Brad Cesmat
Yes, everyone will talk about Marvin Harrison Jr. catching his first two touchdowns, but the Cardinals’ defense showed so much in Sunday’s 41-10 blowout victory over the LA Rams. The Cardinals had not beaten the Rams in Glendale since the Obama administration ten years ago.
The Rams could muster just 245 yards of offense on the afternoon. Budda Baker and the Arizona defense set the tone on LA’s first drive. Baker, the cornerstone, took out the legs of Cooper Kupp on a fourth-down try that came up short. Six plays after the change in possession, Kyler Murray threw a strike to Harrison Jr., who tiptoed in the back of the end zone for his first score, and the rout was on.
Harrison Jr. finished with two scores and 140 yards.
James Connor would bulldoze for 122 yards on the ground.
It was the most complete game I’ve seen from the Cardinals in many years. All three phases were crisp and clean. The second half could’ve gotten sloppy, with the Cardinals leading by 17, but head coach Jonathan Gannon’s team kept their focus and composure to finish out the victory.
Murray finished with a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 while sitting out the second half of the fourth quarter. Kurt Warner is the other quarterback in the franchise’s history to have a perfect quarterback rating.
The Detroit Lions visit the Cardinals next Sunday. Kickoff at 1:25
