The Arizona Cardinals may be looking to play plenty of backups and role players in Sunday’s contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. One player who may miss the action is tight end Trey McBride, which could be a major blow to the Redbirds if he’s not ready to roll this weekend.
McBride’s 48 receptions, 521 yards, and 10.9 yards per catch are more of a product of his recent play, and he’s shown just how dynamic he can be on an offense that needs players with superstar potential. If McBride (groin) can’t go look for Geoff Swaim and Elijah Higgins to step up.
Receiver Marquise Brown also landed on the injury report, and like McBride, did not practice on Wednesday. While Brown has struggled with consistency this season, he remains one of the top targets for quarterback Kyler Murray, so missing him will also be a blow to the Redbirds.
Injuries to key starters are filling up for the Arizona Cardinals
Michael Wilson, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury for nearly a month, remains on the injury report. Therefore, the Cards are dealing with quite a few pass-catchers who may not suit up, but McBride would be the biggest loss given his recent surge in productivity.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, their new three-headed rushing attack looks ready to roll this weekend, so you may expect a lot of running and quick passes out of the backfield should the players mentioned above miss the Week 13 contest. Receiver Rondale Moore has also seen ample time in the backfield, and he too could help the Arizona Cardinals roll with a ball-control approach.
Despite the injuries to some key Redbirds players, this is yet another opportunity in Murray’s audition. If he can perform well in a depleted offense against a defense that excels in creating takeaways, he will move up another rung in showing the Red Sea that he can handle some adversity.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)