GLENDALE — Middle names can hold a lot of meaning. Sometimes they’re used as way to honor a parent or relative. Or in Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis’ case, his middle linebacker.
And did I mention the DC and his wife welcomed Dominick Kyzir Rallis to the world hours ahead of the Cardinals’ 29-9 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday?
“I thought Nick had a hell a game. I don’t want to get into his business, but he had his second child this morning,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said postgame. “How about that?
“Talked to him on Monday morning. I said, ‘Somebody’s got to get ready to call the game if the baby comes at 1 or 2 O’clock.’ He says, ‘I’m calling the game.’ That was cool. Got that at 8 a.m. How about that? Guy’s an idiot. I appreciate him, and he got a game ball, too.”
A win, a game ball and a baby in the same day? Can’t get much better than that.
As for what the head coach thinks about the name?
“Kyzir’s a good middle name,” he added with a smirk.
What does Kyzir White think about all this?
It’s unclear what exactly led Rallis to naming his son after White.
Maybe it was due to their long-standing relationship that spans at least three seasons and two different teams. Rallis did after all work with the linebackers in Philadelphia before his current role in Arizona.
Maybe Rallis lost a friendly wager.
But what is clear is White’s approval of his namesake.
“My dawg for life. This dope,” the linebacker said on social media. “Can’t wait to meet nephew.”
The other big question in all this:
Since White is what Gannon calls a “war daddy,” does that make little Kyzir a “war baby?”
Answers are needed and will likely be given Tuesday when Rallis speaks to the media.
When you need to know, you’ll know
Despite the monumental life-changing moment of welcoming his second child into the world, Rallis tried to keep the (other) main thing the main thing.
On the field, Rallis called the Cardinals’ third second-half defensive shutout of the season.
That included not taking away any of the team’s focus due to a personal situation.
“We didn’t know that,” pass rusher Zaven Collins said postgame. “We didn’t find out until after the game. He’s one of those type of guys that he doesn’t want us to worry about him. He’s all in when it comes to helping us and watching us succeed.
“I think the world of him and everything he does. He spends time afterwards and he’ll get on everyone so it’s nice having him.”
Another member of the nest
Rallis is far from the first member of the coaching staff to welcome a bundle of joy during the season.
A few weeks back, passing game specialist Spencer Whipple, who was filling in for running backs coach Autry Denson, and his wife had a baby the night before Arizona’s big win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Much like Rallis, Whipple was back on the sideline not long after.
The Cardinals’ 29-9 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at State Farm Stadium signaled a lot about the direction Arizona is headed.
It kept the Cardinals in the drivers’ seat for the NFC West, and it also was another instance of Arizona playing much more mistake-free than its opponents.
Arizona has also shown an ability to win different ways. On Sunday, the passing game wasn’t working as well, so the Cardinals just scored three touchdowns — from three different rushers — on the ground instead.
Plus, Chad Ryland kept his hot streak going with field goals knocked through from 55 and 29 yards before the defense got on the board with a safety.
So what did our Arizona Sports show hosts and writers think about the performance?
Our reactions to Cardinals’ win over Bears:
Vince Marotta, co-host of Bickley & Marotta Mornings: Sunday offered a rare, almost nitpick-free win by the Cardinals as they took apart the Chicago Bears 29-9.
This win was all about defense and running the football.
Defensively, the Cardinals made life miserable on rookie QB Caleb Williams, sacking him six times — tying the most in a single game in the Jonathan Gannon era. Arizona’s young cornerbacks (Starling Thomas, Max Melton, Garrett Williams) held a very formidable Chicago receiving corps in check. Yes, Rome Odunze had a 44-yard catch in the first half on a busted coverage, but nothing else came easy. The Cardinals’ defensive plan took Bears tight end Cole Kmet completely out of the game. Kmet wasn’t targeted once.
The Cardinals’ running game was punishing all day long. James Conner was his beastly self, gaining 107 yards on 18 carries. Emari Demercado’s 53-yard touchdown run in the late stages of the second quarter was the biggest single play of the game. Trey Benson showed some flash and hey, Drew Petzing even threw in a wrinkle to get tight end Trey McBride a rushing touchdown — the first time a Cardinals TE has had a running score since Hall of Famer Jackie Smith in 1968.
Kyler Murray was fine as a game manager, because that’s what Sunday called for. He didn’t do anything spectacular. He didn’t have to. But he was the better of the two quarterbacks on the day.
Here’s the nitpicky stuff. First, it was another tough day for Marvin Harrison Jr., who had a fumble after making one of his two catches on the day.
And in a 7-6 game in the second quarter, the Cardinals ran the football right down the throats of the Bears and then Drew Petzing tried to dial up the red zone passing game. The drive stalled and ended in a Chad Ryland field goal. Of course, that was taken off the board when Chicago’s Gervon Dexter was called for leverage. Trey Benson later punched it in from a yard to make it 14-7.
But the Cardinals won by 20. They’ve won three in a row, they’re above .500 and they’ve kept two of their last three opponents out of the end zone.
The Cardinals are sitting on top of the less-than-rugged NFC West, but on Sunday, they played like a first-place team.
Luke Lapinski, co-host of Wolf & Luke: Those wins over teams like the 49ers and Rams don’t mean quite as much if you don’t follow them up with wins over the teams you should beat. The Cardinals are finally checking both boxes now.
That’s not to say the Bears are a bad team. They’re not. But there’s clearly something going on with them right now. Maybe there’s a rift after the way their gut-wrenching loss to Washington played out last week, maybe they just really miss Montez Sweat and Jaquan Brisker or maybe it’s something else entirely. Either way, it’s not Arizona’s problem.
The Cardinals did what they were supposed to do. They jumped on Chicago in the first half and never let them back in this game. Honestly the second half was probably pretty anticlimactic for anyone watching that wasn’t a Cardinals fan. Again though, that’s not Arizona’s problem.
And they did it without Kyler Murray throwing a single touchdown. Or Marvin Harrison Jr. doing much of anything. Kyler still had his fingerprints all over the win, but Marv’s going to be battling the inconsistency label for another week. The running game stepped in and took the reins on offense though. And the defense was borderline dominant, racking up nearly as many sacks (six) as total points allowed (nine).
That’s complimentary football at its finest, and suddenly the Cardinals are above .500 for the first time in three years. They’re also on their first three-game winning streak in three years. And now they’re all alone atop the NFC West, with their four losses coming against some of the best teams in the entire NFL. Those teams have a combined record of 27-8 to be exact.
About midway through the first quarter, the realization hit me that the Cardinals, Sun Devils and Suns all went into their games this weekend with a pretty distinct advantage in the coaching department. I could get used to this. I’m guessing the rest of the Valley could too.
Dave Burns, co-host of Burns & Gambo: The Cardinals are in the middle of a potentially season-defining stretch in Year 2 under Jonathan Gannon.
Two winnable games at home against teams that look like imposters. A looming bye week. An impending trade deadline. Two key players potentially returning from injury. Successfully navigate these next two weeks or so and you set yourself up for the most compelling two months of football we’ve had in three years.
So far so good.
In the end, the Cardinals took all those Bears fans and thinned them out like they were planting a winter lawn. When it was all over, in front of a bunch of empty seats, the Cardinals battered the Bears and exposed them as frauds. In the process they likely put the Bears’ coach on the hottest of seats. And they did it in a manner that showed off their offensive versatility. Last week the run game was stifled so Kyler Murray and his receivers went to work. This week the Cards used just about every running back on the roster to pound through and fly by every Bears defender on the field. The receivers were almost an afterthought; Trey McBride’s first touchdown on the season came as a running back. But the other half of the story is perhaps more important.
The Cardinals defense, unable to get to the quarterback for most of the season, re-wrote their own script and made life hell on Caleb Williams. Did it provide a moment of clarity for Monti Ossenfort? Maybe he feels like he doesn’t need to make a move, but the hope here is that this week bought him a little more time and a little less desperation on Tuesday. This team is better than most thought and an upgrade has been earned.
John Gambadoro, co-host of Burns & Gambo: This game was over when the Cardinals took over on their own 30-yard line with 26 seconds left in the half while nursing a 14-9 lead.
In the matter of 22 seconds the Cardinals demoralized the Bears team and all of its fans in attendance by going 70 yards in 4 plays capped by a tremendous 53-yard touchdown run by Emari Demercado that put Arizona ahead 21-9 and for all intent and purposes took the life out of the visiting team.
The play, to me, was just a notch below the devastating Hail Mary Chicago lost on last week to the Commanders. Chicago had just kicked a field goal to close within 14-9 and they were getting the ball back to start the second half. But instead of going into halftime with some momentum they were completely deflated.
They were down two scores and it was only a matter of time before the Cardinals put this thing on ice, and it didn’t take long as the Bears went three-and-out to open the second half and Arizona went 13 plays to get a field goal to go up 24-9. The Bears then turned it over on downs and Arizona got another field goal to go up 27-9.
Arizona didn’t play a great game offensively (Murray had no touchdown passes, just 154 passing yards) but they didn’t have to. Chicago was a mess missing many key players on both sides of the ball. But they had no real fight and once Arizona punched them in the mouth with the Demercado score they couldn’t respond.
James Conner was in typical beast mode with over 100 yards rushing and the Cardinals defense sacked Caleb Williams behind a makeshift offensive line 6 times!
Kellan Olson, co-host of Arizona Sports at Night: We are so used to watching the Cardinals do what the Bears did in this game that it took this elongated glance at the other side to realize this is no longer like looking in a mirror. The Cardinals are undoubtedly flawed, and I’ve made the case there is plenty of good fortune mixed into three of their four wins coming into this weekend. But for all the inconsistencies at this point, they’ve got a handful of positive attributes that keep helping them win football games.
The defense is going to give up chunks of yards at a time and make glaring mistakes. It also has an uncanny quality now to stick by the old football adage of “bend don’t break.” Continuously doing that in close games despite an extreme lack of talent is impressive and credit is deserved for both the coaches and players. Nick Rallis dialed up the blitzes in this one and it worked to perfection.
While we still haven’t witnessed an offensive performance that is both the passing and running game firing on all cylinders at the same time, one of those two elements has been at a high level in all of these wins. It was the ground game on Sunday and we go into these contests knowing the upside for either part of the offense to explode.
Chicago was awful in this game. Caleb Williams badly missed on a handful of throws that looked like him going for the perfect one, and he couldn’t handle the blitz again. His offensive line is either brilliant or horrid on a possession-to-possession basis. Back-breaking errors like the penalties on 3rd and 4th down, the Emari Demercado TD or drop on a can of corn by Keenan Allen were all on brand.
But the Cardinals were not making those. Marvin Harrison Jr.’s fumble was the only blemish. The defense avoided penalties to give the Bears additional opportunities. Kyler Murray hardly had to anything at all. And with how light the rest of this schedule is, if Arizona can replicate this, it will be in the playoffs.
Mitch Vareldzis, co-host of Arizona Sports at Night: Kellan Olson and I have a recurring segment on our show called “The Chain.” It essentially creates a path to victory by linking together three important aspects.
To get a win against the Bears it required three things: (1) Contain D’Andre Swift, (2) pressure Caleb Williams and (3) whatever works for you offensively, keep doing it. The Cardinals successfully completed the chain in the first half!
Swift was a non-factor for most of the game, Williams was harassed on several occasions in the backfield and more importantly, the Cardinals ABUSED the Bears with their rushing attack.
It’s not often that three separate ball carriers find the end zone, but Trey McBride (!!), Trey Benson and Emari Demercado did just that as part of a beatdown at State Farm Stadium.
I still had minor gripes, like the defense struggling to get off the field on third and long and Kyler Murray missing a wide open Trey McBride on a beautifully designed jumbo goal line play, but they won the game anyway because they played a complete game.
So, here’s what needs to get done now… Monti Ossenfort needs to pick up the phone and acquire some help for his dark horse division winner.
I will be fine with one defensive line addition and overjoyed with two defensive upgrades, but I will be unforgiving if the deadline passes Tuesday and the Cardinals fail to add anyone to this now 5-4 team that leads the division.
I apologize if I am not seeing their bigger picture, but what I see is a team with a chance to accelerate its rebuild right now and be better off for it next year as well. There is TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS OF CAP SPACE available for the rest of this season. Use it or lose it.
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal to start Saturday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Footprint Center after missing Thursday’s game versus the Los Angeles Clippers.
Beal has had a questionable designation for the last three games, missing the first and third game of the stretch. He last played on Monday in a 109-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers where Beal scored 15 points in 35 minutes played.
Suns’ Bradley Beal warms up ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Trail Blazers. pic.twitter.com/R35iDmaoW7
During a team practice on Saturday, Beal said he wanted to make sure his elbow felt good before returning to the court.
“You want to make sure that you don’t have any setbacks if you do decide to go out there,” Beal said. “Once they confirmed we were good and it’s just a little sprain and it’s a pain-tolerable thing, we kind of let it calm down. We had an extra day in between games so it was best to just take that extra day and feel better for our upcoming schedule.
Rookie Ryan Dunn started in Beal’s place both games he missed. He shot 7 of 15 from 3 in the two games en route to his first two double-digit scoring outputs with 13 and 16 points, respectively.
Beal credits Dunn for stepping up for the team in his absence and is happy to see him
“I’m just happy for him. Everybody had an opinion on him coming into the draft and it’s just cool being able to see him shutting off that noise and just be a pro,” Beal said.
Guard Josh Okogie will make his season debut for the Suns after missing the first five games of the season due to a hamstring strain. He is entering his third season with Phoenix. He played in 132 games over the last two years.
Portland will be without wings Shaedon Sharpe (labral tear) and Matisse Thybulle (knee injury maintenance), as well as big man Robert Williams III (hamstring strain).
Saturday’s ASU-Oklahoma State football game saw a lengthy weather delay with a planned resumption of play at 4:55 p.m. MST as the Sun Devils led 21-14 after the first half.
FOX will continue to carry the second half locally, and FS1 and FS2 will have the national broadcast.
The game had already been moved from 4 p.m. MST to 12:30 p.m. in an effort to avoid the impending weather system, which includes a flood watch through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
According to NCAA rules, a lightning delay must last for at least 30 minutes:
To resume athletics activities, lightning safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and after the last flash of lightning is at least six miles away, and moving away from the venue. If lightning is seen without hearing thunder, lightning may be out of range and therefore less likely to be a significant threat.
At night, be aware that lightning can be visible at a much greater distance than during the day as clouds are being lit from the inside by lightning. This greater distance may mean that the lightning is no longer a significant threat. At night, use both the sound of thunder and seeing the lightning channel itself to decide on when to reset the 30-minute return-to-play clock before resuming outdoor athletics activities.
ASU athletic director Graham Rossini on the pregame radio show confirmed one contingency plan for potential weather delays could be calling the game as is after the half, which is allowed in accordance with Big 12 bylaws.
ASU football’s game at Oklahoma State was pushed up from 4 p.m. MST to 12:30 p.m. due to weather concerns, the Big 12 Conference announced Friday.
The TV broadcast will be on FOX in Arizona and Oklahoma with an FS2 broadcast available in other markets.
The game had already seen a broadcast change from FS1 to FOX after the World Series was wrapped up in five games by the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving the primetime evening slot open.
There will be a flood watch in effect from Saturday morning through Monday in Stillwater, according to the National Weather Service. Lightning is expected by Saturday night.
“We don’t see a lot of (rain). We can try to simulate it, but it’s different,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Friday, before the time change was announced. “How windy is it, how rainy is it definitely has an effect on the calls in the game and the rhythm of the game, the aggressiveness of the game.
“Some people think rain makes you less aggressive. Well sometimes rain and wind actually make you more aggressive because if you’re punting into 20 mph wind on the 50, you may only gain 30 yards. It’s fourth-and-three, maybe you gotta go for those.”
Dillingham added the week’s practices included wet-ball drills but admitted that those are a far cry from simulating thunderstorm weather.
The Cowboys’ in-state rival, Oklahoma, had already moved up its home game against Maine from 11:30 a.m. MST to 9 a.m., saying “some weather models show a higher risk of severe weather beginning earlier in the afternoon.”
How to watch, listen to ASU football at Oklahoma State
The broadcast will run on FOX in the local markets and FS2 outside of them while play-by-play coverage will be available on the Arizona Sports app, 620 AM or ArizonaSports.com.
Pregame coverage begins with the debut of the State of the Sun Devils Podcast’s pregame show that will begin three hours ahead of kickoff each week, leading into ASU’s pregame show with Jeff Munn right after.
Radio coverage will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the adjusted kickoff time.
The NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching. As far as the Arizona Cardinals, there hasn’t been a name thrown around more in potential trade rumors than veteran safety Budda Baker.
And it’s not all that surprising.
Currently in the final year of his contract and stringing together an impressive 2024 campaign behind the fifth-most tackles in the NFL (79), it wouldn’t be the most shocking of moves, especially if it means Arizona brings back an edge rusher or added defensive line help.
Even before 2024 kicked off, Baker was viewed as a potential trade piece.
But when it comes to what the Cardinals might obtain in any Baker trade, making that kind of move would likely do more harm than good, according to general manager Monti Ossenfort.
“I’d say don’t believe everything you read,” Ossenfort told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Friday. “Budda’s a big part of what we’re doing … not only on the field but off the field and the leadership he provides.
“I think there’s a lot of misinformation that’s out there this time of year, whether it’s pertaining to our players or somebody else’s players. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in. … Couldn’t be more excited to have Budda with us.”
Ossenfort isn’t wrong there, as Baker continues to embody what Arizona wants out of its players. With that thinking and the fact Arizona sits atop the NFC West eight weeks in, what kind of message would that be sending to the rest of the team?
It’s unclear what might transpire this offseason when it comes to Baker’s impending free agency — or if a contract extension comes down the wire before then — but for now, all signs point to Baker at the very least finishing out the year in Arizona.
What’s Budda Baker think about all this trade talk?
Different year, same stuff.
This is far from the first time Baker has heard his name being in trade chatter.
And much like he’s said in the past, the safety is focused squarely on his next opponent.
“Personally, I just be where my feet are and push it to the side,” Baker said last week. “I don’t really see the trade stuff, because I’m not heavily on social media.
“I might open my phone up and get a random fan, ‘Come to the team.’ But I’m here, I’m excited, I’m happy and just ready to grind through this week and grind throughout this process, play on Sunday and try and get a W.”
Daniel Hudson, who pitched 190 games over six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, is retiring after winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he told reporters during the celebration on Wednesday.
Hudson was instrumental to the Diamondbacks’ National League West championship in 2011 after the club traded veteran Edwin Jackson to acquire him in 2010.
The right-hander made 33 starts with a 3.49 ERA across 222 innings pitched, the same number of frames as Ian Kennedy. No D-backs pitcher has thrown that many frames in a single season since, and the two spearheaded a rotation that helped the club win 94 games under manager Kirk Gibson. Hudson threw three complete games that season.
Injuries hampered Hudson’s remaining tenure with the club, as he went through Tommy John surgery twice and threw in only 12 games from 2012-14.
Hudson reinvented himself in a bullpen role and pitched 134 games from 2015-16 with a 4.50 ERA before moving on. Hudson ranks 17th in team, history in games, innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished his D-backs tenure with a 3.88 ERA.
Hudson jumped around to four teams over his next three seasons, landing in Washington for the home stretch of 2019. He became a key bullpen piece in the Nationals’ run to the World Series, and he recorded the final out to upset Houston in the Fall Classic.
The veteran joined the Dodgers in 2022 but tore his ACL after 25 appearances. In 2023, he sprained his MCL after only three games.
Entering his age 37 season, Hudson signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers for one more chance to contend, and this time he avoided the injured list, pitched 65 games and put up a 3.00 ERA en route to his second World Series title.
Hudson ended up pitching in 485 games plus 16 postseason games after a second Tommy John surgery, putting him on a short list of the most successful careers after receiving the procedure multiple times.
Outfielder Randal Grichuk declined his $6 million mutual option with the Arizona Diamondbacks, entering free agency on the first day of the offseason, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported on Thursday.
Grichuk signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with Arizona during spring training 2024 with the option tacked on. The club wanted a right-handed bat to platoon with left-handed slugger Joc Pederson, who also has a mutual option this offseason for $14 million.
Grichuk played 106 games and produced an .875 OPS (.291/.348/.528) and 12 home runs in a part-time role, especially catching fire down the stretch.
In September, Grichuk hit .404 with seven home runs, and his OPS of 1.408 led all of Major League Baseball among players with at least 50 plate appearances. He had a solid yet unspectacular .755 OPS entering September and seemed to raise his market value with an exceptional finish.
The 33-year-old reached the 10-year service time milestone and 200-home run club during his season in Arizona. He hit a walk-off double to beat the Chicago Cubs in April.
Grichuk did the job he was brought in for by crushing left-handed pitchers, even though he admitted that not playing every day was an adjustment. He finished the year with a .914 OPS against southpaws while Pederson crushed righties.
Grichuk split his time pretty evenly between designated hitter and outfield, and Arizona for the first time had a thriving DH spot in the middle of the order.
The D-backs’ DHs accounted for an .891 OPS, only trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani and the Atlanta Braves with Marcell Ozuna.
During the first five days after the World Series, players can negotiate with their clubs, trades can start and options will need to be exercised or declined. After the five days are over, free agents will be able to sign anywhere.
Christian Walker headlines Arizona’s free agent class, along with Josh Bell, Kevin Newman and Paul Sewald.
Jordan Montgomery has a player option for $22.5 million, while Eugenio Suarez ($15 million) and Merrill Kelly ($7 million) have club options.
Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Jonah Williams has been designated to return Wednesday, allowing him on the practice field with 21 days to determine if he is activated to the 53-man roster.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon announced the positive step forward for Williams, who signed a two-year deal as a free agent this offseason.
Arizona Cardinals OT Jonah Williams is expected back on the practice field today, per head coach Jonathan Gannon. pic.twitter.com/WbRopumWyt
Arizona also on Wednesday added defensive end Anthony Goodlow and linebacker Milo Eifler to the practice squad.
It was unclear if Williams’ knee injury suffered in Week 1 would keep him out for the rest of the season, but the tackle’s return to the practice field signifies he’s got a good chance of doing so with nine games left this season.
Williams, who began the year as the starting right tackle, has since been replaced by veteran Kelvin Beachum.
Now that he’s been designated to return, his window runs past the next two games, at home against the Chicago Bears (Sunday) and New York Jets (Nov. 10). It runs through Arizona’s bye in Week 11.
Out of the bye, the Cardinals visit the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 24.
His potential return adds promise for a team currently in a tiebreaking lead for the NFC West through a 4-4 start. Arizona has played lately without its projected starters at both right tackle and right guard, as Will Hernandez is out for the year with a knee injury.
The Cardinals have held up decently since, especially in pass protection. Quarterback Kyler Murray has not been sacked in the past three games, the first time a Cardinals quarterback has not been sacked over a three-game span since the 1975 season.
TEMPE — For the first time since Week 2, Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. posted a 100-yard effort in his team’s 28-27 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Not only that, but he finally put together a second half worth writing home about after doing most of his damage in the first quarter of ballgames prior to Sunday’s victory.
While it came as a pleasant surprise to Cardinals fans, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing chalked it up to Marv just being Marv.
In Arizona Cardinals OC Drew Petzing’s eyes, @MarvHarrisonJr’s breakout performance in Week 8 came down to Marv just being Marv.
“This to me is what excites me about him as a player is there wasn’t anything different.” pic.twitter.com/F3ACVls8av
“This to me is what kind of excites me about him as a player is there wasn’t anything different,” Petzing said Tuesday. “That’s been the consistency really from the moment he’s walked into this building of trusting the process, continuing to work to get better every day, learn about the sport, learn about himself, learn about the opponent and just continue to work extremely hard.
“When people do that, it’s always nice to see them have success, because it reinforces (they) are doing the right thing. … I think those things are important, so I’m really pleased to see that.”
There’s definitely some truth in what the coordinator is saying about his rookie pass catcher.
There’s also more to the story than Harrison’s prep work and overall mentality.
Unlike previous games, Harrison lined up in the slot for 33% (20) of his total offensive snaps (60) on Sunday.
And as pointed out by ESPN’s Benjamin Solak, 40% of his routes ran came out of the slot, which is another single-game high for the rookie.
Simply put, moving around your versatile WR1, getting him involved late and opening up his route tree has its benefits.
“I just try to go out there and make plays when the ball comes my way,” Harrison told reporters postgame. “I know in big situations, big moments … I try to be someone we can count on to make the plays for us. Any time there’s a two-minute drill or we need to make a big play, I do my best to get open and touch the ball.”
Is Week 8’s usage a sign of things to come for Marvin Harrison Jr.?
While the Cardinals appeared to unlock something in Harrison’s game on Sunday, it’ll be interesting to see how Petzing deploys the rookie against a Chicago Bears team that was absolutely gashed on the outside by Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Jayden Daniels’ favorite target did all his work out wide, reeling in five of eight targets for 125 yards.
That’s not to say Chicago doesn’t have some serious talent roaming in the secondary in Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson, late-game blunder and all.
A look at Marvin Harrison’s rookie year so far
With Harrison’s latest showing, the rookie is now up to 411 yards and five touchdowns on 26 catches (50 targets).
The wideout is currently pacing Arizona pass catchers in touchdowns.
He’s second in yards behind tight end Trey McBride (446) — who is coming off a big day of his own in Miami — and is third in receptions.
Only McBride (42) and second-year pro Michael Wilson (27) have more catches than Harrison eight games into the year.
League-wide, Harrison’s touchdown total is tied for fourth in the NFL, while his receiving yards are good enough for 25th.
As far as fellow rookie pass catchers, Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr. is leading the way behind 573 yards and five scores. New York Giants WR Malik Nabers is up to 498 yards and three touchdowns.
