Arizona (4-13) at Buffalo (12-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Bills by 6 1/2.
Series record: Bills lead 7-5.
Last meeting: Cardinals beat Bills 32-30 on Nov. 15, 2020, in Glendale, Arizona.
Cardinals offense: overall (19), rush (4), pass (26), scoring (24)
Cardinals defense: overall (25), rush (32), pass (13), scoring (31)
Bills offense: overall (4), rush (7), pass( 8), scoring (6)
Bills defense: overall (9), rush (15), pass (7), scoring (4)
Turnover differential: Cardinals minus-1; Bills plus-2.
Rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will play his first NFL game after being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in last spring's draft. The Cardinals expect the Ohio State star to be an elite playmaker right away and his performance in practices has been impressive. Teammates and coaches have raved about Harrison's maturity and the 6-foot-3 receiver has an impressive family — his dad Marvin Harrison is a Pro Football Hall of Famer after a 12-year career with the Colts.
Quarterback Josh Allen has much more on his shoulders in unveiling a new-look offense that features just one player at the receiver position, Khalil Shakir, to have caught a pass from the seventh-year starter. The rest of the WR group is rounded out by offseason additions such as Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Keon Coleman. The group is tasked to replace the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs (traded to Houston) and Gabe Davis (free agency), who combined for 152 catches, 1,929 yards and 10 TDs last season.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray versus Bills new-look secondary. Murray provided the Cardinals offense a big spark in his return after missing the first 10 games of last season with a torn ACL. Arizona averaged scoring nearly 6 more points and gaining more than 73 yards per game with Murray under center. In his final three games to close the season, he combined to go 71 of 99 for 724 yards with six TDs and one interception. The Bills introduce a new secondary to replace the offseason losses of safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer and cornerback Tre’Davious White. Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin will start at safety, with Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas the starting cornerback tandem.
The Cardinals have already taken a few hits to their defense. Linebacker BJ Ojulari is out for the season after a knee injury in camp. Defensive lineman Darius Robinson, a rookie who was the No. 27 overall pick, will also miss at least the first four games of the season with a strained calf. ... The Bills are mostly healthy with the big exception of starting linebacker Matt Milano, who is expected to be out until at least December with a torn left bicep.
The Bills had won six of seven meetings before a stinging loss to the Cardinals in the desert in 2020. After Buffalo took the lead on Allen’s 21-yard TD pass to Diggs with 34 seconds left, Murray heaved a 43-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins, who out-jumped three Bills defenders in the end zone to seal the win with 2 seconds left. ... Buffalo has won four straight at home against the Cards, since a series-opening 28-23 loss to the then-St. Louis Cardinals in 1971.
Allen followed by Murray top the NFL list as youngest quarterbacks to reach the 15,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing milestones. The 28-year-old Allen did so at age 26 and 127 days, 12 days earlier than Murray who is tied with Cam Newton on the list. ... Arizona RB James Conner is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season. Conner also led the NFL with 11 runs of 20-plus yards in 2023. ... The Cardinals ran for 5.02 yards per carry last season, which ranked second in the league. ... Jonathan Gannon enters his second season as the team's head coach. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis also are back for their second year. ... Tight end Trey McBride returns after catching 81 passes last season, which was a franchise record for the position. ... Veteran kicker Matt Prater made nine field goals from at least 50 yards last season, which set a career high. ... The Cardinals had a 3-5 record after Murray's return from injury last season after starting out 1-8. ... Arizona's roster features 39 newcomers — including 20 players entering their rookie or second seasons — since Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort took over in 2023. ... The four-time AFC East defending champion Bills have gone 40 straight regular-season games without a loss by more than 6 points. That’s tied for the longest streak in NFL history with the Packers (Nov. 15, 2009-Jan. 1, 2012). Buffalo's run began following a 44-15 loss to Indianapolis on Nov. 21, 2021. ... Bills coach Sean McDermott, entering his eighth season in Buffalo, has wins against every NFL team as a head coach with the exception of Arizona (0-1) and Philadelphia (0-2). ... The Bills feature just 11 players left from the team that lost to the Cardinals in 2020. ... The Bills are 4-3 in season openers under McDermott, including 1-2 the past three years. Buffalo opened last year with a 22-16 overtime loss at the New York Jets. ... Allen's 29 TDs passing last year were the fewest since he had 20 in 2019, and he also threw a career-high 18 interceptions. Buffalo went 8-6 in games the quarterback committed a turnover. ... TE Dalton Kincaid set a rookie team record last year with 73 catches, which were also the most by a Bills tight end in team history. ... Hamlin opens the season as a starter some 20 months after he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati. This marks the first time in eight years Buffalo opens a season without the starting safety tandem of Poyer and Hyde.
Both teams' running backs, Conner and Buffalo's James Cook, should be safe bets to start based on the status of both opposing defenses. Buffalo's run-D has plenty of question marks, particularly without Milano and Poyer. The Cardinals, meantime, are breaking in seven new starters, who may need time to gel. And Buffalo leaned more on Cook over the second half of last season after Ken Dorsey was fired as coordinator and replaced by Joe Brady, who took over the full-time position this offseason.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray warms up prior to a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
NEW YORK (AP) — An apparent attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida has rocked a presidential campaign already marred by violence and raised questions about how such a thing could have happened for the second time in as many months.
U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire Sunday afternoon on a man who was spotted pointing an AK-style rifle through a fence while hiding in the bushes as Trump golfed at his club in West Palm Beach. The FBI described it as an apparent attempted assassination on the GOP nominee.
At a Pennsylvania rally in July, Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet when a gunman was able to gain access to an unsecured roof, unleashing a hail of bullets that left one of Trump's supporters dead and two others badly injured.
While the Secret Service has grappled with how to keep Trump safe as he campaigns across the country, holding rallies that often draw thousands, less attention has focused on his protection when he is off the trail, often at his own clubs and properties.
The fact that there are places along the perimeter of the property where golfers — including Trump — are visible to those standing behind the fence has long been known to law enforcement. While Trump was president, news photographers were often able to capture images of him on the greens by finding gaps in the shrubbery.
While Trump’s plans to golf Sunday were not part of any public schedule, on days he is not campaigning, he can often be found golfing at one of his courses. Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago residence, is a favorite. One of three golf clubs he owns in Florida, it boasts 27 holes of championship golf, as well as event spaces. Trump often eats lunch and holds meetings in the clubhouse between rounds.
Trump had just returned from a West Coast swing that included stops in Las Vegas and Utah, and had announced on social media that he would be delivering remarks Monday from Mar-a-Lago about cryptocurrency as he launches a new crypto platform.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw noted at a briefing that because Trump is no longer in office, security protocols around the course had loosened.
“He's not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he's not, his security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," he told reporters.
Law enforcement officials praised the work of the agents assigned to protect Trump. One agent, tasked with jumping one hole ahead of the former president to scope out potential threats, managed to spot the gunman's rifle barrel sticking out of the fence that surrounds the golf club and “immediately engaged that individual,” Bradshaw said.
In an email to campaign staff Sunday night, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles credited the Secret Service for saving Trump, who has praised the agents in his own protective detail for their bravery as they rushed on stage to protect him in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.
Unlike other past presidents and typical VIPs who live in private residences with tall fences or in gated communities, Trump has his official residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. The club is open to dues-paying members, who mingle with the former president at meals and at events and can invite their own guests to the property.
Many nights, Trump holds court on the club's patio, playing DJ with his iPad. While president, he once plotted a response to a North Korean missile launch from the candlelit terrace, the meeting captured and posted on social media by a club member.
The club is also a popular Palm Beach venue and hosts a constant stream of fundraisers, weddings and other events that sometimes see Trump drop by unannounced.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a social media post that the agency is working closely with the FBI, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement to investigate what happened.
Trump will be briefed in person Monday by acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe about the investigation, according to a person familiar with the plan who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The incident sparked immediate finger-pointing and calls for answers on Capitol Hill.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chair and a close ally of the former president, said she was grateful Trump was safe. “However, we must ask ourselves how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again?” she asked in a statement.
The leaders of the bipartisan task force that has been investigating the security failures in Pennsylvania said they were monitoring the situation and had requested a briefing from the Secret Service.
“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump's rivals in the GOP primary, said his state will conduct its own investigation.
“The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” he wrote in a social media post.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna echoed that message. “Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable," he wrote. "The Secret Service must come to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources are needed to expand the protective perimeter, & lets allocate it in a bipartisan vote the same day.”
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “relieved” that Trump was unharmed and said “there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country.” He said he had directed his staff “to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”
Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)
This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)
The main entrance of Trump International Golf Club is seen after police closed off the area following the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the World Market Center, Friday, Sept.13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
