How Cardinals Unlocked Marvin Harrison Jr.

The Arizona Cardinals laid a beatdown on Sean McVay's Rams, largely due to stellar days from Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyler Murray.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) reaches the ball over for a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Curl (3)during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 15, 2024. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA--The Arizona Cardinals put a bludgeoning on the Los Angeles Rams, snapping a nine-game home losing streak against LA with a dominant 41-10 victory.

The Cardinals played a disciplined, elite game on both sides of the ball. While the suspect defense looked much improved, holding the Rams to only 245 total yards and 10 points, the star of the show was the much-awaited offensive burst, and it was multifaceted.

Quarterback Kyler Murray had one of his best performances as a Cardinal. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, including multiple electric scrambles. His deep ball returned to form, and he looked like the scary-accurate, elusive QB the Cardinals have been hoping for.

He stayed cool under pressure, placed the ball in perfect locations, and found receivers while on the run - even when he had a running lane. All signs pointed to a maturation and a return of the quarterback who was a Texas high school legend and Oklahoma star.

He became the third QB in Cardinals history to finish with a perfect 158.3 passer rating, and put up 325 total yards of offense. If you're wondering what his ceiling is, and if he has the ability to lead this team, there is your answer.

But, of course, the emphasis isn't entirely on Murray.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

The first play of the game was a target for Marvin Harrison Jr. That was intentional. While Kyler Murray's first pass in Harrison's direction was an incompletion, it didn't take long for Harrison to make an instant impact on the offense.

While the Bills justifiably bracketed Harrison, keeping him in front of their secondary and limiting his vertical threat, the Rams did no such thing. With some heavy zone coverage and a weaker pass rush than previous years, Murray was able to find Harrison on the first drive for a brilliant 23-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

It was a simple route, and covered well, with simply a better throw and concentrated catch mere inches from the end zone boundary. But that wasn't the end.

On the following drive, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing drew up a route for Harrison. Starting on the left side of the field, Harrison dragged his way across the field, then utilized his smooth acceleration to turn upfield and badly burn LA's secondary for a wide open touchdown - his second of the game.

With some of Murray's words taken out of context this week, it was clear Arizona's QB was looking to get Harrison the ball. While there were a few plays where they failed to connect, the intent was undeniable, and both Petzing and Murray made it a point to put their trust in the rookie receiver - and he delivered.

Harrison easily dispelled all reactionary concerns over his speed, ability to create separation and connection with his QB. Petzing utilized him in a variety of ways, and worked the run game well enough to help Harrison create separation.

And it wasn't as if he was wide open on every play. The Cardinals put their faith in him to bring down tough catches, and he did just that

That will only continue to grow. His smooth, effortless acceleration, and a more vertical-focused game plan allowed him to explode in his second career contest, racking up 130 yards and two touchdowns on only four receptions, good for 32.5 yards per reception - a staple of his explosive style of play in college.

Harrison knows well that one can't put too much stock into a single performance, for better or for worse.

"You can never get too high, never get too low," Harrison said postgame.

"Last week I know I couldn't get too low this week. I'm not going to get too high on a successful day. So you just try to approach each game with the same mindset, have the same preparation, same routine.

"I never had any lack of confidence in myself or the rest of the team. So [we want] to continue to get better each and every week, and continue to grow [is the goal]."

If this is just the beginning, Harrison will be exactly as advertised, and both Murray and Petzing's success translated to Harrison's own success - a welcome sight to Cardinals fans everywhere.

Drew Petzing's Adjustments

Week one might have looked like a discouraging indictment on Arizona's coaching staff, on both sides of the ball. While Josh Allen and the Bills are no slouches, the Cardinals were gutted by the run game, carved up in the secondary, and, after a brilliant offensive first half, fell victim to a more stagnant style of play.

Last Sunday, RB James Conner wasn't able to get many opportunities to run with momentum, downhill. Petzing made a series of confusing play calls that ultimately doomed a potential game-winning drive.

This week was a different story. Conner was rumbling downhill from the start, delivering 22 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, a 5.8 yards per carry clip that was reminiscent of Conner's dominant 2023.

And that's how you build a fluid game plan. Once Petzing got off script in week one, it was downhill from there. Week two saw an early establishment of Harrison as a threat, which helped open the lanes for Conner, and subsequently set up play-action.

Petzing not only looked like he was in control of the game the entire time, he also was able to mix up calls and allow Murray to make plays on his own. A heavy dose of tough runs, play action and vertical passes held the Rams off-balance for the duration.

Of course, it helps when Murray, Conner and the offensive line hold up their ends of the bargain, but Petzing was focused, and able to make adjustments along with the flow of the game.

The elite plays were made because a solid foundation was built. Petzing's plan allowed for improvisation, but didn't rely on hero-ball from Murray, and moved with the adjustments the Rams made as well.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon agreed, and praised his coordinator's efforts in the win.

"I told him on the headset - I normally don't tell him good job, but I thought he did a really good job. I just thought that he was never sped up. He had a good plan. They were convicted early in the week what we wanted to do, and then we practiced that way," Gannon said.

It wasn't just Petzing, as defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and Gannon called an airtight game defensively to boot. All in all, when a coaching staff keeps their heads, they set up players for success, and when players execute as well as they did on Sunday, good things happen.

"Then they went out and played," Gannon continued. "You're going to play how you practice so - really great plan, but it's more the players understanding the details of where they fit into each play-call and how to win their one-on-ones. That's why we won the game. The players."

Good teams beat up on injury-ridden teams. The Cardinals needed a win, and they got a big one. A well-rounded team win with near-perfect execution and few (if any) lapses in discipline spells a huge victory in front of a joy-starved home crowd.