Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals GAMEDAY Preview: Kyler Murray's Return
The Atlanta Falcons (4-5) face the Arizona Cardinals (1-8) in what could be a more difficult matchup than one might initially anticipate, thanks in part to the return of star quarterback Kyler Murray.
Atlanta may have four wins, but the team has only won once on the road and struggled to defend mobile quarterback Josh Dobbs a week ago against the Vikings when his 66 yards and a touchdown helped carry Minnesota to a win.
What Murray will look like after roughly 11 months recovering from his torn ACL remains unknown. However, based on the player he was before the injury, he could still exploit the Falcons struggles to contain mobile quarterbacks if the team doesn't respect his legs.
Speaking of rushing ability, the key to this game will be Atlanta utilizing star rookie running back Bijan Robinson. Despite flashes of brilliance on all three downs early in the season, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith hasn't given Robinson the Derrick Henry-esque workload fans have been begging for.
Arizona Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray is making his long awaited return from injury this week against the Atlanta Falcons.
Michael Chow/The Republic, Arizona Republic via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Many on social media have blamed Smith's low use of high-profile draft picks like Robinson and Kyle Pitts for the team's recent losses, but that’s not the sole reason the team has struggled.
The biggest issue with Atlanta has been the team's inability to protect the ball. Desmond Ridder started the season as the team's top option at quarterback and turned the ball over just as much as he scored.
Last week, Taylor Heinicke started his first game for the Falcons, and it was more of the same for Atlanta as he threw one touchdown and one interception. Luckily, someone with the potential to help Heinicke in the pass game could be returning this week, and that's No. 1 wide receiver Drake London.
In his second season, London has looked dominant at times, displaying strong hands albeit in limited doses as Ridder sometimes struggled to pass the ball. Perhaps he and Heinicke will have a strong enough connection to help elevate the offense this week in Arizona as the Falcons look to avoid a third straight loss.
