Marvin Harrison Jr had an emotional moment to himself after finally ending his nightmare start to the NFL season with a brilliant catch for a touchdown on Thursday Night Football.
The wide receiver – and son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison – has endured a difficult start to the year, dropping a series of wide-open catches through the first three games.
In the first half against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, he dropped a pass which led to an interception – but in the second half, he more than made up for it with a brilliant catch over the head of an opponent.
With 4:40 left in the fourth quarter, and Arizona in desperate need of a big play, Harrison Jr caught the ball over the head of cornerback Devon Witherspoon, hauling it in for a touchdown.
Rather than celebrating with his teammates, the relief was clear and Harrison Jr instead took a knee and a moment to let the emotion wash over him.
After a series of below-par plays to begin the season, it was clear that Harrison Jr was desperately glad to have a big play to kick-start his season.
Marvin Harrison Jr takes an emotional moment to himself after scoring a brilliant touchdown
Harrison Jr hauled in the pass over the head of cornerback Devon Witherspoon on Thursday
At halftime, Amazon Prime announcer Kirk Herbstreit had said of the former Ohio State star: ‘I think you see a guy who’s uberly talented just not playing with confidence.
‘It’s like his mind is paralyzing his ability to be the receiver he can be.’
On Sunday, the 23-year-old dropped a wide-open catch against the San Francisco 49ers, and looked in disbelief before his team went on to lose 16-15.
Harrison Jr had been open about his struggles through the first three weeks of the season
Earlier in the game, Harrison Jr dropped a pass which led to an interception by Ernest Jones IV
Speaking after the game, he told reporters in the locker room: ‘It’s a lot of emotion. Just disappointed, really. I know what I put into the game, so it doesn’t feel the best.
‘Everybody’s got a job to do. I’m not doing my job at a high enough level at the moment. I know what I’m capable of. To go out there and not play [anywhere] near the best of my abilities, it’s frustrating, it hurts the team. And I gotta get better.’
Unfortunately for Harrison Jr and his Cardinals teammates, Thursday night’s game ended in defeat after the Seahawks scored a field goal as time expired to win 23-20.
The loss leaves Arizona 2-2 for the season while Seattle moves on 3-1, but the home team can take solace in the face their WR1 may now be finding some much-needed form.
