Kyler Murray Reminds Cardinals, Fans Who He Is
The Arizona Cardinals upset the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, 35-31.
It was the first time Arizona had put up 30 points all season. Although the win drops the Cards two spots in draft position, the offensive output looks to be a glimpse of the potential this team has in store for 2024.
While it was a brilliant team win, with contributions on offense and defense from a variety of players, quarterback Kyler Murray played an excellent game, overcoming an early miscommunication that resulted in a turnover and leading the Cardinals on a game-winning drive.
Murray was extremely accurate throughout, completing 80% of his passes, with 256 total yards and three passing touchdowns.
His lone mistake came early in the second quarter. Arizona had failed to reach the end zone on their previous drive, despite holding onto the ball for nearly eight minutes and getting the ball deep in the red zone.
Threatening to score again, Murray lofted a pass to the end zone, intended for WR Michael Wilson. Unfortunately, Wilson had cut inside, rather than continuing his end zone trajectory. The pass was intercepted, and 99 yards of poor tackling later, the Eagles would score a touchdown.
While it may have been a poor decision by Murray, it was a play that likely sits equally on the shoulder of Wilson. Miscommunications will happen, and while one must acknowledge the gravity of the mistake by both Murray and Wilson, the QB and WR didn't miss a beat following the mistake.
Down 21-6 to start the second half, the Cardinals engineered a beautiful 75-yard drive. Mostly behind the stellar effort of RBs James Conner and Michael Carter, the effort was capped off by a six-yard pass to Carter for the score to draw within one possession.
After the defense forced a quick Philadelphia three-and-out, Murray put together another excellent drive. Helped along by a 22-yard rumble from Conner, Murray was able to move the ball down the field with ease.
On first and goal, with pressure in his face, Murray spun away from the pressure and dropped a ball just barely in the reach of Conner, who made an incredible one-handed snag to bring the Cardinals within two points.
The play was a shadow of what Murray had been able to accomplish in 2021, and was an encouraging look into what Arizona could do offensively with some development and an infusion of talent.
After completing the two-point conversion to Wilson, the Cardinals were faced with a tie game. But Murray's work was not done.
The Eagles quickly responded with a touchdown, and the Cardinals were forced to take the field with a seven-point deficit. Murray took Arizona down the field once more, this time for 77 yards, and, on fourth down, with pressure in his face, found Wilson in the end zone to tie the game.
Following a gutsy onside kick decision from head coach Jonathan Gannon, Arizona faced a two-minute drill, down just three points.
Murray and the Cardinals orchestrated like they had been contenders all season. Seven plays, 70 yards in just two minutes. Murray was three-for-three for 58 yards on the drive, including a 36-yard pass to WR Greg Dortch before Conner found the end zone for his second score of the day, icing the cake of Arizona's win.
Dortch would end the game as Arizona's leading receiver, hauling in 7 passes for 82 yards. Murray was an exceptional 13-for-14 in the second half, for 133 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the contest with a 116.7 passer rating and a game-winning drive.
Although the downside of this victory sees Arizona dropping to fourth in the draft order, Murray's performance was a step in the right direction for the young QB, and a good sign of what is to come for this team.
No, it wasn't a 400-yard, five touchdown performance by Murray, but his ability to respond to the pick-six in the second quarter with a nearly flawless game and a gritty game-winning drive against an NFC powerhouse says a lot about Murray as a player, and will help put immense confidence in the young passer going into 2024.
Murray showed poise in the pocket, making smart decisions with the football and delivering accurate passes. While Arizona's receiving group has been subject to scrutiny, Murray was able to utilize the weapons at his disposal to complete an extremely efficient game and lead Arizona to a victory against a solid team.
While it can't be argued that Murray did this alone, as Conner put up another 100-yard game with two total touchdowns and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing called a brilliant offensive game, Murray made no costly mistakes when it mattered the most, and he executed the plan perfectly as the clock began to wind down.
What else do you pay him for?
Murray's performance against Philadelphia is a solid boost to the argument that he should remain Arizona's franchise QB.
