Banged-up Kyler Murray shines for the Cardinals once again

MVP candidate Kyler Murray overcame a first-quarter injury scare to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a blowout win in week seven

For several tense minutes this past Sunday, everyone in the Arizona Cardinals organization was holding their breath.

With just under three minutes left in the first quarter of a 31-5 triumph over the Houston Texans, Cards quarterback Kyler Murray was laying flat on his back. The team’s MVP candidate appeared to be injured, the victim of a head-yanking, body-bending tackle by Houston’s Jacob Martin. Murray walked gingerly to the sideline, leaving Arizona fans to wonder if the franchise’s promising 2021 campaign was going up in flames.

Fortunately, Murray returned just minutes later to lead the offense on a 14-play, 75-yard march that ended with a one-yard touchdown toss to wideout DeAndre Hopkins. The superstar signal-caller had obviously survived the injury scare, and the Cardinals’ Super Bowl hopes are still very much alive.

Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray excels despite absorbing several scary hits 

On the Cards’ very next possession, Murray engineered the squad’s second scoring drive of the contest. The drive’s biggest play was a marvelously-placed, 41-yard strike to wide receiver A.J. Green that occurred on a 3rd-and-23. Two plays later, a scrambling Murray found Christian Kirk in the end zone from five yards out, a touchdown that gave the Redbirds a 14-5 advantage over the Texans.

Halfway through the third quarter, Murray hit Arizona’s newest acquisition for a 47-yard score. Zach Ertz, the Pro Bowl tight end who was acquired back on October 15, gives the organization a legitimate pass-catching threat in the middle of the field. Murray’s third touchdown pass capped off a seven-play, 88-yard drive, and gave “Big Red” a 24-5 lead.

Throughout the day, Murray completed 20 out of his 28 attempts for 261 yards, and added another 10 yards on the ground. There was one ill-advised interception with 4:28 left in the third quarter, a miscue that Ertz actually took the blame for during his postgame press conference.

Murray showed how tough he is during the clash with Houston. The 5-foot-10, 207-pounder absorbed some big hits, but continued to perform at a high level. The “Red Sea” can breathe a sigh of relief, the new face of the franchise remains intact.

(Statistics provided by ESPN’s NFL Scores)