Both Arizona Cardinals (1-8) quarterback Kyler Murray and running back James Conner will return to the gridiron today as they clash with the Atlanta Falcons (4-5) at State Farm Stadium at 2:05 p.m.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Coming off of a ACL injury that kept him off the field since Dec. 12, 2022, Murray will slide right into his No. 1 Cards jersey once again as he will be the starting QB.
Additionally, Conner has missed a little over a month since suffering a knee injury on Oct. 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After being shut out last week against the Cleveland Browns 27-0, both Murray and Conner bolster Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon’s roster who struggled on Nov. 5.
Previously, Cardinals rookie Clayton Tune made his first start of his career in the NFL, but he had a rough outing as he would only throw for 58 yards and the team didn’t score one point.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are coming off of a bitter loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.
With 2:08 left in the game, Atlanta running back Tyler Allgeier scored a touchdown to give them a 28-24 lead.
However, ex-Cardinal Josh Dobbs threw a pass to Vikings wide receiver Brandon Powell with just 0:22 remaining for a TD to steal a 31-28 win over the Falcons.
Coming into today’s battle of the birds, Atlanta are winless in their last two while Arizona are on a six-game skid.
Here is all you need to know before the Cardinals take on the Falcons in Glendale:
History
Arizona have an overall record of 17-16 against Atlanta in 33 games, including one in the playoffs.
Last time these two squads met was when the Falcons narrowly beat the Cardinals 20-19 on New Year’s Day this year, Jan. 1.
Players to Watch
While Conner coming back into the fold helps improve Arizona’s run-game, all eyes should be on Murray.
Following Murray being removed from injured reserve and practicing since Oct. 18, the wait is almost over.
It will be interesting to see if Murray will decide to either run when he can or be hesitant to after returning from a serious injury to his ACL.
Before he watched from the sidelines since last December, Murray rushed for 2204 yards and passed for an additional 2368.
Furthermore, Murray helped construct 14 touchdowns while completing 259 of 390 passes he attempted.
On the other side, Tucson native and Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson will make his first NFL appearance in the valley.
After being the 8th overall selection of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Salpointe High product in Robinson has made a name for himself in his short time in Georgia.
Racking up 517 yards of rushing on 103 carries and scoring three total touchdowns, Robinson is a threat that the Cardinals need to be locked in on.
Where to Watch Game
Today, CBS will broadcast the matchup at 2:05 MST between the Cardinals and Falcons.
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Alec Cipollini is the lead reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
