The Arizona Cardinals are 3-10 on the season. Two of those three wins have come in the last four weeks with Kyler Murray as the starting quarterback. How has he played in these games and is there a restored faith in him as the franchise quarterback?
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In Murray’s first game back, the Cardinals took on the Atlanta Falcons. Arizona won the game, 25-23. Murray had a good game. He went 19/32 for 249 yards and 1 interception. Murray also ran for 33 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
This was not a great performance but Murray was able to show that the torn ACL did not affect his athletic ability.
This sky angle of Kyler Murray’s insane scramble that set up their win against the #Falcons yesterday… absolutely wild.
(@AZCardinals) pic.twitter.com/QVxxocPOIK
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) November 14, 2023
Kyler Murray is one of maybe three or four quarterbacks in the NFL who could turn a most likely sack into a first down on third and 10 with the game on the line.
The presence of a quarterback with a special skill set uplifts any team. The Cardinals were a prime example of that in their game against Atlanta.
Houston, Murray Was The Problem
The Arizona Cardinals lost their next game against the Houston Texans, 21-16, despite their defense forcing the Texans into three interceptions. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense was not able to take advantage of any of those turnovers.
Murray went 20/30 for 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 51 yards and a touchdown.
The stats don’t tell the story of missed opportunities by the Cardinals offense in this game. The defense gave Murray and the offense plenty of opportunities to take the lead. Houston’s defense deserves credit but Murray missed on big moment throws and showed some rust.
The Landslide Against L.A.
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 37-14. This game was bad for the Cardinals in every aspect.
The defense gave up 228 rushing yards and the offense only scored 14 points. Murray went 27/45 for 256 yards and a touchdown. He only ran for two yards in the game. Murray was sacked four times and pressured on 22.4% of his pass attempts.
The Cardinals offense scored on their first possession and didn’t score again until under five minutes were left in the fourth quarter.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Last week the Cardinals were able to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-10. This game was unique due to the two long rain delays and the lack of offense from either side.
Murray went 13/23 for 145 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 20 yards on nine carries.
Is Murray the answer going forward?
Kyler Murray is a two-time probowler who is still in his mid-20s. Guys in their prime who are capable of doing some of the things that Murray can do, are rare.
If the Cardinals move on from Murray, they better be sure about the next guy. We have not seen the best of Murray and part of the problem is the play-calling. The gift that makes Murray special is the combination of arm talent and running ability.
Murray has not run the ball enough since his return. The Cardinals new coaches and Murray are still adjusting to each other. The franchise and the fans have to be patient and give both their new coaches and Murray a chance to show what they can do.
After the bye week the Cardinals will be at home against the best defense in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers were allowing 15.8 points per game going into Sunday. This will be a huge test for Murray and the Cardinals. How will they respond?
