Michael Wilson had made one catch for a first down, and was going to be targeted again on third-and-5 when the Cardinals were called for a delay of game on their opening drive on Sunday.
On third-and-10, Jacoby Brissett's pass to Wilson on the sideline wasn't close to a completion, and Wilson shook his head.
"I'm running off the field and I'm like, 'Oh (expletive), I hope that's not what the game looks like,'" Wilson said. "Even at 18 targets, I want to see 18 catches. I get mad when I am targeted and I don't make the play. So I'm like, '(expletive), I've got to get this fixed.'"
The chance came quickly for both Wilson and Brissett. The Cardinals had put in a play Thursday to call on the next third-and-3, and Wilson visualized it over and over that if he got single coverage, he'd find a way to make the play "because I know Jacoby will give me a shot."
Wilson got his one-on-one in the slot and pushed downfield. Brissett indeed lofted the pass and Wilson got what he had been dreaming for days. He made a spectacular leaping grab for 34 yards, despite being interfered with.
By the time the day was over, Wilson had his best day ever – 15 catches on 18 targets in place of the injured Marvin Harrison Jr., for 185 yards. Brissett had his best statistical day ever, an NFL-record 47 completions in 57 attempts (and not sacked) while throwing for 452 yards.
Wilson said he didn't like his body position or that 49ers defensive back Upton Stout had his arm trapped as the deep ball came. "I just decided in my mind, 'I am going to come down with this football.' Once I came down with the ball, then I felt good. I felt juiced. I felt, this is the game I'm going to decide will go right for me."
When the season began, the Cardinals planned on having Kyler Murray's throws to Harrison highlight the passing game. But Harrison is out with appendicitis. Murray is on Injured Reserve.
So all of a sudden, Brissett to Wilson is a thing.
"We are working towards it," Brissett said. "You never really feel like you are all the way there. We threw a 'go' route in a game (incomplete), and I kind of kept him straight and I should've brought him a little to the left. Things like that. So it's getting better.
"But that's one of the most impressive games I've seen from a receiver in this league. Hoping to continue to build off that. He's one of those guys, after every play, he's coming and talking to me on the sideline. I felt his energy."
Having that connection was good; having it in a loss admittedly took away what it could have been for both players. Brissett said he was more impressed the offensive blocking didn't allow a sack in 57 pass attempts rather than his completion record.
Yet that doesn't make the rapport Brissett and Wilson have built any less important. Wilson said every one of his 15 catches on Sunday were either repped extra post-practice last week or Brissett sent him as video clips with suggestions.
The catch that put Wilson over 100 yards – the first 100-yard game of Wilson's career – was a play the two had specifically talked about. If the defensive back pressed Wilson and tried to undercut him, Brissett told Wilson, take the route high.
"In the game, boom, took it high, caught the ball," Wilson said. "We just have a natural chemistry."
Wilson has 29 catches for 364 yards from Brissett. Chemistry had been a concern when Brissett, who now has five starts, first got into the lineup when Murray went down. His reps with the starting pass catchers had been limited.
Brissett wasn't going to let that be an issue, however. The 32-year-old doesn't show a ton of emotion, but make no mistake, he loves getting a chance to play.
"This is what I dreamt of as a kid," Brissett said. "I wanted to be in this position all my life. It has come in different ways in my career, but when I do get the opportunity I make the most of it. It may seem like I'm (unemotional), but I'm a kid inside. I'm having a lot of fun. I want to win games, but I would've have given a lot of money in Year 10 to still be playing in this league."
For Wilson, only in Year 3, he has worked hard in his WR2 role, blocking when needed. But like Brissett, a chance to shine isn't lost on him. Murray and Harrison are still out. The opportunity hasn't faded yet.
"Those are games you kind of dream of," Wilson said. "But if you told me prior to this season I would've had a game like that, I probably would've said not really. It's not like I don't have the confidence in myself to put up those numbers, it was moreso am I going to get the opportunities?
"It was the perfect storm."
