TEMPE, Ariz. -- As the Arizona Cardinals stood in the huddle early in the fourth quarter with first-and-10 awaiting them at their own 40, quarterback Jacoby Brissett looked at wide receiver Simi Fehoko.
"I think you're a Z here," Brissett said.
"I think am, too," Fehoko responded. "I don't know."
With Arizona lined up in 13 personnel (1 running back, 3 tight ends), Brissett ended up throwing an incompletion despite Fehoko ending up wide open about 20 yards down field. The play, one of 73, didn't matter, but the interaction embodied the challenge Brissett undertook as a backup who got his first start of the season on Sunday.
And, in every way but the win, Brissett's teammates watched him step up to the moment.
"It was cool, too, seeing how comfortable he felt back there," Fehoko said. "Which, obviously, I didn't expect him to not feel comfortable just given his whole vet presence, how often he's played, and, I mean, he's a starter in this league.
"So, it was cool to see him step in there and ball out."
It's uncertain if the Cards will turn to Brissett this week when they host the Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox). Murray threw to practice squad receivers on Thursday as has been limited in two days of practice this week, one of which, Wednesday, was a walk-through.
Brissett practiced with the first team all last week, giving the starters a three days of practice to get accustomed to how Brissett orchestrates an offense from preferring to be under center more than starter Kyler Murray to how he handled the huddle.
To tight end Trey McBride, Brissett's presence in the huddle was the most impressive part of the quarterback's performance Sunday.
"The way he came in there and knew exactly what to do," McBride said. "I mean, he's a pro, a guy who's been in this league for a long time, played a ton of games and [I] felt very confident with him back there, and I'm excited to see him continue to be a better player."
Fehoko felt Brissett was calm all week, a product, his teammates felt, of both his experience having been in the league 10 years, and his time running a version of the Cardinals scheme with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 when Cardinals' offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork were both on staff.
Brissett's relationship with both paid off Sunday.
He didn't shy away from telling Petzing what kind of plays he liked and didn't like, and what he wanted and didn't want, during the week. During the game, the two bounced ideas off each other, as well.
In his only game of the year, Brissett completed five of his nine passes that traveled 15 yards in the air or more, according to ESPN Research -- more completions that far than Murray has in any game this season. And Brissett's nine attempts matched Murray's season-high for passes that went 15 air yards or longer.
"I think that connection that we've had since Cleveland, it showed a little bit today," Brissett said after Sunday's game. "We're on the same page. I mean, he's like 'This play [or] this play,' in the middle of the game and he knows which one I'm going to choose."
The difference for Arizona's offense, which gained a season-high 400 yards on Sunday, was a matter of staying ahead of the sticks, Fehoko said.
One of the biggest differences for Arizona with Brissett at quarterback was the style of quarterback he is, Brown said.
"You're not going to see Jacoby pull the ball on a zone read and run it too often," he said. "He has the ability to, but that's probably not what he wants to go to. But you kind of just got to play to guy's strengths and stay away from their weaknesses and we did a solid job of that."
Brissett's poise carried over from the week to game day and rubbed off on everyone around him, Fehoko said.
If being plugged into start a game on a week's notice wasn't a tough-enough challenge for Brissett, dealing with personnel changes on the fly during the game added another layer to navigate.
He lost third-string tight end Travis Vokolek to a neck injury before the first offensive play, then wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion and running back Emari Demercado to an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Coach Jonathan Gannon, who coached in Indianapolis during three of Brissett's four seasons with the Colts, said the game isn't too big for Brissett.
"There's no panic in his game," Gannon said. "He prepares to be the starter every week, and he went out and played well."
Many around the Cardinals' locker room have seen seasons go awry when a backup has to take over.
That wasn't the case for Arizona on Sunday, despite the loss.
"It was a smooth transition," left guard Evan Brown said. "I thought he did a great job and picked right up where we needed to.
"I felt like he came in and did a great job with communication with his playcalling to us and things that we needed to do."