Despite being labeled an “Air Raid” offense, the Arizona Cardinals have hit the ground running on their way to a 2-0 start.
When Kliff Kingsbury was hired to be the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, many folks didn’t believe his system would work in the NFL. That spreading out the receivers and going up-tempo would not be sustainable in the NFL game, as it wasn’t for Chip Kelly. That his “Air Raid” wouldn’t take off in the desert. They were wrong.
Since coming into the league, Kingsbury hasn’t tried to “force” his system on his players, like you’ve seen in the past with other college coaches entering the NFL. He’s adjusted; he’s made his offense complement his player’s strengths. And it’s worked out quite well two weeks into the 2020 season.
But the early success, surprisingly, isn’t because of the passing game — it’s been a steady diet of the run game. The Cardinals currently rank 6th in the NFL in total offense (421 yds./gm); 5th in rushing (170 yds./gm). Those numbers can be attributed to one of the more unlikely of running duos in the NFL carrying the ball — running back Kenyan Drake and QB Kyler Murray.
Drake has ran the ball 36 times in two games for 146 yards and a TD. He’s averaging 4.1 yards per carry. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury recently saying he looks to be getting “stronger” as the game unfolds. His signal caller, however, is making headlines and national news for the way he’s run the ball the first two weeks into the season.
Murray has had both a of mix of QB scrambles and designed run plays that have gone for 158 yards (7.5 avg.) and 3 rushing TDs. When you watch the tape, he looks like a kid playing in the backyard, making it look too easy. And the best part of his game: he doesn’t take any hits. His smooth sliding would make Ricky Henderson jealous.
The unbeaten Cardinals now turn their attention to a winless Lions team who currently rank last in the NFL in rush defense. Coming off their loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Lions are giving up a whopping 204 yards rushing per game so far and 34.5 points allowed.
Not a great recipe for head coach Matt Patricia, as the NFL is trying to figure out how to stop Kyler Murray and the high flying Cardinals.