Marvin Harrison Jr.’s TNF roller coaster could be exactly what the Cardinals WR needed

TEMPE — In the middle of a slump, sometimes all it takes is seeing one go in.

Listening to the sound of a ball rattling around the bottom of a cup or the rip of a net can serve as a moment of zen for those needing it most.

Hearing the roar of the home crowd after making a late touchdown catch in a tight game — like Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. did Thursday night — also suffices.

“Good to see one go through the hoop.”

Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.’s impressive fourth-quarter touchdown catch last week “meant a little more” to him after a first half filled with adversity. pic.twitter.com/cbGs9733eE

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) October 2, 2025

“It was good to see one go through the hoop, I should say,” Harrison said Wednesday. “Got to make a big play in the game, obviously you want to keep the momentum for the team and stay in the game in that moment.”

Despite having 10 career NFL touchdowns since coming to town in 2024, the game-tying score against the Seattle Seahawks “meant a little more” to the wide receiver.

His celebration said it all. It’s not hard to see why.

🤩 IT’S MARV 🤩

📺 Amazon Prime pic.twitter.com/LfzYZCZQZQ

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 26, 2025

Entering the game, Harrison was in need of a bounce-back effort following an inconsistent showing that included glaring drops in a Week 3 loss to San Francisco.

And through most of Thursday’s loss, those issues and drops continued, with one directly resulting in an interception.

But just as the boo birds grew to a game-high level, the wide receiver flipped the switch.

Reeling in five of his six catches from the 3:46 mark in the third quarter-on for 58 yards and a score, Harrison was a key cog in Arizona’s comeback bid late.

“I feel like when you got a guy making plays like that, it obviously gives you confidence to keep going back at him, keep going to him,” quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday. “My confidence didn’t waver. Obviously, we had the two mishaps in the first half, but I count on him. He knows that. He knows I got full faith in him. I’m going to continue to.”

For the young wideout, Thursday marked a first in his football career. Never had he faced the type of adversity in a single game before bouncing back in a major way.

That show of resilience could pay off moving forward, too.

“He’s got a lot of fight.” @LarryFitzgerald on how he’s encouraged by what he saw from @AZCardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. in the second half against Seattle.

📻 https://t.co/v3G0iz5IH6#AZCardinals | #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/5zAszOw3cV

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) October 1, 2025

“The second half of that game on Thursday was the best thing that could have happened to him,” Cardinals great and Hall of Fame nominee Larry Fitzgerald said on SiriusXM on Monday. “He had the two drops early in the game — one that led that an interception. He could have very easily put his head in the sand and that could have gone really bad.

“But he came back and made play after play when his number was called in that second half. It showed me that this guy’s got a lot of fight, got a lot of high football resolve and character. It’s in his DNA. … There’s nobody that works harder than he does.”

Now, it’s about stacking quarters for Harrison and the rest of the Cardinals offense.

His first crack comes this week against a Tennessee Titans defense that is giving up 233.8 yards per game (13th most in the league) and has allowed six touchdowns (tied for 15th) through the air and 30 points per game (tied for fourth most).

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