Cardinals’ Kyler Murray playing his best football as pro, jumps into MVP hunt

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

Kyler Murray is playing like an MVP candidate in leading the Arizona Cardinals to the top spot in the NFC West, showing that head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort were right to stick with the former No. 1 overall pick rather than find a new QB.

Murray can play at an elite level, and the Cardinals would have been hard-pressed to find someone of similar ability through the draft, free agency or trade. 

“I felt like he was a premium player, and I think that I felt in my mind if we put the right people in place and coach them the right way, he could elevate his game to another level, which I think he has,” Gannon said. “[And] I don’t think he’s hit his ceiling yet.”

Now in his sixth season, the Oklahoma product has finally matured, showing command of the Arizona offense. Murray has played particularly well in the past month. During Arizona’s four-game winning streak, he has completed 70.8% percent of his passes for 872 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception for a 104.0 passer rating.

In a lopsided win over the Jets on Sunday, Murray connected on a franchise-record 17 straight attempts, completing 91.7% of his passes overall for 266 yards and a score. He also rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns. 

In the process, Murray passed Jake Plummer for third-most passing yards in franchise history with 17,705. For his effort, Murray was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. 

Murray also showed his toughness on Sunday. He took a vicious hit on a sack by New York’s Quincy Williams, and then went on to throw a touchdown to rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. on that drive. 

“I’m kind of glad it happened,” Murray said about the play in which his helmet flew off. “It felt good. It’s playing football. I don’t get hit too often, so I get it, it’s kind of an adrenaline rush. It’s a physical, violent game. It’s part of the game. I appreciate it.” 

Murray had…

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Publish date : 2024-11-13 19:49:20

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