Kyler Murray Injury Report: What QB's Illness Means For Saints

The New Orleans Saints begin their season in a few hours against the Arizona Cardinals. The Kellen Moore era is officially underway, and there are a few Cardinals players capable of spoiling Moore’s debut with the black and gold. Suddenly, though, it appears that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray might not be one of them.

Cardinals fans awoke to bad news on Sunday morning from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported that Murray has been added to the injury report for Sunday.

“Cardinals are adding QB Kyler Murray to the injury report this morning due to an illness, but he’ll have no game-status designation and he will start vs. the Saints,” Schefter posted on X.

Cardinals are adding QB Kyler Murray to the injury report this morning due to an illness, but he’ll have no game-status designation and he will start vs. the Saints. pic.twitter.com/fCbnQt0i6R
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2025

What does Kyler Murray's illness mean for the Saints?

With all due respect to Murray, and with hopes that he returns to full health ASAP, news of his illness has competitive implications for New Orleans that certainly aren’t negative.

Containing the dual-threat magician that is Murray was going to be one of the most difficult tasks for the Saints’ defense on Sunday. It remains to be seen just how much Murray’s illness will affect his play, but if he’s less than 100 percent, New Orleans should have an easier time keeping his talent at bay.

On the other hand, the Saints should be careful not to overreact to this news. For instance, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley should in no way be adjusting his game plan on the fly to account for an illness that the Saints truly know nothing about.

For all they know, the Cardinals could be playing some high-level chess and putting out a false injury report just to mess with Staley’s defense. While that might be viewed as wrong to do by some, stranger things have happened in the NFL, where guys are putting everything on the line just to increase their team’s margin of victory.

So, the Saints should proceed as expected, without assuming that Murray will be anything less than his usual self.

The first few possessions for Arizona’s offense will be fascinating to watch. It will be pretty clear right away if Murray is indeed suffering from some sickness.

Was this classic gamesmanship from the Cardinals, or is Murray really going through something? The Saints can’t afford to be mulling those questions. It’s time to double down on the game plan and go out there and execute.

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