The Arizona Cardinals opened the season at 1-0 with a 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and the way they’re carrying themselves is every bit as deliberate as the way they’re playing. This isn’t a team trying to act cool after big moments. The celebration is part of the plan.
Trey McBride is right in the middle of it. The Cardinals tight end doesn’t just make plays - he makes sure everyone feels them.
"I could catch the ball for probably minus two yards and I'm gonna act like I just caught a freaking 100-yard pass. Every time I get the ball I'm excited. I'm happy and I just feel like that juice is contagious," said Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.
"It wears off on my other teammates and when I catch the ball, I feel like everyone's gonna know when I caught the ball because I'm gonna be screaming, yelling, whatever it may be. But it's fun to catch the ball. It's exciting, and I just like to be an infectious energy for the team."
Jacoby Brissett sees it every time McBride gets involved, and he’s perfectly fine with the noise that comes with it.
"Yes, I see him," Brissett said of McBride celebrating. "He's half paying attention to me and half not, so I'll probably have to repeat it to him again. I'll take that over not hearing him because I know that's not a good sign."
McBride isn’t the only one bringing that kind of spark. Kendrick Bourne has built a reputation for his own lively style, and SoFi Stadium got a full dose of it on Sunday. Bourne finished with eight catches on eight targets, and five of those receptions moved the chains.
Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t bother separating the two when asked which player brings more energy.
"Oof, they're both [lively] every time, so I'd say a tie," Marvin Harrison Jr. said when asked who was more lively between McBride and Bourne.
He also explained how that attitude spreads across the offense.
"I think it just brings the whole team together. We kind of feed off each other's energy.
Trey's going to celebrate whether he makes a two-yard catch or an 80-yard catch so we kind of just feed off his energy. Me and Michael [Wilson] kind of get in there.
You see KB, he's gonna get up and do this thing. So we all just feed off each other, it just makes the game more fun."
That word keeps coming up: fun. McBride said the coaching staff has encouraged that side of the game, with Mike LaFleur and especially Nathaniel Hackett pushing the idea that good plays should be met with real emotion.
"I feel like Mike [LaFleur] does a really good job, and [Nathaniel] Hackett especially is like when we do something good, let's celebrate it. If we score a touchdown, let's all get excited for each other. It's hard to score in this league, it's hard to make big plays, and it's like when you do that, let's be excited for each other," he said.
"And I think Hackett has done a really good job of emphasizing, like, man, let's go celebrate this. And and in practice, if we don't celebrate, he's calling it out.
He's like, this, we gotta get these guys excited, whatever it may be. I just think from the top down, it's been trickled down to us.
Guys are excited to play. Guys are excited to be out there with each other, and it's been a lot of fun."
McBride also believes the energy has another effect: it wears on the other side. The more Arizona keeps stacking celebrations on top of plays, the more it can tilt the game emotionally.
"I just think over and over you keep celebrating, you keep making plays over a 60 minute game, over a whole season, whatever it may be, it's gonna wear down on those guys and bring it up to the offense," said McBride.
"It's exciting to be on the offense. It's exciting to make plays, and the more plays you make, the more you should celebrate."
In Other News...
Cardinals Dealing With Another Kei'Trel Clark Issue Before Hes Needed Again
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It also is not Clarks first brush with the leagues equipment policies. He had already been fined previously for wearing an unapproved black towel in another game, a reminder that the NFL watches closely for even small uniform violations. For the Cardinals, it is a minor distraction now, but the bigger concern is whether Clark can keep the focus where they need it most when his role comes up again. [Read more 🡒]
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For Arizona, the interesting part is not just the opponent, but the margin. A game like this can swing the tone of an entire division chase in September, and the predictors view underscores that neither side is getting much breathing room. The numbers may not match every set of odds or picks, but they do reinforce what the standings often say this time of year: the NFC West may come down to the kind of head-to-head result that feels small in the moment and huge later on. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Depth Chart Says One Thing But Early Usage Says Another
The Cardinals Week 2 depth chart came out unchanged from the one they put out a week earlier, and for the most part it still matches what Arizona showed on the field in the opener. The rotation and snap distribution largely lined up with the listed order, which is often the clearest sign of how a team really views its roster once the games begin.
There were a few subtle wrinkles in the Week 1 usage, though, and those are the kinds of details worth watching as the season settles in. Hunter Long saw more snaps than Elijah Higgins, Baron Browning got the start ahead of Zaven Collins, and the special teams picture mostly held with Devin Duvernay as the main kick returner while he and Michael Wilson split punt-return work. [Read more 🡒]