Marvin Harrison Jr. records 2 touchdowns, 130 yards in 1st quarter vs. Rams
Sep 15, 2024, 1:35 PM | Updated: 8:09 pm
Marvin Harrison Jr. may have been neglected in Week 1, but the worries hardly carried over in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. The Arizona Cardinals didn’t allow it.
Less than four minutes into his second pro game, a 41-10 Arizona win at State Farm Stadium, he has his first NFL touchdown to prove it.
Three more minutes later, he had his second.
Harrison finished with four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The only complaint about his usage was a minor one: Why he didn’t catch another ball — he finished with eight targets — after the first quarter?
It sure looked good to start. The Cardinals got a 4th-and-2 stop on the Rams’ initial possession and then turned around with Kyler Murray eyeing the No. 4 pick on a pass attempt on the first offensive play. It fell incomplete, but Arizona remained undeterred.
Murray and running back James Conner moved the ball to the 23-yard line of Los Angeles before the quarterback connected with Harrison running a post in the very back of the end zone. The perfectly fitted ball hit the rookie wideout, allowing him to tap both feet in. But just barely.
MARVIN HARRISON JR.'S FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN HAS ARRIVED pic.twitter.com/EFquDWaM8V
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024
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Arizona set up the play against veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White, who lost inside leverage on the play and didn’t have safety help as a fellow Rams defensive back picked up tight end Trey McBride on an out route on Harrison’s left side of the field.
The touchdown pass was the second target for Harrison, who went through his NFL debut with three targets and a single reception for four yards.
Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn’t done after his 1st NFL touchdown
His third target came at the 8:47 mark of the game, and it was another doozy.
Murray hit a wide open Harrison down the right side of the field for a 60-yard score to put Arizona ahead 14-0.
Marvin Harrison Jr. we love you pic.twitter.com/GE6a9vVabw
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024
Harrison wasn’t done creating explosive plays, with a 33-yard reception with less than three minutes left.
Murray scrambled to get Arizona out of a jam while backed up against its own goal line. That gave Harrison 130 receiving yards on four catches with more than two minutes still left in the first quarter Sunday.
According to the FOX broadcast, Harrison’s father, Marvin Harrison Sr., had never recorded more than 110 yards in a quarter.
The Cardinals went on to finish that drive with Murray again scrambling to find tight end Elijah Higgins for an 18-yard score to go up 21-0 early in the second quarter.
Arizona led 24-3 at halftime.
Cardinals coaches and players had credited the Buffalo Bills for putting Harrison under the watch of multiple defenders in their Week 1 gameplan, which offensive coordinator Drew Petzing admitted was a bit of a surprise.
