The 1-8 Arizona Cardinals are a team with a laundry list of questions, but there are five that stand out more than any others. And no, the question of, Is this team really tanking? is a hard no. Injuries and being forced to roll with a journeyman at quarterback for the first eight games better explains the 1-8 start than any claims of tanking.
Now that we’ve gotten that question out of the way, let’s focus on some real ones that are facing the Cards, particularly how their starting quarterback will fare in the final eight matchups. But it goes beyond Kyler Murray. How will the rooks look, and which players from the Keim era will ultimately stick around?
Keep reading, and you will get some answers regarding Murray, the rooks, and even which struggling player(s) will redeem themselves.
5 biggest questions facing the Arizona Cardinals
1 - How will Kyler Murray fare in the last eight games?
Kyler Murray is finally making his season debut, but it doesn’t mean he will be a rockstar in this new-look offense just yet. Murray may take at least a half if not longer to get going, but this is a former number one overall pick who has been to a pair of Pro Bowls, so it’s not like he won’t eventually figure things out.
Murray’s playing a good defense in the Atlanta Falcons this week, but that same defense also allowed some guy named Joshua Dobbs (you may have heard of him) to throw all over them last week, so the Falcons are beatable. However, Murray will have a tough outing next week against a pretty good Houston Texans team, whose defense is currently ninth.
He will be facing a pair of weak units the following two weeks in the Los Angeles Rams (27th) and Pittsburgh Steelers (25th). Or better yet, weak as long as he can stay away from Aaron Donald and TJ Watt. He will face some stiff competition after the Arizona Cardinals bye week, but Murray should fare rather well IF he can find receivers quickly and move around in the pocket.