While things look pretty in September, the mistakes in this time of the season often crop up when the race for the playoffs heats up in January. On September 25, the Cardinals lost to the Seahawks 20-23. The score could have looked different had their WR Marvin Harrison Jr. caught Kyler Murray‘s pass in the 2nd quarter. But the bobble interception was enough to tell the fans that the QB-WR duo isn’t at its best.

After the game, reporters asked the signal caller why he still has confidence in the WR. Murray defended MHJ’s potential and said, “I need him. He needs me. This is a team sport, a four-quarter game, and I understand he’s not coming out of the game. I don’t want him to come out. We’ve got to get this going. That’s really just what it is, conversations on the sideline, keeping his confidence up. And again, the other receivers and everybody around them, we were all in it together.” Well, the NFC West team is at 2-2 now. It needs to win games.

Kyler Murray also praised the receiver for holding himself to a high standard.

“I just think Marv expects so much from himself, he expects so much,” he added. Even that singular play is just not to his standard, obviously. As an individual, if he drops the ball or it’s an interception, I’m sure that lingers in his mind. But I love the way he fought back and continued to play hard and make plays. I have the utmost confidence in him, and I think he should have it as well.”

Despite the hiccups, Marvin Harrison Jr. was the Cardinals’ top receiver, hauling in six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. In the first quarter, Murray’s off-target throw across the middle was picked off by Coby Bryant, but a freak collision with his own teammate during the return caused a fumble, which Arizona recovered, wiping out what could’ve been an early Seahawks momentum swing. In the second quarter, Harrison was partly to blame for a dropped pass, showing there’s still work to do.

Kyler Murray will need to tighten things up and be sharper in the weeks ahead to avoid putting the team in similar spots.

Marvin Harrison Jr. needs to pick up the pace

Marvin Harrison Jr. was supposed to change everything for the Cardinals. They took him fourth overall in 2024, handed him a $35.3 million deal, and called him the future. After a quiet debut, just one catch for four yards, he exploded in Week 2 with four catches, 130 yards, and two touchdowns. That was the superstar everyone expected. But in year two, that rookie brilliance isn’t enough; he needs to take over games and become the player the Cardinals built him to be.

Through four games this season, Harrison has 16 catches, 208 yards, and two touchdowns. Good numbers, but not the kind that scare defenses. Not the kind that take over games. And that’s what Arizona needs right now. Harrison has the talent to dominate, and there were sparks of it in this game, too.

We’ve seen it. Like last season against Miami, when he went for 111 yards and a score. The Cardinals are 2-2 and can’t afford to waste chances. Kyler Murray needs Harrison to be the guy, the player who tilts the field and forces teams to change their game plan. Last year was just the preview.

This season has to be the main show. It’s time for Harrison to stop flashing potential and start carrying this offense.