Marvin Harrison Jr. one-upped father's rookie numbers

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) catches his first career touchdown as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) defends in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. already one-upped father's rookie numbers

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Sep 15, 2024 6:59 PM ET

Fantasy owners of Marvin Harrison Jr. were mighty worried after he only tallied a mere four yards on one reception in Week 1 against Buffalo.

Fret no more, the real "Maserati Marv" arrived in style during Week 2.

Harrison Jr. posted a whopping 130 yards and hauled in two touchdowns on just four receptions against the Los Angeles Rams — in the first quarter alone.

Marvin Harrison Jr. we love you pic.twitter.com/GE6a9vVabw
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

According to the league, that's more yards than his father, Marvin Harrison Sr., ever posted in a single game in his rookie year.

Harrison Jr. came up well short of Arizona's all-time single-game record (217 yards) set by Anquan Boldin in 2003 and the NFL record (266 yards) set by Ja'Marr Chase in 2021.

His father's career single-game high was 196 yards in 1999.

The NFL's Next Gen Stats say the rookie's first career touchdown, a 23-yard pass by quarterback Kyler Murray, was the most improbable of the season so far.

Kyler Murray's 23-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. had a completion probability of 13.7%, the most improbable touchdown of the 2024 season so far.

Harrison had 0.7 yards of separation and was 0.7 yards from the sideline when the pass arrived.#LARvsAZ | @AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/ERuPcplRRM
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 15, 2024

Arizona easily handled Los Angeles 41-10, improving to 1-1 on the young season. But surprisingly, Harrison Jr's first-quarter stats were the only ones he recorded all game as the Rams' defense shifted to double-team him and once the score got out of hand, he rode the bench with the rest of the starters.

Harrison Jr. has now set a high bar going forward but given what he's shown in his abilities so far, he should have no problem repeating such a performance again at some point.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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