Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. Duo finally clicks for Cardinals – Sports Illustrated

ARIZONA– The Arizona Cardinals picked up another thrilling road win, defeating the Miami Dolphins thanks to Chad Ryland’s third game-winning hit of the season.

It was the best offensive game of the year since beating the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, and the defense came up again when it was needed the most. Arizona improves to 4-4 and wins back-to-back games for the first time since 2021.

How did they do it?

Simply put, it was an incredible performance from quarterback Kyler Murray, but fans were begging for numbers from rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., and the Murray-Harrison duo finally delivered in a big way on Sunday:

The Cardinals’ fourth-best receiver had his breakout performance against the Rams in week two, but hasn’t been able to produce much since. Fans and media were justified in their concerns, and Harrison had made some objectively poor plays.

But as I wrote after last week’s win over the Chargers, this is no time to hit the panic button on the young wide receiver.

In Sunday’s win, Harrison had six receptions on seven targets, good for 111 yards and a touchdown, and translated to 18.5 yards per reception — a showcase of Harrison’s explosive ability on the field.

It’s not to be overlooked that both Arizona’s offensive game (and some of Murray’s throws) weren’t optimal for Harrison’s success, but Sunday’s game told a different story. Murray trusted his young receiver, went to him in different situations and put the ball in tight, perfect windows all game long.

Harrison demonstrated his reliability in space, but also showed his ability in the field in a significant way.

Murray’s first completion of the game was a 25-yard rope to Harrison, and the quarterback seemed to want to get him the ball on the first play.

But late in the game, trailing by eight, the rookie showed his star potential. With just over two minutes to play in the third quarter, Murray returned to a clean pocket.

With plenty of time to scan the field, he launched an arcing punt into the right corner of the end zone, and Harrison burst across the field. The rookie receiver made an elite grab, lunging for the ball while maintaining the presence of mind to drop his knee and retain possession.

By all accounts, this was an elite, veteran game. But that wouldn’t even be Harrison’s most impressive game of the day.

Trailing again, this time by nine, Arizona faced a third loss. With a flush in his face, Murray threw another deep ball.

With a diving attempt reminiscent of Larry Fitzgerald’s third reception in Green Bay in 2018, Harrison made an outstanding catch, barely keeping the ball off the ground. Originally ruled incomplete, it was overturned on appeal.

That play became the difference in the game as a potential fourth down turned into a sixteen yard catch, another 22 yard catch by Harrison and eventually a touchdown to pull within two.

Elite players make elite plays in crucial situations. Given the confidence and opportunity, the rookie delivered in a big way and showed off both his exceptional catch radius and ability to get open in space.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon praised the rookie’s day and reiterated his belief in the young receiver’s potential.

“He practices his a– out all the time and when the ball comes to him, he’s going to keep playing. The play was rocked, the plays he made were rocked, it was the right read and Kyler gave him a chance and he made a bunch of plays,” Gannon said.

“There’s no panic in my game about what type of player he is – zero panic. He’s here for a reason. They chose him here for a reason. He’s going to be a big player for us and he’s a big player for us, man.

Clearly, there are some concerns about his lack of production, but his quarterback is keeping him safe. Kyler Murray talks about Harrison’s day and what it means to have a day like Sunday.

“I don’t really see all the speculation and stuff because I’m not really on Twitter and stuff like that. He hears it, I hear it, it’s hard not to hear it, but at the end of the day he’s got to be himself and just keep getting better every week,” Murray said.

“That’s all we have to do. It will come to that. It doesn’t happen overnight. I’m very proud of him today, he kind of took over… I feel like this game was really big for me, for us to come across a guy like that, you just have to give him opportunities and I think that’s a big deal.

Always humble and soft-spoken, Harrison said he wants to be a reliable target Murray can count on.

“I just try to go out there and make plays when the ball comes my way. I know in big situations, big moments, that’s who I am, I try to be somebody that you can count on to make plays for us, Harrison said, “Every time it’s a two-minute drill or we have to make a big play, I do my best to get open and catch the ball.”

Sunday was a major step in the right direction for the rookie and, unlike his breakout performance against LA, he was there in clutch moments, delivering when the lights were brightest. A promising sign for a future star.

But it wasn’t just Harrison’s day. Murray delivered his most outstanding performance of the season on Sunday.

Despite making some early mistakes and having a handful of dropped passes, Murray looked excellent both in and out of the pocket. He completed 26 of his 36 passes, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

He averaged 8.5 yards per attempt, was deadly accurate down the field, and looked calm and collected as he progressed through his reads with no turnovers and almost no obvious mistakes. He trusted his big playmakers, delivering 100-yard days to both Harrison and tight end Trey McBride.

It was Murray’s first 300-yard day of 2024, and he did it in elite fashion. Arizona’s first score of the day came on a standout play when Murray ran off pressure and found Michael Wilson wide open in the end zone.

It wasn’t the greatest day for Murray’s legs, as he only rushed for 19 yards, but on the final drive, the 28-year-old quarterback made it on the ground.

While leading the Cardinals on a mammoth 73-yard drive to get within field goal range, Murray had to help Arizona burn out the clock to keep the ball out of Miami’s hands again.

On third down, he turned a fumble into a first down by scrambling to his right and picked up a rough first down to help the clock and set up Ryland’s game winner.

The Cardinals desperately needed offensive firepower and better play from both Harrison and Murray.

What they got was exceptional from both of their franchise players. Not to mention, against a very solid defense in Miami, with the secondary anchored by veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Despite some early hicks, the Cardinals scored 28 points in elite fashion, a breath of fresh air in a previously stagnant offense.

So, Cardinals fans, are you still concerned about Marvin Harrison Jr.?