3 reasons Arizona Cardinals should start Colt McCoy in Week 10

With Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray limping around with a hamstring issue, perhaps he should take a week off. 

Or really, I’m just curious to see how well the savvy veteran, Colt McCoy, would run the Arizona Cardinals offense. Just last season, McCoy led the Cardinals to a 2-1 record when Murray was dealing with an ankle issue, and in doing so, he beat not one but two division rivals by two possessions apiece.

Not bad for a career backup who’s lost far more than he’s won over his 13-year career, thanks mainly to his ill-fated stint in Cleveland. And given Murray’s sheer inability to take a step forward this season, it may serve the much-maligned quarterback well to sit the bench.

Many will point to Murray’s stagnation as a product of Kingsbury’s poor coaching ability. Problem is, Murray grew from 2019 to 2021 under that same head coach. So if you’re blaming Murray’s lack of growth on Kingsbury’s inability to manage the game, you’re making excuses. So why not start McCoy and see if he can run things differently? Here are three more reasons.

1 – McCoy may create a spark

Fans may claim that the Arizona Cardinals are giving up if they start McCoy, or that they will create a quarterback controversy. Neither nor is the case here. For one, McCoy is 36, so it’s highly unlikely a controversy will develop.

For another, starting McCoy could throw a curveball at the Rams defense, and the spot start could, in turn, spark the Cardinals offense. If the Rams spend all week preparing for Murray despite the hamstring issue and the Cardinals start McCoy, the Rams will need to adjust to an entirely different playing style.

2 – Murray may actually benefit

There are times when an athlete watches the game from another angle, it’s likely they will catch things they missed while on the field and during film sessions. Murray clearly has not played well this season, so a one-off against the Rams could give him another perspective.

When Murray is 100% and his hamstring issues are behind him, the Arizona Cardinals can simply reinsert him back into the lineup and his play could pick up throughout the season’s second half. It also gives Murray a full week of rest, lowering the odds that he will cause further issues for himself, something that was the case in 2020 when he tried to play through a sprained AC joint.

3 – Playoffs are on the line for the Arizona Cardinals

If the Arizona Cardinals lose this contest, then their playoff hopes have dwindled to next to nothing, as if they aren’t already bleak. Kingsbury needs to start the player he believes will give his team the best chance to win, and he also needs to start thinking about his own job security.

McCoy spent time on IR earlier in the season, but barring anything unforeseen, he appears to be 100%. A healthy McCoy already showed us he can step in, win games, and perform well. In 2020, we saw how Murray looked when he wasn’t 100%. Therefore, it should be a no-brainer to start the healthier McCoy if Murray’s hamstring is indeed causing him trouble come Friday.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)

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