The Arizona Cardinals will head into Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants at State Farm Stadium with one player ruled out and one key defender still on the fence.
Safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson will not play because of the back injury that kept him out of practice all week. Arizona still hasn’t gotten the third-year safety on the field in a game after he was injured during preseason action.
Josh Sweat is the notable question mark. The edge rusher is listed as questionable with a groin issue that surfaced this week, though his season has already started slowly.
He has yet to record a sack and has been largely quiet through Arizona’s 1-2 start. The Cardinals were already managing his knee during training camp, and he missed every football activity from offseason workouts through the preseason.
By contrast, New York is heading into Sunday clean. Every one of the eight Giants who showed up on Friday’s injury report has been removed, leaving them with no questionable players or outs for the game.
Arizona’s pass rush has been a talking point this week, and Mike LaFleur addressed the issue with reporters.
“Like I just kind of said to Walt, but I'd say to all the other guys, 'Hey, just keep going.' It was one game where we didn't get to them.
I thought that in the first game, we rushed the passer pretty well. Unfortunately, versus Seattle we never had the lead.
It's tougher to get to the quarterback in some of those," Mike LaFleur told reporters this week.
"It wasn't like they were scatting all five guys out and they were just in five-man protection. They were loading it up, I'm talking (about) Seattle, (with) keepers, play pass and all that where they're in more max protection (and it was) a little harder to get there.
We didn't do our job on offense to allow them to pin their ears back and go. Last week, again we kind of buried ourselves a little bit.
"I thought there were opportunities (with) the way that San Francisco does their offense that we need to affect them a little bit more. We didn't, so here we are going into Week 4.
(We'll) put together the best plan. Let's go practice, let's go detail it up, and then let's get after it on Sunday.”
Both teams also have the option to elevate two players from the practice squad for the weekend. The NFL will release the official inactive list 90 minutes before kickoff on Sunday, which means it will come out at 8:30 AM PST for the 10:00 AM PST start.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Sent A Clear Message On Marvin Harrison Jr
The early chatter around Marvin Harrison Jr. has not changed Arizonas thinking, at least for now. Despite a slow start to the 2026 season and some trade speculation beginning to swirl, the Cardinals reportedly are not interested in moving the young receiver and continue to view him as part of the roster they want to build around.
ESPNs Dan Graziano reported that Arizona has already made other offensive investments, which helps explain why Harrison is not being treated like a player on the block. The stance could evolve later, but the current plan is for Harrison to stay in Arizona, giving the Cardinals a chance to let the situation settle before anything more dramatic enters the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Quarterback Plan Leaves One Big Cardinals Question Unanswered
The Giants are heading into their matchup with the Cardinals with a clear answer at one of the most important spots on the field, as veteran Jameis Winston is set to start while the offense continues to bring J.J. McCarthy along. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said McCarthy still needs more time to learn the system before he can be trusted in a meaningful game, leaving New York to lean on a familiar hand as it prepares for Arizona.
For the Cardinals, the bigger issue may be how much uncertainty still hangs over the Giants quarterback room beyond Winston. McCarthys status for the game remains unclear, and Jake Haener is expected to serve as the primary backup, which leaves Arizona waiting to see exactly what kind of depth chart it will be dealing with by kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Have A Fixable Problem That Could Derail This Trip
A promising opening win gave way to a far bumpier stretch for the Cardinals, and the common thread has been hard to miss. Offensive problems and too many penalties have started to define the early portion of the season, with the line at the center of the discussion as Arizona tries to settle into a rhythm on offense.
Mike LaFleur and Justin Frye have plenty to sort through as the Cardinals head into the next few games, because the issues are not abstract. The teams penalty yardage has been among the leagues worst, and the blocking numbers in both the run and pass game have lagged, leaving little margin for error if Arizona wants this road trip to stay on track. [Read more 🡒]