Marvin Harrison Jr. remains the Arizona Cardinals’ No. 1 receiver. Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Let’s face it, first impressions matter.
What if you get a nosebleed on your first date? Not ideal.
You hit a parked car during your driver’s license test? Oops.
In your highly anticipated NFL debut, you caught a pass and ran for 4 yards? That’s great!
Okay, that last example might have been a bit extreme. You might not get a second date, you might have to wait to get your driver’s license, but when you’re an incredibly talented NFL receiver, there’s always a chance to erase one bad game from your memory.
Here are three players who could be back in action in Week 2:
WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Yes, we know, one catch per four yards. But think about it this way: four yards is 12 feet!
Cynical language aside, it’s too early to overreact to Harrison’s quiet debut. Quarterback Kyler Murray focused primarily on Trey McBride (nine targets) and Greg Dortch (eight targets), while James Conner got four targets out of the backfield.
Harrison ranked fourth with three targets and caught just one of those passes. But dig a little deeper and he was on the field for 55 plays, or 90.2 percent of Arizona’s offense. That was more than McBride (52 snaps, 85.3 percent), Conner (41 snaps, 67.2 percent) and Dorch (37 snaps, 60.7 percent).
The newbie will be okay, we think.
TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
February 12, 2023: Andy Reid and Travis Kelce celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Credit: Michael Chow / USA TODAY NETWORK They say haters gonna hate, but Kelsey knows how to shake those feelings off going into week one.
In some ways, Kelce was lucky that the Chiefs faced the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener. Most of the tight end’s frustration was concentrated on the other side of the field, where Mark Andrews sold hot dogs in the stands and Isaiah Likely caught a whopping nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Andrews is “likely” to have a lot of competition from his teammates this season, but Kelce is a different story in Kansas City, and he’s still a solid alpha at his position.
Look at the running routes. Kelsey was involved in 48 plays, which was 88.9% of Kansas City’s offense. No other pass catcher was on the field longer than him. He finished with just 34 yards of receptions, but be patient. Kelsey is going to have a big game.
WR Brandon Ayyuk, San Francisco 49ers
November 19, 2023; SANTA CLARA, CA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Ayyuk (11) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Dee Delany (30) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports Aiyuk spent most of the preseason watching clips of Jerry Maguire — “Show Me the Money!!!” — so it wasn’t a huge surprise that he was quiet in Week 1. He caught two passes for 28 yards from Brock Purdy, who will soon be joining him on his way to the bank.
Aiyuk told reporters after the game that he felt in good shape and that conditioning wasn’t a factor in his debut, which makes sense since he had plenty of time to work out throughout the offseason and had to adjust to the speed and contact of the game with little practice.
This could be Aiyuk’s chance to get back on his feet and get back on the ball. The Minnesota Vikings are short on cornerbacks, and while they had success stopping Daniel Jones and the New York Giants last week, the 49ers have plenty of weapons, including Aiyuk, and it would be wise to not haul bags of money on receiver routes this week.
