Arizona Cardinals MVPs: Week 1 vs. the Tennessee Titans

Chandler Jones finished with a career-high five sacks for the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans.

The Arizona Cardinals dominated the Tennessee Titans thanks to the efforts of a returning Chandler Jones, who finished with a career-high five sacks in a 38-13 win.

This was Jones’ first game back since an injury sidelined him for the majority of the 2020 season, and he did not miss a step. Jones looked unblockable in the first half, finishing with three sacks in the first quarter alone.

His next two came in the third quarter and fourth quarter, where he showed no signs of slowing down as he made his way to Ryan Tannehill for his career record. His fourth sack would be the 100th of his career, while his fifth broke Arizona’s all-time record for most sacks in a game, which was held by Hassan Reddick last season.

Outside of Jones’ performance, the rest of the defense was solid. J.J. Watt, who made his Arizona debut Sunday, pressured Tannehill for most of the game and had a few stops in the backfield.

Speaking of the backfield, the Cardinals’ defense also held the two-time NFL rushing leader, Derrick Henry, to just eight yards in the first half. He finished with 61 yards on 17 carries.

Kyler Murray was dominant for Arizona Cardinals vs. Tennessee Titans

On the offensive side, Kyler Murray looked flawless. He finished 20-of-31 for 280 passing yards and four touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown to his total.

Murray was able to spread the ball around efficiently against the Titans’ defense as well; He found DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone twice. Hopkins finished with a team-high six receptions for 83 yards.

Murray also threw two touchdown passes to Christian Kirk, who finished with five receptions for 70 yards.

A.J. Green was probably the only offensive player who Murray struggled to connect with, as he finished with two receptions for 25 yards. It was their first regular-season game together, and they did not seem to be on the same page throughout.

The Cardinals host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday at 1:05 p.m. MST.