tackle tally to four on the year.

Another defensive lineman, Khyiris Tonga, suffered a knee injury that left him questionable to return. He was enjoying a breakout game with four tackles after entering the game with one on the season.

On the other side of the ball, right tackle Jackson Barton went down in his first career start at a position that was already down a couple bodies. Fourth-string Charlie Heck, a Saturday practice squad elevation along with Barton, filled in.

With two defensive linemen impacted by injuries, Dante Stills stepped up alongside Bilal Nichols and Roy Lopez.

Stills, who was limited throughout the week of practice with a shoulder injury, was a healthy scratch last week but did see 25 defensive snaps in Week 1’s loss to Buffalo.

He finished the game with a sack, tackle for loss and QB hit.

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With 2:01 left in the first half, Cardinals inside linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. made an impressive play for a no-doubt pick-6 to tie things up at 13-13.

Or was it?

Oh the Cardinals just got SCREWED!!

Pick 6 off pressure, officials claimed the 2 minute warning hit first.

Ball clearly snapped before it hit 2.00 pic.twitter.com/l3RcPmyac2

— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) September 22, 2024

Instead of kicker Matt Prater heading out to attempt the lead-changing extra point, the refs blew the play dead, signaling that it was the two-minute warning.

After further review, though, it appears the ball was snapped before the clock hit 2:00.

Unfortunately for Wilson and the Cardinals, all head coach Jonathan Gannon could do was watch it all unfold, unable to challenge the (non)play.

“The key is the officials killed it,” Dean Blandino said on the TV broadcast. “We can’t go back in replay and allow the play to go off.”

The Lions capitalized on the missed call four plays later in the form of an Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown before a Matt Prater field goal ended the first half.

Despite the blown call, Wilson still put together an impressive day behind eight tackles and a sack.

Arizona couldn’t get the win, though, falling 20-13.

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GLENDALE — Well, that didn’t take long. The Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions wasted little time finding the end zone with a pair of opening-drive touchdowns on Sunday.

At least on the Cardinals’ side of things, that’s been a common theme this season.

In each of Arizona’s three matchups to start the year, the Cardinals have opened up the game with a receiving touchdown. Marvin Harrison Jr. has now accounted for two of the three.

The rookie wideout picked up where he left off in Week 2, reeling in two of quarterback Kyler Murray’s four passes on the 70-yard scoring drive.

It was his last reception that had most of the crowd at State Farm Stadium on its feet, though.

dare we say ~aura~ pic.twitter.com/LNUGuiY5Jy

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 22, 2024

Staring at a first-and-goal look from Detroit’s 10-yard line, Murray dropped back to find a pair of Lions defensive backs trailing Harrison. All Murray had to do was put it in Harrison’s vicinity and let the rookie do the rest.

The last time the Cardinals scored on each of its first three drives in three straight games was back in 2006 (Weeks 12-14). They had never done so to start a year.

Harrison is now up to three scores on the season after a lackluster showing in Week 1.

It was a big answer for the Cardinals, who had to sit back and watch Lions running back David Montgomery rack up 39 yards and a score on six carries across Detroit’s own 70-yard opening drive.

The Cardinals couldn’t turn in a repeat performance their next possession, though, with Arizona having to punt.

Detroit meanwhile added another touchdown thanks to an Amon-Ra St. Brown five-yard touchdown.

The Cardinals offense didn’t look the same after the Harrison touchdown, with Arizona eventually falling 20-13 to Detroit.

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GLENDALE — Cardinals right tackle Kelvin Beachum is officially inactive for Arizona’s Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions.

Beachum was a surprise addition on the injury report this week with a hamstring injury that popped up on Thursday. He did not practice the next day.

It’s another tough blow for the Cardinals offensive line, which was already down starting right tackle Jonah Williams due to a knee injury suffered in Week 1.

With Beachum sidelined, the Cardinals will likely turn to offensive lineman Jackson Barton at right tackle. Barton on Saturday was elevated from the practice squad for a second straight week.

Zaven Collins vs. Jackson Barton. #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/PpzaSL6LOG

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 19, 2024

Charlie Heck, who was another practice squad elevation this week, is also in the mix to see snaps.

Other Cardinals inactives include cornerback Darren Hall, linebackers Jesse Luketa and Victor Dimukeje, offensive lineman Jon Gaines II, tight end Travis Vokolek and wide receiver Xavier Weaver.

For the Lions, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., linebackers Alex Anzalone and James Houston, offensive linemen Giovanni Manu and Colby Sorsdal and wide receiver Isaiah Williams are inactive.

Cardinals WR Greg Dortch active

The good news for the Cardinals ahead of Sunday’s matchup is slot man Greg Dortch’s active status.

Dortch popped up on Friday’s injury report with a hamstring issue. He was limited to finish the week of practice.

Having Dortch available could be huge for the Cardinals offense this week after seeing what the past two Lions opponents did to Detroit out of the slot.

Defensive lineman Dante Stills, who was questionable with a shoulder issue, is also active.

Catch Cardinals-Lions at 1:25 p.m. on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.

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TEMPE — Throughout the offseason and leading up to last week, questions swirled around the Arizona Cardinals’ pass rush.

And although the Cardinals proved naysayers wrong in Week 2 behind a five-sack effort spearheaded by outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck, Arizona faces a whole other tier of offensive linemen against the Detroit Lions this Sunday.

It’s like going from algebra to calculus in the matter of a week.

Unlike the injury-riddled Los Angeles Rams offensive line that was missing multiple starters, the Lions enter Week 3 pretty much intact. Starting left guard Graham Glasgow is listed as questionable, though head coach Dan Campbell told reporters Friday that “he should be good.”

That means Gardeck and the rest of Arizona’s pass rushers are going to get the full brunt of a cohesive O-line that’s one of five other units to allow just two sacks through two weeks. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Detroit’s sack rate of 2.3% allowed is lowest in the league.

The offensive line play has helped the Lions turn in a top two offense (413 yards per game) and passing game (262 yards per game). Can’t forget about Detroit’s top 10 rushing attack (151 yards per game), either.

But for as good as Detroit’s line looks on paper, there is potential for the Cardinals pass rushers to apply pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Lions have allowed the fifth most pressures (29) among teams who have yet to play in Week 3. They’re 17th in quarterback pressure rate (32.6%), just two spots ahead of the Cardinals (32.8%).

For a Cardinals defense, they’ve got to continue to be advantageous when pass-rushing opportunities arise. While Arizona is among the bottom six teams in total pressures (18), it’s tied for the fifth most sacks (seven) in the league.

A big piece of those totals has come from Gardeck alone, who has four pressures and three sacks on 38 pass rush attempts to go along with four tackles for loss and three QB hits.

And much like he did in his three-sack performance against the Rams, Gardeck will be counted on once more to be among Arizona’s biggest tone-setters defensively.

“He really did an extraordinary job (last week) executing the rush plan to a tee and still setting up his rushes,” outside linebackers coach Robert Rodriguez said on Friday. “It’s not that easy to do. I think there’s a nuance to it. Some guys just rush like crazy. Other guys have to be a little bit smarter.

“It’s cool that he puts on display his talent and his ability but also his intelligence, so it’s a whole lot of fun to watch him execute that.”

It can’t all be on Gardeck’s shoulders in the outside linebackers room, though.

Zaven Collins, who should have another sack on the year and is “lightyears ahead” of where he was last year in Rodriguez’s eyes, must continue to make positive strides and have them show up on game day.

Zaven Collins vs. Jackson Barton. #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/PpzaSL6LOG

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 19, 2024

Rookie Xavier Thomas on the other hand has to get up to regular season speed after standing out in the preseason.

“Immediately out of the preseason, we made it clear with him, ‘There’s a difference between sacks in the NFL and preseason sacks in the NFL. The thing is you put on display you can rush at this level and you can handle what we’re giving you,'” Rodriguez said.

“I’ve seen growth from him just in these last three weeks that I’m really still encouraged by him, but I’m not going to put a number or a cap on him because he can exceed it or it can crush him. I don’t want to put that line on top of him. Let’s just let Xavier be Xavier.”

If last week’s victory didn’t already, a win against the Lions would firmly put the Cardinals on the NFC’s radar. Generating consistent pass rush and getting home on Goff are two big ways in making that become a reality.

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TEMPE — Much like the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions led by head coach Dan Campbell pride themselves on playing with violence and a high motor.

And much like safety Budda Baker, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson encapsulates exactly what his team is about.

The third-year pro is well on his way to a consecutive double-digit-sack season, entering Week 3’s matchup against the Cardinals with a league-leading 5.5 sacks.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Hutchinson’s 11 pressures and 67 pass rush attempts are both tied for the fifth most among league defenders through two weeks. He’s 17th with a quarterback pressure rate of 15.9%.

DENIED! Strip sack by none other than @aidanhutch97 🔥

📺: #TBvsDET on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8PIsOuNg6C

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

“You have to be (aware of where he is at all times),” quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday. “He warrants that, he’s a great player. The things he has done in his short career are pretty impressive.

“He is who he is and he’s going to continue to be that guy for the rest of his career. We definitely have to be aware of him.”

And although he mostly lined up on the left end a majority of the time in Week 2, Hutchinson has the versatility to rush off both sides.

So, while right tackle Kelvin Beachum is expected to see a big dose of Hutchinson on Sunday, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. could also be in for some action against the No. 2 overall pick out of Michigan.

“He is in a really good scheme. They give him some freedom and he’s got a skill set,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday. “Wherever he got drafted, you could tell why he got drafted that high.”

Hutchinson presents a big challenge for an Arizona offensive line that is coming off a stellar showing against the Los Angeles Rams.

He is far from the only Lion to watch, though, especially when looking at the offensive side of the football:

The Lions’ two-headed monster

Detroit has plenty of receiving weapons (more on them later), but the offense runs on a strong ground game behind the duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

The complementary backfield has been nearly an even split, with Montgomery (28) outpacing Gibbs (24) by just four carries. The difference in rushing yards is even tighter with two separating the former (126) and latter (124). Montgomery also has the lead in touchdowns (two) over his counterpart (one).

Montgomery brings added physicality to the position. Gibbs on the hand brings added shiftiness and ability as a pass catcher.

Among Lions pass catchers, Gibbs trails only wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) in catches with 11 for 56 yards.

More slot problems

The Cardinals came away victorious when it came to limiting slot wide receiver Cooper Kupp in their win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

If they want to have the same result against the Lions, keeping the versatile Amon-Ra St. Brown in check could go a long way towards achieving that.

Cardinals safety Budda Baker on WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Lions offense as a whole: pic.twitter.com/nyMVCKB4vA

— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) September 19, 2024

After posting a lackluster stat line of three catches for 13 yards in Week 1, the four-year pro bounced back with an 11-catch, 119-yard showing in Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Don’t let his inconsistent start to 2024 fool you, either. St. Brown is coming off 11 games of at least 90 receiving yards on his way to 1,515 just a season ago.

Quieting St. Brown won’t fall solely on nickel corner Garrett Williams, either, with the wideout finding plenty of success lining up out wide.

“St. Brown’s a great player, a guy who can run the whole route tree,” Baker said Thursday. “An all-round great player and a player that of course we gotta understand where he is on the field. Ultimately whatever (defensive coordinator Nick Rallis) calls, it’s about doing our job and taking it one play at a time.

“St. Brown is a great player, but that offense is a great offense. It’s about understanding our rules and bringing our rules to the field as soon as we get the play calls in.”

Jamo

St. Brown may be quarterback Jared Goff’s favorite target, but it’s Jameson Williams who is pacing the team in yards (200) and receiving touchdowns (one) entering Sunday’s tilt.

Aside from his speed, what makes Williams such a menace is his playmaking ability with the ball in his hands.

Of his 200 receiving yards, 86 have come after the catch.

27-yard gain by matching Jameson Williams with an underneath linebacker

Amon-Ra and LaPorta push coverage downfield. Creates a void.

Ragnow 77 peels back to get just enough pic.twitter.com/sBmG3cwTkE

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 10, 2024

“He’s fast, very fast,” Baker said. “Can run the whole route tree. I would say the speed and the athleticism that he has when he catches the ball, he can get a lot of YAC.

“That’s definitely something that we understand and know. … He can run anything. He’s probably about (180 pounds). We understand that change of direction is very good.”

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker on what stands out about Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams: pic.twitter.com/uki26MFUT7

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 19, 2024

Don’t overlook LaPorta

Compared with those listed above, fellow playmaker and tight end Sam LaPorta is having a slow start to the year.

After reeling in 86 balls on 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, LaPorta has just six catches on eight targets for 58 yards in two games played this year.

“Last week it was [Amon-Ra] St. Brown. This week it’s LaPorta. Next week it’s going to be somebody else,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told reporters Thursday. “That’s just the nature of the beast. … We’ve got a lot of weapons and it’s hard to guarantee someone five to eight targets every single game. That’s just not how it works.”

The Cardinals haven’t had much trouble against tight ends the past two weeks. Let’s see if they can keep that trend afloat for another game.

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TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch is finally getting the opportunity he’s fought for since entering the league in 2019.

A more consistent presence in the Cardinals offense as Arizona’s starting slot man, Dortch has already paced the team in receiving yards once (Week 1).

“When you have that role and you have that security — he’s a hungry dude anyways; he’s had to earn everything he’s received in his life — it’s definitely allowed him to just be himself,” quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday.

Where is Cardinals WR Greg Dortch’s confidence level at after stacking joint practices on top of his strong training camp?

“Confidence has always been high. … Hopefully when I play you can see it.” pic.twitter.com/c8LyT8gzvZ

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 16, 2024

Now up against a Detroit Lions defense in Week 3 that struggled mightily against Tampa Bay Buccaneers slot man Chris Godwin this past Sunday, there’s a real chance Dortch could find himself atop the stat sheet for a second time in three weeks.

All but one catch throughout Godwin’s 117-yard, one-touchdown performance came out of the slot. All six went for no less than 10 yards. That included a 41-yard TD, three more catches of at least 17 yards and four first downs gained.

Outside of Godwin’s performance, it was a relatively quiet day for some of the Buccaneers’ other playmakers. Mike Evans finished with three catches for 42 yards. Quarterback Baker Mayfield led Tampa Bay’s rushing attack with 34 rushing yards and a touchdown on five carries. Former Arizona State Sun Devil and running back Rachaad White accounted for 18 yards on 10 attempts.

Even if Dortch doesn’t put up Godwin-like numbers out of the slot in Week 3 — the Cardinals do have more pass-catching talent overall than the Buccaneers — there’s still a good chance he leaves a noticeable mark on the game after seeing what Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp did to Detroit in Week 1.

While Kupp caught half of his 14 receptions out of the slot, he didn’t explode yardage-wise behind 40 yards.

Most of those catches, however, came in early-down situations and helped put L.A. in more advantageous positions. Only one of the five catches to start a series went for at least five yards. His two second-down grabs resulted in first downs.

And much like Kupp and Godwin, Dortch brings added versatility and determination his signal-caller covets.

“You can throw him a bubble, you can throw him a hitch, you can throw him a fade. G can do it all,” Murray said of his wideout. “I love the stature that he is, because he’s inspiring to not only me, but smaller receivers around the world or young kids that want to say they can’t do it because they’re 5-foot-7, 5-foot-8, whatever it is, Greg’s doing it and he’s doing it at a high level.”

Another layer to Dortch’s game

You know what else the 5-foot-7 wideout can do that adds to the potential for a Week 3 impact?

Win 1-on-1 matchups. Or as Murray put it in June, the wide receiver is “unguardable” in such situations.

And that’s just what head coach Jonathan Gannon, who has the utmost confidence in Dortch’s abilities, is calling for against this Lions’ secondary.

“They have a really good back end. (Lions passing game Coordinator/DBs coach) Deshea Townsend’s a really good football coach. … They’ve got really good players,” Gannon said.

“We’re going to have to win some 1-on-1s if we want to make some plays, which I feel really good about.”

If the combination of Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson and the rest of the Lions’ secondary aren’t careful — and don’t clean things up at practice this week — they very well could become the Dortchure chamber’s next victims on Sunday afternoon.

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TEMPE — Kyler Murray turned in one the best games of his career in the Arizona Cardinals’ dominant 41-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Completing an impressive 81% of his throws for 266 yards and three touchdowns for a perfect passer rating of 158.3, Murray was on one throughout Arizona’s home opener. Can’t forget about his 59 rushing yards on five carries, either.

The effort marked just the second time in NFL history a player put up at least 250 passing, 50 rushing yards and a perfect passer rating since Ken Anderson did so with Cincinnati in 1974.

It was also Hall-of-Fame worthy, with Murray’s game-worn jersey and game ball from Week 2 heading to Canton where they will be displayed at the Pro Football HOF.

But which plays from Sunday’s showing stood out the most?

A look at Murray’s top plays from Week 2 before turning the page to Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions:

Not enough love

Murray had plenty of big-time plays that had a whole lot of people talking.

But it was a seven-yard pass to running back Trey Benson that really caught the eyes of his head coach and offensive coordinator when watching the tape back.

After finding wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 32-yard gain, Murray kept the ball moving in the right direction with the dump off to Benson.

@BurnsAndGambo here’s the throw Gannon mentioned pic.twitter.com/t4NVYjgOeO

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) September 16, 2024

Most people would see it as a ho-hum play from the signal caller. Take a closer look, though, and you’ll see Murray’s knowledge of the system and game on display.

“He went from bubble to over-route to checkdown in less than a second for a (seven-yard) gain, because that’s where the ball should go,” head coach Jonathan Gannon told Burns & Gambo on Monday. “That’s pretty special. … That’s accelerated vision, that’s high IQ, that’s never being sped up, that’s playing extremely fast with 100% command.”

“The ability to play that fast in the pocket and get that quickly through a progression in a critical situation when you know protection’s not going to hold up forever is huge,” offensive coordinator Drew Petzing added. “Now, it puts a lot more stress on the defense of, ‘We can’t take away the first two reads and expect him to break down and run out of the pocket.'”

Vintage K1

OK, now it’s time for the real fireworks.

All three of Murray’s touchdowns were impressive in their own right. But the 18-yard touchdown strike to tight end Elijah Higgins to give Arizona an early 21-0 lead might take the cake for most impressive.

KYLER MURRAY ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 😱

📺: #LARvsAZ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/gfHzqbrZ0w

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Kicking off the second quarter with a bang, Murray did Murray things. After making Rams pass rushers miss on multiple occasions — looking at you Jared Verse — Murray bought himself a wealth of time before finding Higgins in the back of the end zone for the score.

Murray celebrating before Higgins secured the catch was the icing on the cake.

pic.twitter.com/Bi4c2XHkx1

— Kyler Murray (@K1) September 17, 2024

Per Zebra Sports, Murray held onto the ball for 8.55 seconds before the TD strike. Since the inception of Next Gen Stats (2016), that’s the seventh longest time to throw and third longest since 2019.

The catch meanwhile had a completion probability of 24.7%. That’s the lowest mark for a tight end in Week 2 and the 10th lowest among all pass catchers in 2024.

Giving the people what they want

Harrison’s one-catch effort on three targets in Week 1 was far from what many expected to see from the K1-MHJ connection.

Early on in Week 2, however, the two quieted the noise and gave everyone a glimpse of what’s possible.

Kicking off Sunday’s scoring barrage, Murray and the rookie pass catcher linked up for a 23-yard touchdown that raised eyebrows across the league.

On top of it being Harrison’s first touchdown of his NFL career, it was the way it all went down.

MARVIN HARRISON JR.’S FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN HAS ARRIVED pic.twitter.com/EFquDWaM8V

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

Per Next Gen Stats, the touchdown grab had a completion probability of 13.7%, the most improbable score of the season.

That’ll happen when Harrison had just 0.7 yards of separation and 0.7 yards to work with when the ball got to him.

Chemistry building

Murray’s first touchdown to Harrison was something else.

His second TD strike to the rookie isn’t that far behind, albeit for a different reason.

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

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

Despite having running back James Conner and tight end Trey McBride as his first two reads, Murray rolled out to his right to find Harrison breaking his route down the field.

All Murray had to do was fire a dime on the run and let Harrison do the rest.

Scramble drill

While this one didn’t result in a touchdown like the last three, it was still a major play from Murray.

“You gotta be kidding me.”@K1 and @MarvHarrisonJr have many in disbelief in the first quarter 😱

📺: #LARvsAZ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/bwBNmggHuB

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Looking to keep the drive alive in the first quarter, Murray again made a pair of defenders miss before finding Harrison down the sideline as he drifted out of bounds.

Harrison again made a great read off his QB, breaking down the field for a wide-open catch. Had Murray put a little more juice on it, there’s a real possibility we’re talking about yet another touchdown between the duo.

“The one-off schedule play on third down I think was awesome, but we practiced that — scramble drill,” Gannon said postgame. “When you have a mobile quarterback, you practice that. The touchdown to start the game, they played a coverage and the safety was sitting low and that’s where the ball should go. That’s what happened in practice. That’s what happened today.”

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TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals did something on Sunday that they hadn’t accomplished in a decade.

They successfully defended their home turf against the Los Angeles Rams for the first time since 2014. Back then, the Rams were still in St. Louis.

Throughout Sunday’s 41-10 beatdown, it looked and felt like the Cardinals could do no wrong — even when they probably should have.

But what numbers truly tell the story of Arizona’s Week 2 victory?

A closer look at how the Cardinals bucked a trend no team wants to follow along with a few interesting nuggets from Sunday:

That’s just barbaric

If the Cardinals were going to have a chance on Sunday, their pass rush needed someone to rise to the occasion against a Rams offensive line wrecked by injury.

Enter Dennis Gardeck.

The veteran pass rusher came to play on Sunday, racking up six tackles, four of which were for losses, three sacks and three QB hits across 26 defensive snaps (50% of available reps).

Of his 16 pass-rush attempts, Gardeck generated four pressures for a 19% pressure rate. That comes in tied for 12th among NFL pass rushers in Week 2 ahead of Monday Night Football.

“There was a little bit of extra of, ‘Let’s go get after them and let’s let people know,'” Gardeck said postgame.

“It was cool, it was fun. I love playing football with my friends,” he added.

It truly was a full day of work for Gardeck, who also paid tribute to former Cardinals teammate Markus Golden. The recently retired pass rusher was in attendance for Sunday’s action.

Along with Gardeck, Zaven Collins and Krys Barnes got home on Matthew Stafford for a sack apiece to bring Arizona’s game total to five.

The success clearly didn’t go both ways, either, with the Rams accounting for just one sack on the afternoon.

Less than a yard

Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. finding the end zone twice on Sunday was a massive accomplishment without any added context.

But how he achieved the first one is pretty unreal.

Per Next Gen Stats, Harrison had just 0.7 yards of separation from his defender and was 0.7 yards from the sideline when the ball got to him.

Throw those numbers into the equation and you’ll come away with a 13.7% completion probability, making Harrison’s snag the most improbable touchdown of 2024 so far.

“That’s why we got him. He’s doing his thing,” running back James Conner said Monday.

“That’s why we got him. He’s doing his thing.”

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner speaks on WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and his stellar Week 2 showing: pic.twitter.com/pxWvKFDZHP

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 16, 2024

Perfection

You thought this section was reserved for quarterback Kyler Murray, didn’t you?

Nope!

Instead, this part of the program belongs to head coach Jonathan Gannon. Not only did he notch his first divisional win on Sunday, he also got it done with his challenge flag.

With his successful first-quarter challenge on Sunday, Gannon is now 2-0 in his career.

After not challenging a play until Week 18 of last season, Gannon didn’t waste any time in 2024.

Deep dimes

OK. We’ve now entered Murray’s space.

The franchise signal caller turned in arguably his best game as a pro on Sunday. He completed 17-of-21 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns for a perfect pass rating of 158.3.

He added another 59 yards on five carries.

But while everyone is talking about his impressive stat line, and rightfully so, it was his long-bomb ability that really stood out on Sunday.

Per Next Gen Stats, Murray completed all five of his passes of at least 20 air yards for 156 yards and three touchdowns. That perfect completion rate had a probability of just 0.3%.

After not seeing a pass go for more than 10 yards down the field a week prior, it was a promising sight to see for the high-powered offense.

“I got all the nicknames for him. Houdini, Superman, all that,” Conner said Monday. “When he’s rolling like that, we’re the best in the game.”

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner on QB Kyler Murray’s (@K1) Week 2 performance:

“I got all the nicknames for him. Houdini, Superman, all that. When he’s rolling like that, we’re the best in the game.” #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/fOmm51jsRT

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 16, 2024

Nice

With Arizona’s dominance on Sunday, the Cardinals now sit second behind only the New Orleans Saints (91) in points scored through two weeks with 69.

200-plus

The Cardinals turned in their fifth game of at least 200 yards rushing since last season with 231 yards on Sunday.

Detroit, Arizona’s Week 3 opponent, is the next closest with three.

Conner accounted for a majority of the ground work behind 21 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown.

It’s clear good things happen more times than not when Conner gets a healthy dose of carries.

Since joining the Cardinals in 2021, Arizona is 7-3 when the running back sees at least 20 rushing attempts. Across his career, Conner is 14-3-1.

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GLENDALE — It’s wild what a week can do. After being held to just one catch in Week 1, Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. lived up to his first-round billing in Arizona’s dominant 41-10 win at home over the Los Angeles Rams.

Nearly tripling his targets from a week prior, Harrison finished as the game’s leading pass catcher with four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The next closest was tight end Trey McBride with six catches for 67 yards, while the rest of Arizona’s wide receivers room accounted for 42 yards on four catches combined.

The stats don’t tell the full story, either, with Harrison’s first score of the afternoon sporting a completion percentage of just 13.7%, per Next Gen Stats. He had just 0.7 yards of separation and was 0.7 yards from the sideline when he caught the ball. The 23-yard strike currently ranks as the most improbable touchdown of the year so far.

Talk about a bounce-back effort.

But while Harrison is deservedly getting his flowers after a huge home opener, the wideout seems more concerned with the plays he left out on the field than the ones he made. He did after all do all of his damage in the first 13 minutes or so.

“It was solid. I think the offense played a good game. They definitely executing in the run game and pass game as well,” Harrison said postgame. “I’m not going to lie to you. I saw (quarterback Kyler Murray’s) stat line. He had four incompletions, all of them were to me.

“I’m not very happy about that. Definitely gotta get that fixed and continue to build on our chemistry as the season goes on.”

He’s not wrong. While Murray walked out of State Farm Stadium with a perfect passer rating (158.3) behind 266 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-21 throwing, the signal caller’s only misses of the night were Harrison’s way.

It’s been a roller coaster beginning to Harrison’s NFL career. He went from nonfactor to unguardable in the span of a week.

But even with the peaks and valleys, the wideout remains even-keeled.

“You can never get too high or too low. Last week, I knew I couldn’t get too low. This week, I’m not going to get too high after a successful day,” Harrison said Sunday. “I try to approach each game with the same mindset, have the same preparation, the same routine. No matter how the results are.

“Obviously, if things are going bad, I have to change some things. I’ve never had a lack of confidence in myself or the rest of the team, so we will continue to get better each and every week and continue to grow.”

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Melton entered the week in concussion protocol after going down late in Arizona’s Week 1 loss to Buffalo. He did not practice on Wednesday before getting in limited work in the two days following.

He was listed as questionable before getting the green light on Sunday.

Melton gives Arizona’s secondary another premium option alongside Sean Murphy-Bunting, Starling Thomas V and Garrett Williams.

Those not suiting up for the Cardinals include cornerback Darren Hall, linebacker Jesse Luketa, defensive lineman Dante Stills, offensive lineman Jon Gaines II, tight end Travis Vokolek and wide receiver Xavier Weaver.

Weaver entered the matchup as questionable, with an oblique injury that held him out of Week 1’s action.

He practiced on a limited basis throughout the week.

The biggest surprise among Arizona’s inactives was Stills, who has served as a solid rotational piece along the defensive line.

With him inactive, look for L.J. Collier to take on a bigger role in the rotation.

As for the Rams, running back Cody Schrader, linebacker Brennan Jackson, offensive lineman Dylan McMahon, tight end Davis Allen and defensive lineman Tyler Davis are inactive.

Catch Cardinals-Rams at 1:05 p.m. on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.

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Now, Arizona gets a Los Angeles team that’s had little resistance against the Cardinals over the years. Since Sean McVay got to town in 2017, L.A. has won all but two of its 14 divisional games against the Cardinals. There’s also that decisive Wild Card win in 2021.

Pull back the scope even further for the Cardinals and you’ll find a winless home mark against the Rams since 2014.

It’s safe to say L.A. has had Arizona’s number for some time. But with yet another regular season, comes the chance for the Cardinals to buck the trend in Year 2 of the new regime. That is if they make the right adjustments following last week’s loss.

A look at the biggest changes Arizona can make in hopes of successfully defending its home turf against the Rams:

Get Marvin Harrison Jr. the ball!

Even the Marvin Harrison Jr. haters couldn’t have expected the rookie’s Week 1 showing to be so rough.

Seeing just three targets come his way, Harrison walked out of Buffalo with one catch (and a drop) for four yards on the day.

It was clearly not the NFL debut anyone drew up for Harrison. And it’s a performance that cannot be repeated in Week 2.

While quarterback Kyler Murray got a lot of flak for “missing” the No. 1 wide receiver near the end of the game, the wideout struggled to get open more times than not. Sometimes that was due to the coverage the Bills deployed on the rookie, throwing an addition defender his way. Other times, Harrison just couldn’t finish his routes thanks to Arizona’s short passing attack and Buffalo’s pass rush.

So, what changes can be made in a week’s span?

Yes, Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was practicing on Friday (this time without the leg sleeve). #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/vwJArSlOKf

— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) September 13, 2024

For one, they can get Harrison on the move pre-snap. That didn’t happen at all last week, with head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing opting to utilize the wideout primarily at the X. Moving him to the slot and/or at the Z will at least give the defense different looks of the No. 1 wide receiver.

It’s also on Harrison to think less and just play, something he admittedly didn’t do consistently throughout Week 2.

As for Murray’s role in all this, he’s got to find the right spots to force the issue at times, with or without added reps.

The connection with Murray and Harrison should improve with every week, especially since these first two are the very first instances of them playing in a game with one another.

Go deep(ish)!

You know what was missing in the Cardinals’ loss to the Bills last week? Successful down-the-field shots.

Only three times did Murray attempt a pass of at least 20 air yards, all incompletions and none going Harrison’s way. Still, Murray finished middle of the road (14th) among starting quarterbacks in deep ball percentage at 9.7%. Another four passes came in the intermediate range (10-19 yards). Only one was caught, albeit for a touchdown.

Taking what the Bills were giving it, the Cardinals offense stuck primarily to short passes.

Not having that deep presence allowed Buffalo’s secondary to focus on keeping everything in front of them.

In Week 2, that’s gotta change.

Taking a few more chances deep (or at least intermediately), especially with Harrison, is crucial in keeping the Rams defense on its toes.

On top of Jared Goff and the Lions scoring on one of their two deep balls throughout last week’s win over the Rams, the QB had seven in the intermediate range.

Now, not all of them hit, but a couple of those turned into chunk plays.

Can’t have a chance at explosives unless you take some shots.

Pressure makes Ws

The Cardinals had little success rushing the passer against a stout Bills offensive line last week.

This week, however, Arizona’s pass rush has a golden opportunity to prove some naysayers wrong against a Rams O-line riddled by injury.

While the prognosis for the line improved Friday, with McVay now expecting starting right tackle Rob Havenstein and right guard Kevin Dotson to play on Sunday, the line is far from 100%.

Starting guard Steven Avila and tackle Joe Noteboom are on injured reserve, while Alaric Jackson is nearing the end of his two-game suspension.

Those injuries and the suspension played a big role in Los Angeles’ lackluster pass protection, with Stafford being the fifth-most pressured QB (14) in Week 1, per NFL Next Gen Stats. And while the Lions came out of the matchup with the win, they managed to sack Stafford just twice.

If not for Stafford (and his 49 pass attempts) putting the team on his back, the Lions likely would have avoided overtime and walked out of Week 1 with a decisive win.

Still, getting double-digit pressures would be a big step up for a Cardinals pass rush that had just six a game ago.

If there was ever a time for Zaven Collins to show why he received an extension this offseason, it’s this weekend.

It’s not just on him, though, with Dennis Gardeck and Xavier Thomas needing to produce off the edge in Week 2.

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