Marvin Harrison Jr. drop: Cardinals WR's mistake vs. Seahawks becomes interception before bounce-back touchdown

Daniel Mader

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Marvin Harrison Jr. drop: Cardinals WR's mistake vs. Seahawks becomes interception before bounce-back touchdown image

Marvin Harrison Jr. has been good for the Arizona Cardinals in his young career thus far — but he was drafted with the No. 4 overall pick in 2024 to be great.

The 2024 first-round pick, who was selected ideally as a new No. 1 wide receiver for Kyler Murray, put up a so-so rookie season with 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. At times, Harrison looked like the former Ohio State star he is, but at others, there were clear mental mistakes and a clear disconnect with Murray.

Harrison's 2025 season hasn't been treating him much kinder so far despite some offseason optimism. On Thursday against the Seahawks, he had a blunder that directly led to a turnover for the Cardinals in what was eventually a 23-20 loss; after getting a pass from Murray, Harrison bobbled the ball right to Seattle defender Ernest Jones IV for an interception.

Later in the game, the wide receiver did bounce back, taking a moment to soak it all in after scoring a 16-yard touchdown.

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Here's a look at Harrison's drop-turned-interception on "Thursday Night Football," and following touchdown, his numbers in Week 4 and why the former Buckeyes star has struggled in 2025.

MORE: Who were the wide receivers drafted after Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024?

Marvin Harrison Jr. drop turns into INT vs. Seahawks

With the Cardinals trailing 7-3 in the second quarter of Thursday's matchup to open Week 4, Murray hit Harrison in-stride with the potential to pick up a first down on 3rd & 11 if the wide receiver could muscle through a few defenders.

Not only did Harrison not even secure the pass, but after it hit his hands, he completely let go of the ball by tipping it in front of him.

It fell directly into Ernest Jones IV's hands, and the Seahawks took over on Murray's second interception.

Later in the night, Harrison bounced back in a big way, scoring a 16-yard touchdown on a nice pass from Murray.

MORE: Ranking the best Ohio State wide receivers in the NFL

Marvin Harrison Jr. stats vs. Seahawks

  • Receptions: 6
  • Yards: 66
  • AVG: 11.0
  • TDs: 1

Considering how his night started, with the mistake that led to an interception, Harrison did turn in a good performance on "Thursday Night Football." He was a key part of Arizona's late-game comeback attempt, scoring the touchdown that made it a one-score game while hauling in a few more passes from Murray.

However, through four games of the 2025 season, Harrison has yet to post a 100-yard game. He had just two in his rookie season. There were high points to build off of for Harrison in Week 4, but he'll have to continue emerging for the Cardinals if he's going to live up to his high draft slot.

Marvin Harrison Jr. 2025 drops

Thursday's mistake was not the first for Harrison this season, even through just three games. The Cardinals receiver had two drops entering Week 4 after dropping five passes across 16 starts in 2024.

In Week 3, Harrison was as wide-open as an NFL receiver can get against the San Francisco 49ers, but he let the ball fall right through his arms for a bad drop.

Entering Week 4, Harrison had totaled 142 yards over 10 receptions with one touchdown. He hasn't been posting terrible numbers, but between his status as the son of NFL legend Marvin Harrison and his former dominance at Ohio State, he was expected to become an elite weapon in the pros.

His touchdown catch later vs. Seattle was more on-par with the receiver's ceiling, offering some hope moving forward.

What's wrong with Marvin Harrison Jr.?

It'd be unfair to expect Harrison's drops issue to continue, at least at the rate that they have through four weeks of the 2025 season. But there have been problems for Harrison beyond the drops. Plenty of times between 2024 and 2025, he and Murray have not been on the same page on passing plays, including on "Thursday Night Football" this week.

Harrison came into Week 4 averaging just 7.7 yards per target in his NFL career so far. He's struggled to become the big-play weapon he was with the Buckeyes, when he was regularly dominating college defenses.

He did bounce back well in Week 4 after the drop though, scoring a 16-yard touchdown that made it a one-score game again.

Additionally, Harrison owning 1,027 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches over 20 career games are by no means bad numbers. It's the high expectations for Harrison that he's struggling to meet — of course, he's also just 23 years old. He should have plenty of time to work through any issues and find another level of production. 

After Week 3, Harrison spoke about his wide-open drop and acknowledged his need to improve, visibly disappointed in himself.

"A lot of emotion. Just disappointed really. I know what I put into the game, so doesn't feel the best," Harrison Jr. told reporters. "Everybody got a job to do. I'm not doing my job at a high enough level at the moment. ... I think I know what I'm capable of, to go out there and play nowhere near the best of my abilities, it's frustrating, it hurts the team. I've got to get better."

Daniel Mader

Daniel Mader is a Content Producer for The Sporting News. He joined SN in 2024 as an editorial intern following graduation from Penn State University. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, the Centre Daily Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Collegian and LancasterOnline. Daniel grew up in Lancaster, Penn., with a love for baseball that’ll never fade, but could also talk basketball or football for days.