Falcons’ opponent: Cardinals led by tight end Trey McBride, safety Budda Baker

The Cardinals are reeling.

They’ve lost their past six games and have handed the quarterback duties to veteran Jacoby Brissett. It appears the Kyler Murray era is over after his latest injury, a midfoot sprain.

Brissett was 27-of-40 passing for 249 yards with three touchdowns and an interception Sunday in a 40-20 flogging by the Texans. It was his ninth start in place of Murray this season.

“Yeah, man, obviously Brissett been doing it for such a long time in this league, and he’s like the ultimate pro who comes in the game and just gets it done,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said.

Brissett has posted a 1-8 record as a starter this season, but is completing 66.3% of his passes.

“He’s a really good football player,” Morris said. “I remember when he was a young player, we went down and worked him out (at North Carolina State) and he was outstanding then. Great player. He really is the ultimate backup in this league, and he’s been that for a long time.”

One of the bright spots for the Cardinals has been the play of tight end Trey McBride, who caught 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the Texans. He now has 105 catches for 1,071 yards this season.

“McBride, however, I watched him come in as a young player as well, and he has always been a guy,” Morris said. “This year it has really shown. He’s got a chance to show the world how talented and how good he is just at the game of football.”

The Falcons are very familiar with McBride’s work. In the Cardinals’ 25-23 win over the Falcons on Nov. 12, 2023, McBride caught eight passes for 131 yards.

“He loves it,” Morris said. “He plays it that way. He can block. He can be the focal point in the passing game. He does it all. He’s a really good football player. Got a lot of respect for him.”

Arizona wide receiver Michael Wilson is having a strong season. He’s caught 66 of 105 targets (62.9%) for 766 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson, who is 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, was drafted in the third round (94th overall) out of Stanford in 2023.

“The young kid, Wilson, he’s got some of those targets (that were going to Marvin Harrison Jr.),” Morris said. “He stepped up to the challenge, and just watching him go out there and be heavily targeted that way, it tells you how they feel about him and their pecking order when he’s got his opportunities.”

The catches and yards are career highs for Wilson.

“He got his opportunities, he made the most of them,” Morris said. “Obviously, I don’t know if their young man (Harrison, who has a heel injury) is coming back or not, but he’s definitely the guy that you’ve always got to look out for.”

On defense, the Cardinals are led by safety Budda Baker and outside linebacker Josh Sweat. Baker leads the team with 101 tackles, and Sweat, who was a Super Bowl star for the Eagles last season, has 11 sacks.

“Budda’s probably going to play the hardest you’ve ever seen with the consistency and the effort that he plays with all the time,” Morris said. “Serious playmaker, has been since his college days and still is.”

The Falcons can’t afford to have a letdown after their 29-28 win over the Buccaneers on Thursday.

“Everyone in the building knows that we’re here to do a job,” center Ryan Neuzil said. “We’re here to win. Everything that we can do to keep building, continue to keep building on the wins and just finish out the season strong.”

Falcons rookie outside linebacker Jalon Walker is looking forward to the matchup.

“I’m happy about the win (over the Bucs),” Walker said. “We just have to keep going and finish out the season strong.”

This will be the 34th regular-season meeting between the teams. The Cardinals lead the series 17-16. The Cardinals also won the only playoff matchup, a 30-24 victory over rookie Matt Ryan and the Falcons on Jan. 3, 2009, on their way to the Super Bowl.

The last Falcons win in Arizona was a 34-14 victory at Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 30, 2001.

Correction

The story was updated to correct that the Cardinals are in the NFC West.