Did Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. answer doubters in Week 1 vs. Saints?

Did Harrison do enough in Cardinals season opener:

The problem for Harrison doesn’t rely in his ability but his consistency. Last season, the 23-year-old only had back-to-back 60+ receiving-yard games twice during his rookie campaign. Averaging 60 yards a game is the threshold Harrison would have to maintain to achieve the illustrious 1000-yard season, that other in his draft class already has achieved.

However, judging off only Week 1, Harrison had a much debut compared to last year. Against the Buffalo Bills in 2024, he recorded one catch for four yards. The differences from last season’s performance and last Sunday was his separation. The most notably example is on the 45-yard bomb from quarterback Kyler Murray.

Harrison immediately creates separation at the line with his body, swiping away the cornerback. Then, after the ball is released, Harrison once again bumps into his man to create that final space needed to snag the reception.

The play just shows the growth in chemistry between Harrison and Murray from a year ago. Six plays later, the pair connect again for a one-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead from the Saints, which the team never surrendered again.

The body transformation was on full display as he used his new found strength to win the hand fights between the defensive backs. CBS analyst Logan Ryan mentioned that Harrison adding the new pounds of muscles could take some time for the young wide receiver to play with that type of mass.

However, it truly appeared that Harrison was playing much more freely on one-on-one coverages, and with more games under his belt, he could develop in a matchup nightmares for secondaries. To get to that point, Harrison must do it consistently, an aspect he wasn’t able to achieve in his rookie year.