If anyone isn't sure about the mental acuity of Jonah Williams, the way he rattled off details of the last time he had scored a touchdown – before the right tackle covered a fumble in the end zone Sunday against the Patriots for a key first touchdown of the game for the Cardinals in a game they had to have – was something to behold.

You see, Williams was in the sixth grade, playing fullback. Long before he starred at Alabama, long before he was a first-round pick of the Bengals and then later signing with the Cardinals as a free agent.

"I remember the hole opened up, it was '30 trap,' the center found the linebacker and I hit it behind him," Williams said. "I almost got hawked by the nose guard. It was really embarrassing. That was my last chance to run the ball.

"This one was a little more exciting. A little bigger."

Forget that Williams doesn't ever find the end zone like that anymore. Forget the fact he had such a bad night Saturday with an "illness" – bad enough that he was listed as questionable for the game Sunday morning – and still had it in him to see the ball out of the corner of his eye and chase it down.

"It was a mad dash to try and get on it," Williams said. "I didn't really realize what had happened until after when Paris (Johnson) told me I scored a touchdown."

Williams knew he was close to the back of the end zone as he covered the ball, and he was admittedly worried about it. That happens, and the Cardinals lose possession. He admitted he didn't know the result because he didn't know where his body was in relation to the end line.

"How he impacts the double positive is chase the play, so that'll forever be a teaching tape there, because if that goes out of bounds, obviously that's their ball," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "We have to do a good job of protecting the ball, first of all, but I thought that was (an) excellent play by him. Just maxing out effort there."

Wide receiver Greg Dortch fumbled the ball in the first place, but Williams picked him up and then Dortch's big 39-yard catch-and-run later in the first half picked up the offense when it looked like that final possession was going to disappointingly fizzle out.

That the Cardinals have now had two touchdowns this season on forward-fumbles into the end zone – tight end Trey McBride covered a James Conner fumble earlier this season – is a stroke of luck. The Cardinals will take it.

-- Now, when it comes to McBride touchdowns, that’s still a thing. The Cardinals tried a shovel pass on the 1-yard line to McBride to get him his first receiving TD of the season; he was stoned by the Patriots as soon as he got the ball.

With nine more catches for 87 yards, he's going to get 1,000 yards this season and he's going to get 100 catches – he is up to 89, extending with every one his franchise record for tight ends – but he's still searching for that TD catch, although Gannon said the Cardinals are pressing to get him one.

"That's not the reason he's gonna get paid," Gannon said.

McBride continues to downplay his work – "Just try to get open for (Kyler) and he makes it happen" – but he has plenty of hype men in his locker room.

"I continue to say I think he's the best," Murray said. "He's got all the intangibles, all the traits, the athletic ability, loves the game, plays hard as hell. There's nothing that he doesn't or can't do."

-- They will get that TD. Keyshawn Johnson, by the way, got his first 92 receptions in 2001 without a score, but did eventually get into the end zone (with 106 total receptions.)

-- Linebacker Baron Browning got his first sack since being traded to the Cardinals, and rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson also got his first NFL sack.

-- The roof at State Farm Stadium was open for a fourth game already this season, which seems like a lot. Except it really hasn't been. The roof was open five times during the 2022 season, and six times in 2020 – all the better to make sure the pandemic virus wasn't trapped inside. I would guess it'll also likely be open for the season finale against the 49ers, assuming the weather is OK.

-- PHNX reported after the game that the Cardinals are engaged in extension talks with safety Budda Baker. That is something to watch as Baker puts together yet another MVP season.

-- The Cardinals had five plays of at least 20 yards – the most in a game since their win in San Francisco in Week 5.

-- The Patriots only had six third downs on offense – a crazy-low number – but the Cardinals did not give up a first down on any of them. On the other side, the Cardinals were 10 of 15 on third downs, their best percentage since before the bye.

-- The Cardinals held Patriots QB Drake Maye to 14 yards rushing on his four attempts, dropping his potential NFL record average from 9.1 down to 8.5 for the season. It wasn't a big day for running QBs; Kyler Murray did have five attempts but only 11 yards, far below his now-average of 7.2 yards a carry this season.

-- I didn't get a chance to talk to him – but here's betting kicker Chad Ryland, who had a rough rookie season in New England last season, very much enjoyed going 3-for-3 in field goals as his team came up with a big win. Punter Michael Palardy, another former Patriot, also had a nice day with his 48.5-yard average.

-- The Cardinals scored three touchdowns in the red zone (out of four chances), more than they had scored in the red zone in the previous three games combined (2 for 11).

-- The last word belongs to Murray.

"I think offensively we could be better, but (it) definitely feels good to come out with a win. Especially a win where we felt like we should come here and do what we're supposed to do."

That's all for tonight.