Kyler Murray, Cardinals Face Backlash For Usage of Marvin Harrison Jr.

The visiting Arizona Cardinals lost to the Buffalo Bills in their 2024 NFL season opener at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals were unable to notch the upset win, falling with a 28-34 final score.

Arizona took a 17-10 lead into the halftime break, but Josh Allen and the Bills bounced back with a two-touchdown performance in the third quarter. The Cardinals outscored the Bills 11-10 in the fourth, but their offense was stalled on a potential game-winning drive.

This Week 1 matchup marked the NFL debut of No. 4 overall draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr.

The former Ohio State superstar entered the league with sky-high expectations — expectations he fell well short of in his first contest.

Harrison Jr. finished the game with just one catch for four yards. The first target of his NFL career bounced off his hands for an incompletion. The rookie was targeted just three times in the game.

The Cardinals had an opportunity to take the lead with a touchdown on their final drive of the game, but ultimately came up short. Murray missed a wide open Harrison Jr. streaking toward the end zone on this fourth-quarter drive.

Cardinals fans are not happy with the team's usage of Harrison Jr. in his NFL debut.

"Do the Cardinals know they drafted Marvin Harrison Jr this spring?" one asked.

"Three targets for Marv is malpractice," another said.

"We drafted Marv 4 overall to throw to him 3 times…. embarrassing," another added.

"Kyler not even looking at Marv is bizarre," another wrote.

Harrison Jr. will look to see some improved involvement in the Cardinals offense when they face off against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.