As the clock wound down and the Cardinals were headed to defeat, Trey McBride found his way via an out and up in the end zone to earn a target from quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
McBride ultimately got mad at himself. He wasn't sure he had caught a touchdown and was upset he even bobbled the ball in the first place, turning the amazing effort into a toe-tapping six points and admitting "it didn't feel like a great catch in real time."
It was, and although it didn't mean anything to the outcome, it underscored what the Cardinals have to do through the air, even after the trade of Marvin Harrison Jr.
They need production from McBride. They need production from Michael Wilson. Same as it ever was.
"One thing about me, I'm going to play to the end, I'm going to play until the game is over, and I'm going to do that every single week," McBride said.
Cardinals players were told Saturday morning that Harrison was being traded, early enough that not only did they know before the NFL newsbreakers dropped it all over social media, but also early enough to allow players like Jalen Brooks – the guy taking a chunk of Harrison's workload – a sense of what he'd be doing on Sunday.
"It happened early enough so it was like, 'OK, there will be some things coming my way,'" said Brooks, who was targeted seven times (with two catches) and twice Brissett threw deep to in the first quarter. "They've got total faith in me."
The Cardinals will need guys like Brooks. Both McBride and Wilson saw constant double-teams or heavy bracketing much of Sunday. The last two opponents also are daring the Cardinals to beat man coverage; after the Giants used man 56 percent of the time in Week 4, the Lions used man 51 percent of the time last weekend.
That should be a recipe for success for Kendrick Bourne and Brooks, who both figure to see more targets without Harrison.
"You dream of man coverage. You can't wait for man coverage," coach Mike LaFleur said. "It's me versus you, I don't care who you are or what the name is on the back of your jersey, I am going to beat you.
"I know we have guys that have that mindset. Now we have to go do it."
Brissett echoed that idea, saying "it's want-to."
There is no question McBride and Wilson want to, and now they and the Cardinals have to find out how. Through five games, McBride has 42 receptions on 56 targets for 308 yards, while Wilson has 29 catches on 51 targets for 288 yards. Both players are under six yards per target, numbers they and the Cardinals need to grow.
The doubling doesn't help. "Last week was crazy, something I haven't seen in a while in this league," Brissett said. "As frustrated as Trey and Mike were, it was the ultimate sign of respect."
Wilson called it "not fun," but like McBride, he is expecting to see it more often.
"I've got to get open," McBride said. "I've got to give Jacoby a reason to throw me the ball. … I expect them to double me. Kind of makes it a little more challenging."
Not surprisingly, LaFleur said there won't be an "overhaul" of the offense without Harrison. But the Cardinals will need to get Wilson and McBride loose from whatever double-team an opponent may throw at them.
"I still feel I want Jacoby to throw me the ball," McBride said. "Sometimes, he has to tell me, 'Hey, there are two guys on you. I'm not going to do that.'
"The ball is going to find me."
NO CHANGE IN BECK STATUS THIS WEEK
LaFleur said Monday there would be discussion about whether third QB Carson Beck might be active on Sunday, the only way to give him a path to play later in a game if the coaches so chose. On Wednesday, LaFleur said Beck's role as emergency third QB -- meaning he can only play if Brissett and Gardner Minshew were to get hurt -- won't change.
