By the numbers: Dissecting Cardinals’ dominant Week 2 win vs. Rams

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals did something on Sunday that they hadn’t accomplished in a decade.

They successfully defended their home turf against the Los Angeles Rams for the first time since 2014. Back then, the Rams were still in St. Louis.

Throughout Sunday’s 41-10 beatdown, it looked and felt like the Cardinals could do no wrong — even when they probably should have.

But what numbers truly tell the story of Arizona’s Week 2 victory?

A closer look at how the Cardinals bucked a trend no team wants to follow along with a few interesting nuggets from Sunday:

That’s just barbaric

If the Cardinals were going to have a chance on Sunday, their pass rush needed someone to rise to the occasion against a Rams offensive line wrecked by injury.

Enter Dennis Gardeck.

The veteran pass rusher came to play on Sunday, racking up six tackles, four of which were for losses, three sacks and three QB hits across 26 defensive snaps (50% of available reps).

Of his 16 pass-rush attempts, Gardeck generated four pressures for a 19% pressure rate. That comes in tied for 12th among NFL pass rushers in Week 2 ahead of Monday Night Football.

“There was a little bit of extra of, ‘Let’s go get after them and let’s let people know,'” Gardeck said postgame.

“It was cool, it was fun. I love playing football with my friends,” he added.

It truly was a full day of work for Gardeck, who also paid tribute to former Cardinals teammate Markus Golden. The recently retired pass rusher was in attendance for Sunday’s action.

Along with Gardeck, Zaven Collins and Krys Barnes got home on Matthew Stafford for a sack apiece to bring Arizona’s game total to five.

The success clearly didn’t go both ways, either, with the Rams accounting for just one sack on the afternoon.

Less than a yard

Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. finding the end zone twice on Sunday was a massive accomplishment without any added context.

But how he achieved the first one is pretty unreal.

Per Next Gen Stats, Harrison had just 0.7 yards of separation from his defender and was 0.7 yards from the sideline when the ball got to him.

Throw those numbers into the equation and you’ll come away with a 13.7% completion probability, making Harrison’s snag the most improbable touchdown of 2024 so far.

“That’s why we got him. He’s doing his thing,” running back James Conner said Monday.

“That’s why we got him. He’s doing his thing.”

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner speaks on WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and his stellar Week 2 showing: pic.twitter.com/pxWvKFDZHP

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 16, 2024

Perfection

You thought this section was reserved for quarterback Kyler Murray, didn’t you?

Nope!

Instead, this part of the program belongs to head coach Jonathan Gannon. Not only did he notch his first divisional win on Sunday, he also got it done with his challenge flag.

With his successful first-quarter challenge on Sunday, Gannon is now 2-0 in his career.

After not challenging a play until Week 18 of last season, Gannon didn’t waste any time in 2024.

Deep dimes

OK. We’ve now entered Murray’s space.

The franchise signal caller turned in arguably his best game as a pro on Sunday. He completed 17-of-21 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns for a perfect pass rating of 158.3.

He added another 59 yards on five carries.

But while everyone is talking about his impressive stat line, and rightfully so, it was his long-bomb ability that really stood out on Sunday.

Per Next Gen Stats, Murray completed all five of his passes of at least 20 air yards for 156 yards and three touchdowns. That perfect completion rate had a probability of just 0.3%.

After not seeing a pass go for more than 10 yards down the field a week prior, it was a promising sight to see for the high-powered offense.

“I got all the nicknames for him. Houdini, Superman, all that,” Conner said Monday. “When he’s rolling like that, we’re the best in the game.”

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner on QB Kyler Murray’s (@K1) Week 2 performance:

“I got all the nicknames for him. Houdini, Superman, all that. When he’s rolling like that, we’re the best in the game.” #AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/fOmm51jsRT

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 16, 2024

Nice

With Arizona’s dominance on Sunday, the Cardinals now sit second behind only the New Orleans Saints (91) in points scored through two weeks with 69.

200-plus

The Cardinals turned in their fifth game of at least 200 yards rushing since last season with 231 yards on Sunday.

Detroit, Arizona’s Week 3 opponent, is the next closest with three.

Conner accounted for a majority of the ground work behind 21 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown.

It’s clear good things happen more times than not when Conner gets a healthy dose of carries.

Since joining the Cardinals in 2021, Arizona is 7-3 when the running back sees at least 20 rushing attempts. Across his career, Conner is 14-3-1.

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