DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray led the way, but the Cardinals received some nice contributions across the board in Sunday's upset over the 49ers.
Defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, who was signed in the week leading up to the opener after being waived by the Texans, finished with the top Pro Football Focus grade on the team at 85.0 in his 23 snaps.
Blackson had the first sack of the season for the Cardinals and also graded well against the run.
Other Pro Football Focus observations from the opener:
- Unsurprisingly, Hopkins finished with the best offensive grade on the team at 82.4, as he finished with 14 catches for 151 yards.
- Budda Baker didn't have a true splash play, but he was outstanding. The Pro Bowl safety earned a 78.8 overall grade, including 82.1 against the run as he was regularly cutting down running backs in the open field.
- Kenyan Drake finished with the second-best grade on offense, and while his rushing numbers weren't eye-popping (16 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown), PFF gave him an 82.3 rushing grade, which was second-best in the NFL through Sunday's action.
- Kyler Murray had the third-best offensive grade on the Cardinals, spurred by a rushing grade of 81.7, which was third-best in the league behind David Johnson and Drake.
- Lamont Gaillard filled in at center after Mason Cole went down and he did a nice job, earning a pass-block grade of 83.2
- Guard Justin Pugh was great in pass protection, getting an elite 90.1 grade in that department.
- Isaiah Simmons' NFL debut was one to forget, as he was given a 27.1 grade, which was the lowest on the team. Simmons did fine against the run but PFF said he allowed three completions on his three targets for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
- Cornerback Byron Murphy translated his impressive training camp onto the field against the 49ers, earning a 72.4 grade in coverage. Murphy allowed two completions on five targets for 27 yards, and had the two critical pass breakups to seal the win.
