TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. made the most impactful catch of Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, but after a two-reception day, questions about his role and connection with quarterback Kyler Murray persist.
Murray trusted the rookie on a difficult fall-away throw on fourth-and-5 in the fourth quarter, leading to the game-winning field goal on the road. Harrison was targeted seven times on Sunday, however, his highlight plays paired with a not-on-the-same-page option route incompletion showcased a microcosm of his season thus far.
“Gotta get more on the same page, get a better percentage than whatever that percentage is,” Harrison said. “The two plays definitely were big plays. … Obviously the second one was fourth down, got-to-have-it situation. So I guess the ones that we did connect on, at least those were big ones and we made those count. But obviously, gotta do a better job of connecting throughout the game.”
Murray put the onus on himself.
“We got to be better, I got to be better and they’ll come,” Murray said on Wednesday. “They’ll come. I mean, it’s no slouch over there, a good team. Competitive catches and stuff like that we’ll eventually continue to hit. So I’m not really pressed about it.”
The No. 4 overall pick with sky-high expectations has 17 catches on 35 targets through five games. Harrison is third on the team in catches, as the Cardinals have spread the ball around.
“You can’t just have one playmaker,” Harrison said.
Receivers Michael Wilson (18), Harrison (17) and Greg Dortch (16) account for 52 catches, while a larger group of running backs and tight ends have pulled in 42, led by tight end Trey McBride’s 20. Arizona is close to adding another option with veteran wide receiver Zay Jones getting back on the practice field from his suspension this week.
The Cardinals and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing also run the ball at the ninth-highest rate in the NFL (48.6%), which is even higher than last season.
“When you’re difficult to defend is when you can’t just lock in and say, ‘We’re going to eliminate this guy or that guy,'” Petzing said on Tuesday. “When guys are playing at a high level and the ball’s going around the field, I think it makes us hard to defend.”
Harrison still leads the team with four touchdown catches (tied for fourth in the NFL) and 279 receiving yards with moments that have displayed why he was a standout prospect.
“You want everybody to have 100 yards every game. You want everybody to eat every game, but sometimes the other team takes it away,” Murray said. “Sometimes you just don’t hit on those days. But when you get those opportunities, you make them count. I think that was kind of the situation on Sunday.”
There have not been too many layups for Harrison, either. Harrison’s average depth of target is 15.1 yards, and 23 of his targets have traveled beyond 10 yards, mostly outside the numbers, according to Pro Football Focus.
Harrison has been tasked with making plays down the field without many high-completion opportunities elsewhere. He has one reception all year in which he gained more than five yards after the catch, one of his two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.
Around the league, some of the best receivers have had an incredible first five NFL games: CeeDee Lamb (29 catches, 433 yards), Ja’Marr Chase (23 catches, 456 yards), Puka Nacua (46 catches, 572 yards) and current rookie Malik Nabers (53 catches, 386 yards in four games).
But Harrison is not far behind from others who started slower and broke out. The Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson only caught 19 passes in his first five games.
The Cardinals have not consistently been the dynamo offense many expected despite notable moments, and Harrison’s role in the unit taking another step forwards remains a key storyline from the start of the season.
