Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was asked about his impressive play in the first half, where he managed to scramble and avoid trouble for a big gain. Murray took a moment to think, then smiled a bit. Which one?
There were many great moments to pick from in a standout day for the Cardinals’ offense. Murray passed for 266 yards and three touchdowns, rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his first two NFL touchdown passes, and the Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Rams 41-10 on Sunday.
“He was outstanding,” said Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon about Murray. “He’s a top player for a reason. You put him up against anyone, and that’s what he showed today.”
The Cardinals’ offense, especially the Murray-to-Harrison connection, impressed as they built a 24-3 lead by halftime.
Murray threw a 23-yard touchdown to Harrison on the first drive, a 60-yard touchdown to him on the second drive, and then avoided three Rams defenders to throw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Elijah Higgins on the third drive, making it 21-0.
Arizona (1-1) ended a nine-game losing streak against the Rams (0-2) at State Farm Stadium and won for just the third time in 16 games in this NFC West rivalry.
James Conner ran for a five-yard touchdown on the first drive of the third quarter, giving the Cardinals a 31-3 lead. Conner rushed for 122 yards and surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards. Murray completed 17 of 21 passes and also rushed for 59 yards.
Harrison had 130 receiving yards, performing much better than his debut last week, where he caught only one pass for 4 yards in a loss to the Bills.
“I never lacked confidence in myself or the rest of the team,” Harrison said. “I’ll keep improving each week and continue to grow.”
Dennis Gardeck had three sacks, and Matt Prater made two field goals, including one from 57 yards that put the score at 34-3.
While the Arizona offense thrived, the Los Angeles offense struggled. Matthew Stafford was sacked three times in the first half, and the Rams couldn’t score a touchdown.
