The Cardinals trail the Bengals 23–7 at halftime, and there are three storylines to keep an eye on as we enter the second half of play.
Trey McBride’s chase for NFL History
Coming into Sunday, Trey McBride sat at 109 catches on the season, only seven away from tying the single-season record in receptions by a tight end. Set by Zach Ertz in 2018, McBride has the chance to make history as soon as today. In the first half, he has two catches for 18 yards, meaning he his only five away from tying the record, and six short of breaking it.
We’ve seen McBride put up some crazy stat lines in 2025, and there is still an entire second half to play. It will be interesting to see how the only bright spot on offense responds in the second half, knowing he is very close to history.
Michael Wilson doing something he’s never done before
We’ve seen what Michael Wilson can do when he is the No. 1 wide receiver, easily eclipsing 100 yards each time. However, whenever Marvin Harrison Jr. is healthy, Wilson can’t seem to replicate that production we know he has in him.
In the first half of the game today, Wilson has found his groove. The 25-year-old has two catches for 47 yards and a long touchdown in which he tightrope walked down the sideline. With an entire second half to play, Wilson definitely has a chance to get 100 yards this afternoon. Especially when facing one of the worst pass defenses in the game.
Cardinals' pass defense getting fried.
It is safe to say that Joe Burrow had his way with the injury-plagued Arizona defense, as he completed 16-of-20 passes for 176 yards and two touchdown passes. Both TD passes went to Ja’Marr Chase, who has four catches for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
If Arizona wants any shot of making the game close, the pass defense needs to tighten up. Head coach Jonathan Gannon needs to game-plan, as well as make adjustments, for the dynamic Cincinnati offense.