Cardinals players knew it was going to be empty for the 2020 home opener at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

They’ve known for almost a month since the franchise announced there would be no fans allowed for at least the first two home games. There was even a dress rehearsal last week against the 49ers in front of cardboard cutouts in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But it was still weird.

“I don’t think any of us have adjusted to it fully,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the 30-15 win over the Washington Football Team.

“We miss having those guys,” he said. “This can be one of the most intimidating environments in the world, really. We miss the Red Sea. They give us a huge boost.”

‘We feel the impact’

At a stadium that has sold out every game since it opened in 2006, there were no fans. No crowds. No lines. No traffic. No nothing. Veteran Cardinals fans might have said that not even ol’ Sun Devil Stadium was this empty, except they’d have been saying it from their living rooms.

It’s the responsible thing to do. Arizona is making big strides against the pandemic, and it would be nice to keep it that way. So, for now, it’s “depart the Red Sea.”

And as announcer Dave Pasch said on the Arizona Sports Radio broadcast, it’s on players to “B.Y.O.E, bring your own energy … it looks like a Red and White practice around here.”

Those training camp scrimmages typically draw a few hundred spectators, but his point is well made.

We’re all happy to have pro football. But it’s too bad there was no one there to cheer it on. The Cardinals had more big plays than Broadway. (Well, back when Broadway used to have big plays.)

No one had more than Kyler Murray, who finished with 286 yards passing, 86 yards rushing and three combined touchdowns.

His best play might have been a first-quarter touchdown that was called off for an illegal block.

It was first-and-goal from the 8. Murray rolled left and found himself with no one between himself and the end zone except for Washington defensive back Landon Collins. Murray gave Collins a hesitation-stutter-dead-leg-high step and then zipped right past the befuddled defender like he wasn’t a three-time Pro Bowler.

It was the kind of move that makes you want to high-five a stranger, and there should have been plenty of that “rise up” energy.

The cheerleaders and flag-wavers in the concourse did their best to bring some pep. But at least there weren’t as many people to be disappointed when the play was called off — not that it mattered, Murray found Deandre Hopkins for a touchdown pass a couple of plays later. It was their first such connection, and it put Arizona up, 7-0.

Hopkins, who finished with 8 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, usually gives his mom the ball in the stands when he scores. He couldn’t do that, and he has yet to play in front of the Arizona fans. But he kept it in good perspective.

“I feel it after the game on social media,” he said of the fan support. “Keep commenting on the players’ Instagrams. We see it. We feel the impact … My mom is always watching. My family as well. I can take the ball home and give it to her. Kyler just has to keep throwing me touchdowns.”

‘Cherish the moment’

Nobody could have been in better position to appreciate the oddity of the emptiness than Larry Fitzgerald.

Legendary Larry, who finished with 7 catches for 50 yards, has played in 111 regular season games at State Farm Stadium. He goes all the way back to that first game at what was then University of Phoenix Stadium. (A 34-27 win over the 49ers, in case you were wondering.)

He’s seen the roof opened. He’s seen the roof closed. He’s seen fans bring the energy of a rock concert.

He must have been listening to Pasch because with about a minute left in the third quarter on fourth-and-4, he ran a slant and gained 12. He popped up, screamed, flexed like the Inc-RED-ible Hulk and pointed at the sideline.

It was a key moment in a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a touchdown that put Arizona up 27-3.

“I saw Larry flex when he got up,” Murray said. “We love to play football. We’ve just gotta take advantage of that. Cherish the moment. (For a while there) we didn’t know if we were gonna get to be out here at all.”

He’s right. It’s the perfect perspective in these uncertain times.

But it’s still weird to see football without fans.

Reach Moore at [email protected] or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @WritingMoore.

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