Arizona Cardinals receiver A.J. Green reportedly did not expect Kyler Murray to throw to him on the play that led to their loss to the Green Bay Packers.
When the Arizona Cardinals lined up for a 2nd-and-Goal play from five yards outside of the end zone with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, most assumed they were about to walk off the field on Thursday night with a win over the Green Bay Packers.
But confusion before the snap resulted in Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray throwing an interception that not only prevented his team from scoring any points, but it ended any hope of Arizona remaining undefeated this season.
Looking back at Murray’s game-sealing interception, it seemed like he was intending to throw a back-shoulder fade to Cardinals wide receiver A.J. Green. But Green never turned around and the football landed in the hands of Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas instead.
Miscommunication between A.J. Green and Kyler Murray results in Arizona Cardinals losing to Green Bay Packers
The original play-call that resulted in Murray’s pick was apparently designed for the Arizona quarterback to throw a pass to one of the three receivers that lined up on the left side of the field according to NFL Media’s Jim Trotter.
Trotter also reported that Murray liked what he saw on the right side of the field where Green was instead and called an audible. However, Green reportedly didn’t realize that an audible was called, which is why he didn’t turn around when the ball was thrown in his direction.
It was a disappointing way to end a game for Arizona in a matchup that looked like they were going to leave the field with a win. But the Cardinals are still sitting with a 7-1 record and chance to end the season as the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. So there is still plenty for Arizona fans to be excited about this year.