Three most memorable moments of the 2020 Arizona Cardinals season

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) DeAndre Hopkins
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) DeAndre Hopkins /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next

The Hail Murray

The Background: At 5-3, the Cardinals found themselves in a three-way duel at the midseason mark for control of the NFC West. Their opponents, the 7-2 Buffalo Bills, were enjoying their finest season since the days of Jim Kelly and those Super Bowl-bound Bills teams of old.

It was to be another duel in the desert and the teams did not disappoint. The Bills jumped out to a 23-9 lead, but in classic heavyweight fashion, the Cardinals stormed back, taking a 26-23 late. They needed just one more stop, but Bills quarterback Josh Allen found Stefon Diggs in the end zone with under a minute to go.

Things looked bleak for the Cardinals. And as the seconds ticked down, they had time for one more play, two plays tops.

The Moment: Kyler Murray took a snap at midfield and rolled to his left. The Bills brought pressure and for a second, it looked as if it paid off. Defensive end Mario Addison latched on, but Murray broke free.

Finding Hopkins deep in the end zone with three defenders draped all over his back, Murray heaved one into the air. Hopkins leaped into the air while simultaneously fending off Jordan Poyer and Tra’Davious White.

The ball in Hopkins’ grasp, Micah Hyde tried to knock the ball free as the four men crashed back down to the natural grass. Ruled a touchdown, the Cardinals took a 32-30 lead with just two seconds remaining in regulation.

The Aftermath: As mentioned in the previous section, the Hail Murray marked the high point for the Cardinals season. It all went downhill from there for the Cardinals while the Bills made it to their first AFC Championship Game since 1993.

Next. Kick return game needs upgrade. dark

In fact, the Bills didn’t lose another game until they faced Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Who team the Bills ironically had beaten in their previous AFC Championship appearance in a duel that pitted Joe Montana against Jim Kelly.