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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Howard Balzer

Cardinals’ Week 1 offensive snap counts, observations vs. Bills

In the Arizona Cardinals’ 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills, there were 18 players that participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.

The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.

Quarterbacks

  • Kyler Murray 61/100
  • Did not play: Clayton Tune

Murray had his moments, especially in the first half, but was sacked four times and averaged only 5.23 yards per attempt and 7.7 per completion. Solid, but not good enough to win.

Running backs

  • James Conner 41/67, Emari Demercado 13/21, Trey Benson 8/13
  • Did not play: DeeJay Dallas (played only on special teams)

Conner was more productive as a receiver than runner with three catches for 33 yards, including one for 22 on the opening drive of the game. A 20-yard run gave him 50 for the game, but his other 15 carries totaled only 30 yards. Demercado had a 24-yard reception, but didn’t have any rushes. Benson rushed for 13 yards on three attempts and caught a pass for five yards in one second-quarter possession, but wasn’t seen again.

Wide receivers

  • Marvin Harrison Jr. 55/90, Michael Wilson 49/80, Greg Dortch 37/61, Zach Pascal 4/7, Chris Moore 1/2
  • Inactive: Xavier Weaver (injured)
  • Suspended: Zay Jones

Harrison and Wilson played a combined 104 snaps, but were targeted a total of five times and combined for two receptions for nine yards. Wilson’s reception was a touchdown, but he also had a drop in the final possession of the game. Harrison also had a drop and a miscommunication with Murray on the first drive of the game.

Tight ends

  • Trey McBride 52/85, Elijah Higgins 25/41, Tip Reiman 20/33
  • Inactive: Travis Vokolek

Murray and McBride connected on only 5-of-9 targets and gained only 30 yards with a long of eight. Higgins had two early catches for 12 yards, while Reiman (no targets) was utilized as a blocker.

Offensive linemen

  • LT Paris Johnson Jr. 61/100, LG Evan Brown 61/100, C Hjalte Froholdt 61/100, RG Will Hernandez 61/100, RT Kelvin Beachum 39/64, RT Jonah Williams 22/36
  • Did not play: G Isaiah Adams, C/G Trystan Colon (both played only on special teams)
  • Inactive: G/C Jon Gaines II
  • Injured reserve: T Christian Jones (eligible to return), T Carter O’Donnell

Williams exited with a knee injury on the final play of the first quarter and didn’t return. Beachum replaced him and struggled at times, although head coach Jonathan Gannon said, “I thought Beach played well. I thought he played his ass off.”

In a tough road venue, there were no false starts and there were no offensive penalties on the Cardinals.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on SpotifyYouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

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