It’s funny, because for the longest time, no matter who was playing defense for the Cardinals or who their defensive coordinator was, a Rams tight end would cause issues when the two teams played. But the Cardinals have their own tight end now, and while the week has been spent wondering about Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals also want to generate more from Trey McBride.
It wasn’t as if he wasn’t targeted in Buffalo. He had a team-high nine passes thrown his way. But only five were completed and more importantly, they were for only 30 yards.
McBride, not surprisingly, deflected the idea he should have gotten the ball more. “Not that at all,” he said. “Kyler is going through his reads. The ball has to go where the coverage dictates. We needed to move the ball better in the second half, but we’ll do that this week against the Rams.”
There will be a spotlight on what happens with MHJ this week, but McBride remains a key. Coach Jonathan Gannon called McBride “as consistent as they come” and that’s not just as a pass catcher but off the field as well.
That was apparent the second half of last season as McBride’s star went on the rise, and it will be apparent soon enough in 2024.
— Home-field advantage at State Farm Stadium has proven to be real. I was fortunate enough to be down on the field at the end of the 2008 NFC title game and the 2015 Packers divisional game. Yes they were postseason contests but having been in every other stadium, there is no question to me the Cardinals’ home is equal to the loudest out there in such circumstances. Finding that groove again in their home building would mean a lot – and the momentum (there’s that word again, JG) would build from there.
The Cardinals have to find a way to topple the Rams there, though. The last time that happened was the game Carson Palmer tore his ACL in 2014 and Drew Stanton came off the bench to rescue the win. Since then, the Cards have been searching in this matchup.
— Puka Nacua is out. But Cooper Kupp is still around, and as sexy of a rookie season as Nacua had last year, Kupp is still their No. 1 receiver. He had 14 catches in the opener against the Lions (although only 110 yards, less than 8 yards a grab) on 21 targets. He also had two rushing attempts. Of those 16 touches, 12 came after Kupp was in motion, and he went in motion on 42 total snaps – for a total of 436 yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
“They gotta be number one in…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Word From The Birds…