Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray earns a high letter grade following his Week 17 performance

In the Arizona Cardinals big win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Red Sea hasn’t seen Kyler Murray play so well since the team’s 7-0 run in 2021. That seems as though it happened a thousand or more years ago, but when you talk about Murray playing his most dominant football ever, those magical seven weeks are what you point to. 

Between Week 8 of 2021 and Week 16 of 2023, Murray, when healthy, looked stagnant, and a far cry from what we thought was the beginning of an MVP reign. Many of us, myself included, thought those first seven weeks of 2021 would be the high-water mark of Murray’s career, but he kindly reminded all of us this past Sunday it may not be the case. 

Granted, it was just one great game, but apart from the pick-six he threw early in the contest, a 99-yard pick-six, Murray enjoyed an excellent outing that deserves an A+ rating. One reason, apart from his numbers, is the fact he managed to lead the Cardinals to 29 points in the second half after they trailed 21-6. It was a game that would have ended in a blowout loss had it occurred during the short-lived Joshua Dobbs era.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback must now show consistency in Week 18

For Week 18, Murray has a chance to give Cardinals fans a proper send-off for what has been a long rebuilding project in 2023. If he leads the team to a win over the Seattle Seahawks, it will be the first time Arizona strung together two wins in a row since November 21st and December 5th, 2021. It will also be the first time the Cards won two weeks in a row since October 17th and October 24th, 2021, so go figure. 

Further, Murray will help the Arizona Cardinals end the season 4-4, which let’s be honest, would exceed even the wildest expectations of how many games this team could have won per what the experts were saying before the year began. There were talks of tanking, if you remember correctly, and Murray could once and for all put that narrative to rest.

But most importantly, another good outing for the second week in a row screams not just consistency in a good way, but it will also point to the fact Murray is that much closer to mastering offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense. That said, there is a lot riding on this Week 18 outing. 

(Statistics provided by ESPN.com and Pro-Football-Reference)