Marvin Harrison Jr. is surely emotionally drained after Thursday's divisional face-off with the Seattle Seahawks. His struggles from Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers carried over into the first half of this game, as he made multiple head-scratching mistakes. The former top-five draft pick then redeemed himself with a superb fourth quarter to help the Arizona Cardinals overcome a 20-6 deficit. Ultimately, though, he and his team walked off their home field with a crushing 23-20 defeat. That is a full day.
And the second-year wide receiver was clearly not interested in talking about it. Harrison did not enter the locker room during the allotted media session after the game, per NFL Network's Bridget Condon. One can understand how difficult it was for the 23-year-old to face a bunch of reporters after riding an intense roller coaster in State Farm Stadium, but his decision to sit this one out will only send more attention his way.
The Cardinals (2-2) as a team are all recovering from an agonizing outcome, which saw Seattle (3-1) drill a game-winning 52-yard field goal as time expired, courtesy of a costly kickoff penalty and a big Jaxon Smith-Njigba reception. But this loss could cut particularly deep for Harrison.
Where do Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals go from here?
The former Ohio State superstar and son of Hall of Fame WR Marvin Harrison Sr., arguably contributed to two Kyler Murray interceptions in the first half. He stopped short on a route in the first quarter and then dropped a pass that turned into a pick in the second, displaying obvious frustration. With the Seahawks in control and Harrison in the midst of another rough performance, a deluge of negativity and speculation was set to flood Glendale.
The Cardinals showed life late, however, and No. 18 served as one of the team's most important defibrillators. He made several crucial grabs during Arizona's thrilling comeback, including a fantastic 16-yard touchdown that cut the lead to one possession with 5:50 remaining. Harrison went down to one knee, perfectly illustrating how much the moment meant to him. He then stepped up again on the game-tying drive, linking up with Murray for an 18-yard reception on third-and-5.
If the action had spilled into overtime like it was supposed to, and the Cardinals earned a win, the two-time unanimous All-American would have been the biggest story of the night. The headline is easy to write: “Redemption is spelled MHJ.” Instead, Arizona falls excruciatingly short and has a week and a half to sit on this loss.
Even so, Marvin Harrison Jr. must work up the strength to face both the good and the bad. Answering questions about bouncing back from a dismal first half is not fun, but it comes with the territory. Though, perhaps fans will give him some grace after what was obviously a mentally demanding day at the office.
