It's now been two games without Marvin Harrison Jr., following the Arizona Cardinals trade with the Houston Texans. Though the Cardinals are trending in the right direction as a whole coming off their surprising 18-16 upset over the Los Angeles Rams, that doesn't apply to every individual player. Wide receiver Michael Wilson in particular is one player who appears to be struggling in Harrison's absence as teams now turn more attention to him as Arizona's clear-cut WR1.
That's become a problem for Wilson and this Cardinals offense. He may technically be their WR1, but he hasn't been producing like one as of late.
Michael Wilson is the biggest loser of Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. trade
The Cardinals couldn't keep up with the electric Detroit Lions offense in their 45-21 Week 5 loss. With the way the Lions were picking apart the Cardinals' defense, turning it into more of a two-way shootout was the only way to give themselves a chance. Wilson couldn't match the Lions' playmaking weapons, turning four receptions into just 30 yards.
Fortunately, Cardinals DC Nick Rallis was able to quickly clean things up, holding Matthew Stafford and the Rams to just 16 points the following week in what was a complete turnaround. They desperately needed that improved defense as the Cardinals were incredibly ineffective in the red zone, with all 18 points coming from kicker Chad Ryland.
Still, given how many holes there are in this defense from a roster construction standpoint, fans must temper expectations when it comes to officially turning the corner. In all likelihood, we'll see the Cardinals' defense fall in between the extremes displayed over the last two weeks against the Lions and Rams. They'll need more production from this offense in order to find a more sustainable solution to winning games going forward.
Wilson's production without Harrison in the picture has to be a concerning sign when it comes to achieving that on a consistent basis. He was equally ineffective against the Rams, with a similar stat line of four receptions for 32 yards.
Harrison wasn't producing and certainly wasn't meeting expectations associated with being the Cardinals' former No. 4 overall pick. But these past two games have proven the Cardinals, and Wilson specifically, needed him more than anyone realized.
Even though they ultimately won, Jacoby Brissett still would've benefited from having Harrison's 6-foot-3 frame as a red zone target. And Wilson would've benefited from drawing that attention away from defenses.
It's actually now Kendrick Bourne who is the one emerging in this offense, with defenses game-planning so heavily to stop Trey McBride and Wilson. He's combined for ten receptions for 117 yards over the past two contests without Harrison.
But with this defense expected to regress after a surprisingly impressive Week 6 performance, the Cardinals were better off with Harrison still on this roster. Even if he wasn't producing as much as expected, his presence alone still provided an overlooked boost for Wilson.
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