Cardinals’ Kyler Murray starts strong, then struggles in blowout loss to Rams

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray ’s Nov. 12 return against Atlanta injected some much-needed excitement into an Arizona Cardinals season that was close to flat-lining. Two weeks later, fans were leaving State Farm Stadium just a couple minutes into the fourth quarter.

After an impressive performance against the Falcons, Murray has regressed a little. First, in last week’s loss to Houston . Then in Sunday’s 37-14 embarrassment to the Los Angeles Rams that dropped the Cardinals to 2-10 with five games remaining.

At least the Houston loss was winnable for the Cardinals. This one was nowhere close, among Arizona’s worst games of the season. Murray looked like a quarterback returning from ACL surgery. A little unsure of himself in a new offense. A little inaccurate with his passing. Not nearly good enough to fuel an out-manned team to victory.

“We just got our ass kicked,” said Murray, who dropped to 1-8 against the Rams over his five-year career. “Played a good football game last week (at Houston), won the week before (against Atlanta). But this one, it was probably like the first time all year we just got beat — terribly.”

Perhaps this was expected. It’s not like Arizona needed Murray to come in and be a game manager, working his way back behind a strong offensive line and running game. The Cardinals are not that team. To win, they need Murray to play at a high level. He was there against the Falcons. He had moments against the Texans. He slipped against the Rams.

Time to panic? No.

Concerning? Maybe a little.

This can be viewed many ways — and in the moment is probably not the best. Murray has completed only one aspect of his recovery — the physical part. He’s still figuring things out on the field. In addition to lining up under center more, he’s had to adjust his footwork in coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense. It’s nothing major, but Murray called the transition “awkward,” a change from something he’s done the previous 15 years.

“There’s obviously growing pains with this,” said Murray, who has practiced for only seven weeks. “It’s my third game. A new scheme, a new everything for me. I’m not discouraged at all by it. I know we’ll be better because of it, but these are some of the things that we got to go through. It’s part of it.”

“I’m not discouraged...I know we will be better because of it.” – Kyler Murray following today’s game vs. the Rams. pic.twitter.com/Rmt8sT8d6y

— Arizona Cardinals November 27, 2023

In the midst of a rebuild, the Cardinals will have big decisions to make in the offseason, and the biggest might come at quarterback. With two first-round picks in the 2024 draft, first-year GM Monti Ossenfort will have options. What he does could depend on Murray and how he performs the rest of the season. It remains a work in progress.

Murray started quickly against the Rams, leading the Cardinals to a touchdown on their first possession. He completed 5 of 7 for 50 yards, scoring on a 2-yard run. After a successful 2-point conversion, Arizona led 8-7. But from there, the offense fizzled. The Cardinals secured only one first down the rest of the first half. They didn’t score again until midway through the fourth quarter.

Leading up to Sunday’s game, Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald was asked about Murray and the challenge of containing him. Donald talked about the problems Murray can create with his legs. As he did so, he raised his right arm, moving it in different directions to trace an imaginary Murray scramble.

Then Sunday came and Murray didn’t run much at all. His touchdown run was his only rushing attempt. He completed 27 of 45 for 256 yards. He was sacked four times. Overall, the Cardinals were out-gained 457-292. After the first quarter, they were never in the game.

“We missed some tackles early,” Donald said, “but overall I think we did good containing him, getting out there and making him feel uncomfortable and putting pressure on him.”

Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht said Murray showed in previous games that he could still run. The key was keeping him in the pocket and limiting his scrambling ability. “He can definitely still move,” Hoecht said.

“He’s always had that speed,” Rams linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “Once he gets out of the opportunity to get out of there, I’m pretty sure he’ll cause a lot of people problems.”

Arizona first-year coach Jonathan Gannon was frustrated. He said an offense that puts pressure on the defense affects play-calling and frees up playmakers. After the first drive, the Cardinals on Sunday never really reached that point. But Gannon didn’t agree the ineffectiveness translated into Murray taking a step back.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said. “He wants to get in rhythm and get some plays going and put some pressure on the defense. When you’re playing (from behind), it’s hard to play any position out there. He’s the ultimate competitor. He’ll come back in here ready to work. But it’s not on one guy. It’s the whole operation. From coaching on down, we got to play better.”

(Photo of Kyler Murray and the Rams’ Ahkello Witherspoon: Christian Petersen / )