Kyler Murray’s Miracle Pass to DeAndre Hopkins Was the First Hail Mary He’d Ever Thrown
Not bad for his first time
It’s safe to say that Kyler Murray’s desperate heave to DeAndre Hopkins and Hopkins's muscling the ball away from three defenders was the best play of the NFL season thus far. It doesn’t get any better than a game-winning Hail Mary pass.
Even by Hail Mary standards, the play was exceptionally impressive. Murray, an undersized quarterback not known for his arm strength, narrowly escaped a tackle and threw a 50-plus-yard bomb on the money despite being off balance. Hopkins then rose above a trio of defenders to make a catch that no one else could have made.
Murray spoke with NBC’s Peter King to break down the play, detailing what the play call was, how he managed to avoid being sacked by Mario Addison and revealing one surprising fact.
“I’ve never done a Hail Mary before,” Murray said.
Never? It might sound unlikely, but Murray hasn’t often been put in a position to need a desperate play the buzzer. He won three straight Texas state championships in high school, going 42–0 as a starter. In his only full season as a college starter, he went 12–2 with Oklahoma. He played in his share of close games, but nothing comes close to what he did against the Bills.
“Well, in high school we had a lot of moments,” Murray told King. “Never like this one, though. Last-second, I mean, this is the highest level. Hail Mary, last play of the game. I really have had a lot of moments in my life ... but this one, none can compare.”
Murray has now started 25 games in the NFL. After leading them to a 5-10-1 record last year, the Cardinals are tied atop the NFC West at 6–3, thanks in large part to Murray’s progression as a quarterback. He may not have thrown a Hail Mary before Sunday, but he’s already shown the ability to come through in the clutch. The Hail Mary capped off his league-leading third fourth-quarter comeback and was the fifth game-winning drive of his short career. He’s making it clear he’s going to be a force in this league for years to come.
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