The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a strong 41-10 victory, vs. the Los Angeles Rams. In this game, Kyler Murray played some of the best football he has so far in his career. His statline showcased him throwing 266 passing yards, 3 touchdown passes, 59 rushing yards, an 81 completion percentage, and a 98.3 QBR. The Detroit Lions were the next challenge up for Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.
After a rather quiet NFL debut, Marvin Harrison Jr. quickly changed the narrative in his second game. In just the first quarter Harrison posted a stat line of 4 receptions, 130 yards, and 2 touchdowns, while it was a heavy stat line the young star said he’s “not very happy,” because all four of Kyler Murray’s incompletions were all Harrison targets. This is a quarterback/wide receiver duo the desert has been missing for quite some time.
The Cardinals’ defense had a rough start in Buffalo in week one, giving up 34 points and one week later they managed to only allow 10 points from the Rams. This was a great adjustment and they were led by none other than Dennis Gardeck and Budda Baker. These are two guys who have been on this team for awhile and they are both cherished as leaders and they proved that they can be key factors after last week’s win.
The Detroit Lions came into this game after a loss to a very solid Buccaneers team and they look to make a week three statement in Arizona.
Detroit made it clear out of the gates that the game plan was to get the run game going. It was David Montgomrey’s day as he ran for 105 yards and a touchdown that came in the first quarter. The Kyler Murray/MHJ connection looked strong early on as the answered the Lions back with a first drive touchdown of their own.
Jared Goff was on point all game, he finished with 199 yards, two touchdowns, one INT, and was 19/23 on his passing attempts. He was very locked in the first half, but Arizona’s defense had figured him out in the second half pitching a defensive shutout.
The biggest problem for the Cardinals in this game was their offense. We all see what they are capable of, but they sometimes have a hard time putting everything together. Marvin Harrison Jr. has had a solid start to his early career, he finished with 64 receiving yards and a touchdown. His major flaw is holding on to the ball in coverage. Kyler Murray was on and off today, he had one touchdown, 207 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, and threw his first INT of the season.
Once this offense fully figures out their identity they will be a huge problem in the NFL. They are still a young team and this is a young season, next week’s game at home vs. the Washington Commanders could be a nice opportunity to get themselves going. Today there were plenty of questionable calls, but you cannot blame that for the loss, as there were many opportunities to build momentum. The Arizona Cardinals came up short vs. the Detroit Lions, the final score was 20-17.
