Kyler Murray will play no further part this season after suffering a torn ACL on Monday night, NFL reporter Ian Rapoport has confirmed.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback went down under no contact in the opening quarter against the New England Patriots after falling awkwardly. Murray was on the verge of rushing for a first down when his knee buckled and he quickly fell to the floor.
The quarterback was then carted off the field with a towel covering his face, suggesting that he knew it was a serious injury. And MRI scans on Tuesday have confirmed that his ACL is torn, putting an immediate end to his season.
The injury occurred in only the third play of the game, as Murray attempted to quickly change direction in order to make the first down. Murray quickly fell, but initially fans assumed he was just attempting to avoid contact with oncoming defenders.
However, Murray stayed down before being carted off, and Colt McCoy came in to replace the starting quarterback for the remainder of the game. Murray will now sit out until next season, with McCoy expected to be given a rare run in the side.
The regular season is all but over for the Cardinals, who dropped to 4-9 on Monday night after losing 27-13 to the Patriots. McCoy threw for 246 yards, but failed to throw a touchdown, and was instead picked off for six points the other way.
It was a game dominated by injury, as James Connor came in and out of the game, and it was Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris that stepped up for the Patriots after Rhamondre Stevenson also exited the game. Stand-in quarterback McCoy commented on their battles with injuries after the game, saying he was proud of those fighting.
"We’ve battled injuries all year long," McCoy said. "The guys that are going to go in there are going to fight until the very end. I don’t think there is any more you can ask for and I will be proud to go lead them."
The Cardinals have barely been able to field their best offense all season, as they've been riddled with injury. They'll now look to focus on finishing the season strong, and focusing on the next campaign, where Murray will hopefully be fit once more.
