A talented offense arrives in Western New York
The Buffalo Bills host the Arizona Cardinals this weekend in the home opener for the 2024 NFL season. Buffalo hasn’t lost a home opener since 2021, when they dropped a 23-16 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Under head coach Sean McDermott, Buffalo is 4-3 in Week 1, and 5-2 in their first home game of a season.
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a pair of 4-13 seasons, something that isn’t ever expected when they have a young, talented quarterback at the helm. However, injuries and horrendous play on defense have kept the Cardinals from having any semblance of success.
History means nothing when the two teams kick off on Sunday afternoon, however. Here are the five Cardinals players we’re watching in this week’s matchup.
QB Kyler Murray
After looking like a future star early in his career, Murray has been largely disappointing as he’s battled injury the past two seasons. The 2020 Rookie of the Year has played in just 19 games in the past two years thanks to an ACL tear he suffered late in the 2022 season. There have been positive signs, as Arizona’s offense was significantly better with Murray one year removed from an injury than they were without him. The hope for Arizona is that a return to form for Murray will lead to a return to success for the Cardinals. Just like Bills edge rusher Von Miller needs to show that he can return to form after a full, healthy offseason following ACL surgery, Murray needs to come out strong on Sunday. For the Bills, containing him in the pocket and forcing him to throw outside the numbers will help to keep the Cardinals subdued. If Murray can break contain and extend plays with his legs, it could be a long afternoon for the Bills.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Sure, running back James Conner may be more impactful Week 1, but part of this space is discussing who we’re excited to see, too. And I can’t hide my excitement to see the son of a former stud wideout (and Syracuse alum) in his first pro game. Harrison was the third overall choice in this April’s draft, and he brings a complete repertoire to the position. Along with “Hollywood” Brown, Michael Wilson, and Rondale Moore, it’s a nice wide receiver group for the Cardinals. Buffalo’s secondary will have their hands full in this one. Harrison likely won’t draw a shadow corner — the Bills almost never follow receivers to begin with — but Buffalo will need to know where he is at all times.
TE Trey McBride
Perhaps the most distressing matchup Sunday for Buffalo is this one, as a banged-up linebacker and safety group will have to contend with one of the league’s up-and-coming studs at the tight end spot. McBride led the Cards in targets (106), receptions (81), and receiving yards (825) last season, and he was second on the team in receiving touchdowns with three. He’s a freakish athlete, running a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, but he really emerged as a solid route-runner last year, as well. With Dorian Williams and Damar Hamlin starting for the Bills, I’m definitely a little concerned that McBride could be in line for a huge day. The Bills will have to scheme ways to bracket him and to disguise the coverages thrown his way. Using Williams’ physicality at the line could be effective in jamming McBride, but the Bills might even want to consider trying to match up Rasul Douglas on him if Arizona splits him out wide. This is the guy Buffalo needs to neutralize in the passing game on Sunday.
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
There’s something about this guy that I just really like. Maybe it’s the fact that he always seems to be around the ball. Maybe it’s his physicality even though he isn’t a huge person. Maybe it’s something about the name that draws me to him. As the Cardinals’ top corner, he’ll likely be in charge of shutting down whichever player Arizona deems to be Buffalo’s top receiver. Murphy-Bunting can play both outside and in the slot, so it makes sense that he could end up manning Khalil Shakir throughout the day. He’s quick enough to be a bother, and he has the ball skills to make an impact on the game if Josh Allen isn’t careful. He’s coming off a poor year, having allowed 64% of the passes thrown his way to be completed for 645 yards and two scores on 69 attempts last season. That was a year with the Tennessee Titans where he was able to play outside corner more often. If the Bills see him matched up with someone outside, they can take advantage. If he’s in the slot, they might want to look elsewhere.
S Budda Baker
The Cardinals’ bugaboo over the last two years has been abysmal defensive play. If Buffalo’s offense does what it’s capable of, they’re going to score points on Sunday. The strength of this defense, though, is the defensive secondary, and Baker is still a high-quality NFL safety. Even though he missed five games last year, he still made his sixth Pro Bowl in his seventh NFL season. Baker didn’t have an interception last season, and he didn’t register a pass breakup all season long. That’s unlike Baker, but it’s not something I’d expect to be a trend. He has the range to make plays at a variety of levels. The Bills need to make sure they’ve given him some eye candy to draw him away from any deep-third area throws they want to make. If Buffalo can run it effectively, it will likely draw Baker into the box, thereby opening the offense up to its fullest potential.