Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck is set to make the first start of his career in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams. Beck is taking over after Gardner Minshew picked up a season-ending elbow injury in their 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Arizona also suffered another tough season-ending injury as top wide receiver Michael Wilson suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck. But despite being without Wilson, Beck is confident that he has built enough of a rapport with the rest of his receivers during practice and knows what they are capable of.
“I've had a ton of reps with all of these guys the entire year. I think there is something to say about having that chemistry and having those banked reps. Especially that nobody knew that I was going to end up starting this week. It's kind of short notice, boom, you're in. Cool. I have a ton of confidence in all those guys. I've seen them make a ton of plays,” Beck said.
In nine games this season, Wilson had 51 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns. But with both him and Kendrick Bourne now on injured reserve, Reggie Virgil and Devin Duvernay are likely to be the Cardinals' starting wide receivers against the Rams. Duvernay has four catches for 22 yards on the season, while Virgil has three receptions for 54 yards. Neither has caught a touchdown.
That puts enormous pressure on star tight end Trey McBride to help his rookie quarterback out against the Rams. McBride is in the midst of another outstanding season for the Cardinals. He leads the team in all three major receiving categories with 73 catches for 598 yards and five touchdowns.