Cardinals absolutely must play Kyler Murray vs. Chiefs on Friday

It’s time for the Arizona Cardinals to have Kyler Murray and the starters out for a test run against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.

After resting their stars in their Week 1 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Arizona Cardinals should play them against the Kansas City Chiefs in their next exhibition matchup on Friday.

Originally, it was believed that quarterback Kyler Murray was set to play and lead the team onto the field against the Cowboys. But that didn’t happen.

Nobody knew that backup Colt McCoy would actually be the one to play the first handful of drives under center for Arizona last Friday. Seeing Murray on the bench was a surprising move, especially since the decision was apparently relayed to McCoy less than 24 hours before the game.

Arizona Cardinals should play their starters in Week 2 of the preseason

When it came to why Murray was on the sidelines against Dallas, Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury attempted to explain last Friday.

"“We just, as the week ended, we just felt like it was a good week of practice and decided to sit him out this one.”"

While resting the team’s starters is a totally understandable move, it’s the 11th hour flip-flopping by the Arizona head coach that is annoying.

Even the Chiefs played star quarterback Patrick Mahomes in their preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers last week. Mahomes only threw two passes, but it was just enough to shake off some of the rust.

Going up against a team that’s been in the last two Super Bowls is a good enough reason on its own for the Cardinals to play most of their starters in Week 2 of the preseason.

With new additions such as rookie Rondale Moore, A.J. Green, James Conner, and more, Arizona cannot afford a slow start to the regular season. Otherwise, the offense may pick up where they left off at the end of last year, which no one wants to see.

It will be disappointing if Murray doesn’t play at all this preseason for the Cardinals. Arizona should at least attempt to play their starters for an entire half against Kansas City, and then they can be done until the regular season.

Heading into the 2021 campaign, the talent of the Chiefs is slightly above the Tenessee Titans, the team that the Cardinals are facing in their regular-season opener.

Arizona must begin with the end in mind and reap the benefits.