Considering he's basically only been WR1 for three games, the sample size seems small. But it doesn't seem like there is anything left to prove for Michael Wilson, at least when the team needs to turn to him.
Wilson, with Marvin Harrison Jr. (and Greg Dortch, and Zay Jones) out of the lineup, was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal afternoon Sunday for the Cardinals. He made a 19-yard touchdown catch on the game's opening drive – the first opening drive touchdown the Cardinals had since Week 5, when Kyler Murray was still in the lineup – and rolled his way to 11 receptions, 142 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson only had one touchdown coming into the game.
Wilson was unavailable to speak after the game, but quarterback Jacoby Brissett had plenty he wanted to say about the third-year wideout.
"He's the best," Brissett said. "He's who you want on your team. You want to line up with a guy like that. Through the hard times, you know you can count on somebody like that to get you to come to work tomorrow.
"He does everything right."
Wilson is building on his career-best season even with limited targets when Harrison is healthy. He has 61 receptions for 712 yards, and getting 288 yards over the final four games – for an improbable first 1,000-yard season, given how the year started – is within reach.
"He gets open and catches the ball," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "There are a ton of guys in there, you are down in a game like that, it's not going your way, and you just keep fighting. We've got to help him out more."
-- The Rams are playing high-level offensive football right now. That can't be denied. But defensive lineman Dante Stills admitted that giving up 500 yards, and nearly 250 on the ground, felt personal. There are some defensive injuries, but this unit should be and is better than that. (Which many noted postgame.)
-- Chad Ryland had a chance on the final play of the first half to break the record for longest field-goal in franchise history, but his 63-yard attempt was just wide right. He did make a 63-yard try moments before, but it came after the Rams called timeout (Ryland knew the timeout was called when he kicked it.)
The Cardinals got there on an interesting playcall with 4 seconds left and one timeout. The offense spread out five receivers and then Brissett plunged forward for five yards in three seconds to set it up.
-- Time for a Calais Campbell palate cleanser from pregame with his son:
-- Paris Johnson Jr. was walking around on the sideline after hurting his knee. Not sure if he got taken out for precautionary reasons, although Gannon didn't say as much afterward. Johnson has been a constant on the field and in the locker room. It would be a blow if he has to sit, but another one of many.
-- Trey McBride got his fifth catch to keep his streak alive, although the Cardinals needed to run a screen play in the fourth quarter to make it happen. That said, McBride was open a bunch Sunday but pressure on Brissett often prevented a connection. McBride also was open for a touchdown late, but Brissett, throwing against his body on the run, couldn't make the completion. McBride, who had exactly five receptions, now can break Travis Kelce's streak with a 16th straight game in Houston against an excellent Texans defense.
-- When the game ended the first person Gannon went to talk to, with a hug, was former Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries, who played in a reserve role for the Rams on Sunday.
-- Watching Puka Nacua it's crazy he was a fifth-round pick.
-- Rookie safety Kitan Crawford got his first career start on defense, and inside linebacker Owen Pappoe played his first defensive snaps of the season.
-- The last word goes to Pappoe:
"It's just really disappointing to see, man, because we know how talented we are. We know how much work we put in, but just to not see the results on every Sunday, it's heartbreaking. I know the guys in this locker room, nobody's folding. Nobody is throwing the towel in. Nobody's gonna quit. Guys are still gonna go out there every Sunday and fight."
That's all for tonight.
