Marvin Harrison Jr.'s NFL Debut Falls Short of Expectations

Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had a disappointing debut, catching just one pass for four yards in a 34-28 loss to Buffalo.

Marvin Harrison Jr.'s highly anticipated NFL debut turned out to be a quiet affair as the Arizona Cardinals fell 34-28 to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. The No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State had just one catch for 4 yards and was targeted only three times.

Harrison had hoped to make a big splash in his first professional game, but the Bills' defense paid extra attention to him, double-teaming him for much of the game. This left quarterback Kyler Murray with few other options in the passing game.

"Obviously, it wasn't great," Harrison said after the game. "It definitely wasn't what I expected or what I wanted to happen, what the team wanted to happen."

Despite Harrison's struggles, Murray expressed confidence in the rookie receiver.

"Nothing changes," Murray said. "We've got the utmost confidence in what we're capable of doing. If you went back and watched the game, I think they did a good job of making sure he wasn't going to be single covered for the majority of the game."

But I'll never lose confidence in Marv."

Head coach Jonathan Gannon also downplayed Harrison's lack of production, saying he believes the receiver will bounce back.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Gannon said. "Marvin will be fine. He'll get back at it and go to work, but no one's going to put more expectation and pressure and or him wanting to do well than himself. He'll be perfectly fine."

Harrison admitted that NFL game action was much more intense than anything he experienced during camp.

"It's totally different," Harrison said. "You do a lot of things in shirts and shorts, then you go to practice and you've got pads on, you've got joint practices with the Colts, but there's nothing like live action."

Still, he understood Gannon's decision to keep several starters out of the preseason games.

"We all feel really healthy, and that's the most important thing," Harrison said.

The Cardinals are now preparing for the Los Angeles Rams, who have given Arizona plenty of trouble in recent years. Harrison hopes to make a bigger impact in his second NFL game and help the Cardinals turn around their fortunes against their division rivals.

"I've got to get open and catch the ball," Harrison said. "That's my job as a receiver. That's my job description."