Cardinals OC explains Marvin Harrison Jr.'s quiet NFL debut vs. Bills, plan for top rookie WR going forward

Marvin Harrison Jr.'s NFL debut didn't go exactly as planned. The top wideout taken in April's draft caught just one pass for four yards and was targeted a mere three times. But despite Harrison's lack of production, the Cardinals put up a fight before losing a 34-28 decision to the Buffalo Bills .

While his debut was quiet, don't expect Harrison to put up similar stat lines going forward.

"Certainly he is on the forefront of our minds in terms of getting him the ball," said Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said, via the team's website . "I think (the Bills) did some things to take him away and certainly I could've called some plays to get him more involved early but I thought it was a good start. We have some work to do."

Harrison was targeted once on Arizona's first drive and twice on the Cardinals' second drive (which included his first career catch). He was not targeted at all during Arizona's final five drives (not including Murray's kneel down at the end of the first half.)

Petzing said he was "a little bit surprised" that the Bills focused so much on Harrison. That, however, likely contributed to tight end Trey McBride getting targeted a team-high nine times. Wideout Greg Dortch was second on the team with eight targets, while running back James Conner was third with four targets.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said that he did not intentionally throw to Harrison immediately after Harrison dropped a pass midway through the second quarter, but that it happened organically. That was probably music to Petzing's ears.

"One of the things I try to stress with Kyler is that it's not his job to get certain people the ball or worry about how a guy is doing in the flow of the game," Petzing said. "I've got to do that with the way I call the game, and he's got to make the best decision based on the look, the coverage, how the routes are run."

Based on Petzing's comments, it's clear that while he doesn't want Murray to force the ball to Harrison (or anyone else), the Cardinals will make more of a concerted effort to get Harrison more involved moving forward.