Ten years in, Jacoby Brissett is playing.
The quarterback isn't winning enough, and he acknowledges that bothers him. But a couple of weeks ago he admitted that if you would have told him in 2023 he would've found his way back to being a starter, he wouldn't have believed it. And this week, he was asked how many times he doubted he'd get a chance to play.
"(Expletive), let me count," Brissett said. "I'm still thinking about it sometimes to this day."
Because the news Kyler Murray was being shut down for the season didn't come until a week ago, the questions for Brissett postgame against the Rams weren't about his spot. So this week he talked about this chance, in what will turn into a 12-game starting stretch – and being part of the QB conversation for 2026.
"It kind of eases it a little bit as far as, 'Hey, you're finishing this out for us,'" Brissett said, adding "it's a little bit more settling to have that clarity."
Brissett, who turned 33 on Thursday, is averaging more than 300 passing yards per start, his 2,459 yards more than anyone in franchise history through his first eight starts. He's had brief starting streaks, for the Colts after Andrew Luck but before Philip Rivers (the first time), with the Browns when Deshaun Watson got in trouble, with the Patriots until Drake Maye was deemed ready.
(It's interesting that Brissett lost out on the QB competition at the University of Florida, leading to his transfer to North Carolina State in college. The QB that beat him out at Florida? Jeff Driskel – now the Cardinals' third-string practice-squad QB.)
He's had enough support over time to not completely lose hope, and "then you have to get to that point where you're delusional enough to think that you're going to get your chance, however long that takes and you just stick to it."
As for what the thinks could be his role for the Cardinals in 2026, "I have had zero thoughts about that."
When might he think about it?
"I guess in the offseason, right?" Brissett said. "That's when I have to worry about it."
In the meantime, he has four more starts in 2025.
-- The Cardinals will try to break their five-game losing streak in Houston Sunday against the top-ranked defense in the league. They will do it with a makeshift offensive line that will again feature Jon Gaines at guard and rookie Josh Fryar at left tackle, with Evan Brown and Paris Johnson Jr. out. Not ideal against a defense with edge rushers the caliber of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. If there is a way to find some room for the running game, this is the ideal time.
-- Coach Jonathan Gannon said Friday he expects Marvin Harrison Jr., who will miss a second straight game with a heel injury, to return this season. But someone figures to end up on Injured Reserve on Saturday; the Cardinals currently have ruled out eight players for the game and since only seven can be named inactive on Sunday, it makes sense one gets permanently sidelined for a healthy body.
-- With Harrison out, it is Michael Wilson as WR1 again. That's proven pretty good so far, although the Texans have a great secondary. A Wilson quirk: he has trouble sleeping after games. (That's regardless of his workload.) He might get three hours on Sunday night, not ideal when going into the next week prepping for a game. So on Monday night, he said his wife Sophia has been kind enough to allow him to get to bed by 7:45 p.m. – they have a baby at home – and he shuts out the world until he gets up at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
"It gets me rejuvenated," Wilson said. (And makes sure he's not a zombie come Friday.)
-- One guy who will play but is banged up is safety Budda Baker, whose first big defensive game in his career came as a rookie in Houston in 2017. Baker has a thumb injury and is wearing some kind of cast or wrap on it – and he admitted it could be tough if a ball is in range of an interception.
"I'm going to try my best," Baker said with a smile. "The first INT of my career I did have a cast on, it was one of these catches." Baker showed himself making a body catch. If he has to reach up and just use his hands, he said, "we'll see."
-- The Cardinals will face Christian Kirk, once Kyler Murray's top deep threat, for the first time since Kirk left as a free agent after the 2021 season. Kirk had a fantastic first season in Jacksonville but injuries have undercut his career. This year he has 22 catches for 209 yards as the Texans' slot receiver.
-- Baker plays golf with Kirk in the offseason. But come Sunday, there won't be any trash talk.
"Christian, he's so freaking nice on the field, I don't like talking to guys who are nice," Baker said. "If someone says something nice, I'm just quiet. I know we might say hello during the game, but other than that, he's the enemy."
-- Trey McBride has a chance to own by himself a second NFL record for tight ends on Sunday. Already owning the mark for most receptions in his first four seasons, McBride needs five catches (or more) in Houston to reach that level for a 16th straight game, which would break his current tie with the Chiefs' Travis Kelce.
-- McBride needs seven catches to reach 100 for a second straight season, and 63 yards to reach 1,000 for a second straight season.
-- For the time being, the Cardinals and Texans will forever be linked thanks to that initial draft day trade Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort made in his first draft with the team in 2023. The Texans had the No. 2 pick, the Cardinals the No. 3 pick. The Cardinals traded back – first to 12 with the Texans, then back up to 6 in a trade with the Lions – and took left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. The Texans, now picking third, took pass rusher Will Anderson.
The Cardinals also got a second-round pick, and then 2024 first- and third-round picks. The Cardinals traded that second-round pick to the Titans to move down to get another second-round pick (OLB BJ Ojulari) and a third-round pick (CB Garrett Williams), as well as a 2024 third-round pick.
In 2024, that extra first-round pick turned into defensive lineman Darius Robinson, and the Houston third-round pick into cornerback Elijah Jones. The third-round pick from the Titans became guard Isaiah Adams.
-- I know sometimes fans get frustrated feeling like they care more than players and coaches when things go wrong. But then you talk to a guy like Hjalte Froholdt and you understand how much this means to them.
-- The final two games of the season, Weeks 17 and 18, were officially on the schedule as Saturday or Sunday. Week 17, not surprisingly, has been finalized as a Sunday game for the Cardinals, Dec. 28, for an 11 a.m. kickoff Arizona time. The Week 18 game in Los Angeles against the Rams is likely to be a Sunday game too.
-- If you have a couple of minutes, The Athletic posted this excellent video of Bruce Arians reading memories of people in his career and then reaction. There are multiple anecdotes from his time in Arizona, including from ex-Cardinals A.Q. Shipley and Drew Stanton. Definitely entertaining.
-- The last word goes to defensive lineman Calais Campbell, on the responsibility of the Cardinals defense in a game going against the Texans' top-ranked defense.
"You always want to play good ball whether the offense is scoring a lot of points or not, but there is a level of, 'OK, we know their defense is legit and the real deal, so for us to be in this ballgame we need to play better defense, be just as good as their defense.' That is something you pay attention to."
See you Sunday.
