Arizona

5 Questions Cardinals Must Answer vs Bills

Published

2 years ago

September 8, 2024

5 Questions Cardinals Must Answer vs Bills

ARIZONA – – We are hours away from Arizona Cardinals football… let that sink in for a second.

It’s been a long offseason and fans are excited to see the progress of this team from year one to year two under Gannon. The Cardinals added several solid-to-great players through the draft and free agency and the roster looks to be more competitive this year… well, besides the defense.

Regardless, fans are only hoping this team is fun to watch this season and they have quite the challenge ahead of them as they travel to take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Despite it being a game that heavily favors the Bills, we still have a few questions we’d like to get answered even in week one of the new year.

Here are five burning questions we hope to see answered:

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
/ Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

We all know how real the hype is for the fourth overall pick. The generational prospect has been compared to former All-Pro A.J. Green, making the expectations through the roof. However, he has that “generational” tag for a reason, and he should be able to show off why early in his career.

The question is how early.

The Bills secondary is… well, unproven I suppose. Technically, MHJ is also unproven, but this is a mismatch with the edge going to Harrison. Buffalo will need to double and bracket cover him all day to limit the big play ability… but will it be enough?

I’ve already said that Harrison is gonna go bonkers in this game. Here’s hoping he adjusts to, and dominates the NFL from day one.

Speaking of Cardinals wide receivers…

Oct 1, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) catches a pass in front of San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaiah Oliver (26) in the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The second-year man from Stanford showed some serious upside as a rookie, posting 565 yards on 38 catches plus three touchdowns in 13 games. He also managed this with three different quarterbacks.

Wilson looked like the Cards’ best receiver at times last season, but he’ll be relegated to WR2 after MHJ. But this could be a very good thing for Arizona.

With Harrison commanding the attention of the defense, Wilson will get lots of one-on-one looks. With his size and playmaking ability, he could be huge this year. Think 2015 Michael Floyd.

How soon will Floyd establish himself as WR2? This Sunday is a GREAT opportunity against a rebuilding secondary with MHJ commanding the attention of it anyways.

Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (70) during pregame warmups before playing the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 26, 2023. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bills recorded 54 sacks last season with five players posting five-or-more sacks individually. The team returns Ed Oliver, who is establishing himself as a top-10 defensive tackle who has gotten better each year in the league.

Although the leading sack artist, Leonard Floyd is gone, all the other key contributors are back and Buffalo loves to blitz.

With a mostly returning offensive line plus the addition of Jonah Williams at right tackle, are the Cardinals up to the task of slowing down this pass rush?

It;s a great test for a group that hopes to improve off last season last year, but talk about a difficult test out the gate.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) during player introductions before facing the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 26, 2023. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

How many sacks will the Cardinals grab in 2024? The team nailed 33 last season, which isn;t horrible, however the Cards have no true standout pass rusher and BJ Ojulari, who was projected to be the top guy, is out for the season. First round pick Darius Robinson is also out to start the year.

The group takes on the Bills, who host a more than quality group including three-time Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins. Along with Josh Allen at quarterback, who’s one of the hardest guys to sack in all of football, Arizona’s pass rush is outmatched to put it lightly.

The good news is Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis won’t be afraid to get creative and dial up unique blitz packages, but will they be enough? Heck, will they even work?

Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams (21) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona’s cornerbacks are basically brand new compared to last season. Veteran Sean Murphy-Bunting was signed this offseason to be the number one guy. He is quality. Across from him is Starling Thomas V with Garrett Williams set to play inside at nickel. Rookie Max Melton will likely see significant time this year, as well.

With starting safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson returning, the team at least has great guys on the back end.

The Bills are rolling out Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Mack Hollins as their starting wide receivers with none of them likely to break out now that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone. That leaves potential for the Cardinals to match up with that group and have a good game.

It won’t be easy with Allen tossing the ball around and making throws other QBs can’t, but sticky coverage from the corners will go a long ways in building the confidence of the fans and most importantly for the team.

The expectations are low for the secondary, but if they come out and have a good game it may give them the motivation they need to exceed expectations this seasonn.

Make sure to bookmark Cardinals On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

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Arizona

Arizona law closes loophole for registered sex offenders

Published

5 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Arizona law closes loophole for registered sex offenders

A new law is in effect in Arizona, tightening name-change rules for sex offenders. Those trying to change their name must now disclose their status, in a move to keep victims better informed and to keep the community safer. FOX 10’s Megan Spector learns more about the law closing the loophole.

Posted April 8, 2026 9:10pm MST

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Arizona

Arizona teen who vanished in 1994 resurfaces decades later as mom of 3 who works for private investigator

Published

17 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Arizona teen who vanished in 1994 resurfaces decades later as mom of 3 who works for private investigator

A runaway Arizona schoolgirl last seen 32 years ago is reportedly living as a married mom of three who works for a private investigator.

Christina Plante was 13 when she disappeared from her parents’ house in Star Valley, northeast of Phoenix, one Sunday afternoon in May 1994.

Now 45, the former missing teen was discovered living in Springfield, Missouri, in a five-bedroom house she shares with her husband, Shaun Hollon, 49, the Daily Mail reported.

Since her identity was revealed, Plante has given very few details about the past three decades.

She reportedly married as a teen and had three sons before earning a psychology degree and getting a job with a private investigations firm.

“She isn’t being very cooperative with us. She wouldn’t say who she met with or how she even got out of town,” Gila County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Lahti told the Daily Mail.

“She did admit that she ran away. She didn’t want to be there,” he added.

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Arizona

Mixed Arizona reaction to Trump’s chilling post before ceasefire deal

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Mixed Arizona reaction to Trump’s chilling post before ceasefire deal

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A ceasefire announced Tuesday will suspend the war in Iran for two weeks and Iranian officials said they will negotiate with the United States starting Friday.

President Donald Trump agreed to a deal hours after he posted “a whole civilization will die tonight” on social media.

Before news broke about the cease-fire, Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona introduced articles of impeachment Monday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Ansari, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, is also part of a growing list of Democrats calling for Trump to be impeached.

“Iran is a country of 90 million people. Threatening them with annihilation is a monstrous war crime and puts them and American service members and Americans at grave risk,” Ansari said in a video posted Monday on social media. “As a chief enabler of this illegal war, Pete Hegseth is responsible for directing this insane military action against Iran, which has already killed thousands of civilians, led to the unnecessary deaths of American service members, and displaced over a million people in the region.”

Not everyone with strong ties to Iran agrees with her.

“I don’t see why they should be impeached,” said Amirdanial Azimi. He is the president of the Iranian Students Association at Arizona State University (ASU). He grew up in Iran and has family and friends there right now.

“Speaking to my friends and relatives, I’ve realized that they’re more scared of their own government than they are like external forces like the United States and Israel,” Azimi said.

Azimi predicted Trump would not follow through with his threat to destroy Iran.

“I do take offense, like Iranians do take offense, like they don’t want their civilizations to be wiped off,” Azimi said. “This is the fault of the Iranian regime, their government, because they’ve been chanting death to Israel, death to America for the past years.”

Hessam Rahimian is a refugee turned American citizen. He said he escaped Iran decades ago, where his uncle was murdered and his cousins remain in jail. He said schoolchildren are taught to chant “death to America” every day.

He said he has hundreds of family members and friends still in Iran. In Arizona, Rahimian organizes rallies in support of the war to raise awareness about the reality of life in Iran and the thousands of protesters killed by the Iranian government.

Before the attack was called off, Rahimian said it was challenging to process Trump’s threat to wipe out his home country.

“So he did say that, but he has also said, in the same token today, that the Iranian people are good people, and he will do his best to make sure that they’re safe. So which one you go with, again, I go back to his actions in the past year, it has been against the Islamic regime and not the Iranian people,” Rahimian said. “Would I like for him not to use that language? Of course, absolutely. But we also know that the war talk takes place and they say things to create fear.”

Daniel Rothenberg is a politics and global studies professor at ASU. He said the biggest question is why the U.S. is at war in the first place.

“This is, above all, a war of choice. The U.S. was not attacked. There was no imminent threat from Iran,” Rothenberg said.

Rothenberg said Trump has not clearly explained the point of the war that is costing billions of dollars a day and countless human lives or what a victory would look like.

“Wars tend to end through negotiations, not through military victory,” Rothenberg said. “I mean, what does it mean to wipe out a civilization? And frankly, why would you even make that sort of threat? What’s the purpose?”

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