The Arizona Cardinals’ season is on life support. At 3-6, they currently reside in last place in the NFC West and 13th in overall conference standings.
While not mathematically out of the race just yet, the margin of error is nil and a banged-up quarterback does not help matters.
As the premiere episode of “Hard Knocks” showed, Kyler Murray tweaked his hamstring during a downfield scramble against the Seahawks. Although Murray was able to finish the game, the episode revealed he was unable to “open it up” on a subsequent run, one in which he then fumbled.
The Cardinals’ offensive line has struggled to provide consistent protection. Over the past two games, the line has given up nine sacks and allowed 28 pressures.
Adding to their struggles, it has become obvious Murray is not seeing the field as well as he did early last season which has led him to hold the ball longer. According to data compiled by Pro Football Focus (PFF), Murray has taken 18 sacks on 135 pass attempts where he has had 2.5 or more seconds of pocket time. Conversely, he has taken six sacks on 222 pass attempts where he’s had less than 2.5 seconds in the pocket. Overall, he is averaging 2.58 seconds in the pocket which is 17th in the NFL.
Kliff Kingsbury’s playcalling has not helped. Over the past four games, Kingsbury has utilized his running backs only 29% of the time. Between pass plays, designed runs, and scrambles, 71% of the offense is on Murray’s shoulders. PFF has Murray with the second-highest number of dropbacks with 404, trailing only Tom Brady at 413 with Joe Burrow a distant third at 377.
A compromised Murray is not a good formula, especially when his offensive line is on its eighth different starting lineup or his head coach’s playcalling is imbalanced with a heavy reliance on the passing game.
During Week 8 of the 2020 season, Murray suffered an injury to the AC joint of his throwing shoulder. While he played through it, two weeks later he reaggravated the injury. Afterward, he was marginalized. He was no longer willing to scramble out of the pocket as he had done previously. In the four weeks prior, he averaged 11.5 rushing attempts per game and a passer rating of 99.5. Afterward, he averaged 5 carries per game and his rating dropped to 83.2. He was sacked more in that three-game stretch than any other during the season. Sitting him may have allowed him to heal sooner.
While Colt McCoy is not as fleet afoot as Kyler Murray, he offers something this offense really needs right now. While subbing for an injured Murray, McCoy showed the experience of an 11-year vet. He was able to make presnap reads quickly and was decisive on his deliveries. In the three games he started, he completed 74.7% of his passes, a 101.4 passer rating, and won games against divisional rivals Seattle and San Francisco. With McCoy under center, Arizona’s offense was not flagged for delay of game or burn unnecessary timeouts.
And who knows, maybe with McCoy under center, Kingsbury will finally call on the running game more to take pressure off the quarterback and off the porous pass blocking of the offensive line.
Who knows. Taking a step back to watch the game unfold with a different signal caller under center may also give Murray a different perspective. Sometimes taking a step back is the best way to move forward.
More importantly, though, Murray needs to be able to protect himself. If he’s unable to do that, he could sustain a far worse injury with a more drastic consequence.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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