Xavier Thomas finally got to the quarterback last week against the Bears, collecting a half-sack early in the game and then getting a full solo effort on Caleb Williams later on.

"It's a huge accomplishment," the rookie outside linebacker said.

Thomas had made some noise in his preseason play. When the regular season started, especially with BJ Ojulari out for the season, it was Thomas that came into the spotlight as a possible aid to the pass rush. Pressure of that aside, Thomas got a phone call the morning of the Cardinals' season opener in Buffalo from a close friend. His best friend had been shot and killed at a house party in North Carolina.

The news hit Thomas hard. He played in the first four games of the season but didn't impact the games much, before sitting as a healthy inactive for three straight games.

"Being a rookie, you don't really have time to really grieve because you are trying to stay focused on ball at your highest," Thomas said. "So it was difficult in the beginning, trying to balance the two out."

He returned to play the past two games, including a season-high 25 snaps against the Bears. Thomas, who has long been open about his mental health, said his embrace of such things helped him through his feelings about his late friend.

"The fact I have been through a lot of different things, It was more adversity to face," he said. "I had never dealt with loss that close to me in life, but my faith is always in the right place when dealing with something like that."

The addition of edge Baron Browning will help a pass rush that is coming off its best game against the Bears. Outside linebackers coach Rob Rodriguez praised Thomas' development, saying he has taken both success and failure in stride.

That explains why Thomas wasn't going to go overboard in self-praise with his first sacks.

"I just want to keep doing it from here and stay consistent," he said.

-- The addition of Browning was needed, and even though he just arrived this week, it seems likely he will be active with some sort of role Sunday against the Jets. Rodriguez said Browning's versatility is his biggest asset, but his experience at passing rushing means the time spent with coaches this week hasn't been about teaching pass-rush moves but instead refining them to fit the Cardinals' scheme.

The Cardinals had six sacks last week, although it figures to be much harder to get to veteran Aaron Rodgers. Rodriguez likes the confidence his players got against Chicago, however.

"When it comes to pass rushers, it's like having a kid that wants to put a penny in a socket," Rodriguez said. "You can tell them don't do it, don't do it. But they gotta feel it. Once they do it, they feel it. Pass rushing is the same way."

-- Potentially not having safety Jalen Thompson (ankle) is an issue. Rookie safety Rabbit Taylor-Demerson noted "my opportunity is going to come this weekend" which might be a tell with Thompson's status. The Cardinals will have some choices to make in playing time; Sean Murphy-Bunting will presumably be available, but Garrett Williams, Max Melton and Starling Thomas V have played well in his absence.

-- On the other side of the pass rush discussion, Haason Reddick returns to State Farm Stadium. He has played here twice since leaving the Cardinals, totaling 2.5 sacks in those games. He was sackless for the Eagles last year in Philadelphia when the Cardinals came from behind for the win. Reddick, of course, is playing only his third game with the Jets after sitting out the first seven in a contract dispute.

-- The Jets are vulnerable against the run, allowing more than 132 rush yards a game. They have a good pass rush and back end, so you figure a) the Cardinals are going to try and get James Conner rolling and b) the Jets could load up against the run, opening the door for a bigger passing game for Kyler Murray. That's what happened in Miami.

-- Conner continues to lead the league in missed tackles forced: 62.

-- Murray echoed the famous "The Sixth Sense" line when he was talking about being "sacked" by center Hjalte Froholdt to snap the Cardinals' sackless streak after three games. Froholdt was trying to double back to block someone as Murray hit him, essentially taking the QB down.

"You just see big people," Murray said. "It's not a position you want to be in."

Froholdt had some fun with the play on social media, posting a photo of the collision and noting in the caption he had gotten his first NFL sack – no doubt helped by the fact the Cardinals won the game.

"It's awesome," Froholdt said. "Finally in the stat books. It was cool.

"(Expletive) happens in football."

-- That's the second time Murray has been taken down by one of his own offensive lineman. Guard J.R. Sweezy had a similar “sack” of Murray in Murray's first-ever NFL game against the Lions.

-- As has been a Salute To Service tradition, roses will be inserted into the Tillman Wall by the Pat Tillman statue for Sunday's game at State Farm Stadium. This is the team's Salute To Service game.

-- The Cardinals are one of only three teams with a winning record against Aaron Rodgers, including postseason games. The Cards have won 4 of 7 against Rodgers, all when he was with the Packers. The Buccaneers (4-3) and 49ers (8-6) are the only other teams above .500.

-- The Cardinals were a minus-2 in turnovers against the Bears. In their history, they were only 36-314 in such games, and Sunday's was the first time ever they won such a game by at least 20 points.

-- Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., after a two-catch game last week, asked about his big game against the Dolphins and seeking consistency. "You kind of want to have one of those games every game, but that's not the reality of the NFL."

-- After the hiccup game in Green Bay, in which they had 13 accepted penalties, the Cardinals are back to being tied with the fewest in the NFL, with just 41 all season. The Bengals also only have 41, with the Chiefs at 42.

-- Rodgers, of course, has been on the other team of three incredibly memorable games in the stadium. There were the two playoff losses in 2009 (Warner's final home game; Money Mike strips A-Rod) and 2015 (From Hail Marys to Hail Larry). And of course there was the 2021 game, in which the Cardinals were 7-0 and were hoping A.J. Green turned around.

-- Including playoff games, Rodgers has gone 32 straight starts without a 300-yard game, an amazing number for a guy who was doing that weekly for a long stretch of his career. It's the longest stretch for a QB since Trent Edwards had 33 straight under-300 starts from 2007-10.

The Cardinals have allowed a 300-yard passer only once this season, to Justin Herbert in the Cards' Monday night win.

-- Darius Robinson did not have any setback, coach Jonathan Gannon said, and he was moving pretty well off to the side during the open portion of practice Friday. He still hasn't gone through a practice, and it should be noted the Cardinals are likely not to be on the field during their bye week for any significant work.

-- The last word goes to Kyler Murray, asked what the latest success by the Cardinals – three wins in a row – has meant for the team.

"I don't think anybody in the locker room is really surprised by it. That's where I think it differs from everybody outside of here. I could have told y'all. I felt like our record would be better than this right now. I can say that."

See you Sunday.