By the numbers: The Arizona Cardinals’ first half vs. second half against Buffalo

The Arizona Cardinals opened up their season with a 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and while there may have been a few high points early on in the game, a not-so-good second half on all fronts cost them a win to start the season.

Arizona struggled to maintain an early 17-3 lead, as Buffalo took control late in the first half and throughout the third quarter to seemingly make the game out of reach for the Cardinals.

Quarterback Kyler Murray finished 21-for-31 with 162 yards and one touchdown, spreading the ball around to eight different receivers while averaging just 5.2 yards a throw. Outside of Murray, who averaged 11.4 yards per carry, the Cardinals averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on the ground.

Arizona’s defense struggled with Buffalo’s passing game, allowing 232 yards in the air with the Bills averaging 12.9 yards per reception. Arizona allowed 195 passing yards outside of the first quarter, in which Arizona allowed just 37.

Sunday’s game was a tale of two halves. Here’s a breakdown of the Cardinals’ difference of play in the first half compared to the second, by the numbers:

1st half: Explosive offense, opportunistic play give Cards a manageable lead

The Cardinals opened the game with scores on each of their first three offensive possessions, the first time they’ve done that since 2006 against San Francisco.

Arizona took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a 5-yard touchdown reception by receiver Michael Wilson. It then followed that up with a 29-yard field goal from Matt Prater and a 3-yard run from running back James Conner to give the Cardinals a 17-3 lead with 2:40 left in the first half.

The Cardinals offense totaled 171 yards in the first half, totaling 131 yards in the air and capitalizing on a Josh Allen fumble in the first quarter to secure a 17-3 lead with 2:40 left in the half.

Arizona’s Justin Jones — who signed a three-year contract with the team in the offseason — recovered Allen’s fumble. It was the fourth fumble recovery of his career.

2nd half: Pass defense falters, first half offense disappears

After allowing just 16 yards in the first quarter, the Cardinals allowed 125 in the second quarter to see their lead shrink after a Josh Allen 7-yard touchdown run put the Bills within seven right before halftime.

From there, the Cardinals allowed 211 second-half yards and were unable to get anything going on offense, mustering just 80 yards after halftime.

Arizona recorded -4 yards in the third quarter, allowing Buffalo to score twice and take a 24-17 lead ahead of the fourth quarter.

While he averaged just 5.2 yards per throw, Murray averaged 11.4 yards per carry — although a lost fumble in a collasping pocket in the third quarter led to a Buffalo touchdown.

The only touchdown the Cardinals scored in the second half came off a DeeJay Dallas 96-yard kick return, marking the first kick return touchdown under the NFL’s new kickoff format.

An underwhelming debut for Marv

Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s NFL debut didn’t pan out as Cardinal faithful had hoped.

Harrison had just one catch for four yards in Sunday’s loss, including a missed opportunity with the game on the line when Murray missed a wide-open Harrison in the endzone that would’ve given the Cardinals the lead with 1:10 left to play.

Wow: #AZCardinals rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. was WIDE OPEN for a potential game-winning TD, but Kyler Murray didn’t see him…

(h/t @TrainIsland)pic.twitter.com/O7j07hFpqL

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 8, 2024

As someone who is expected to be one of Murray’s main targets this season, Harrison was on the field for 95% of the Cardinals’ offensive plays but was targeted just 10% of the time.