With Kyler Murray at the top of his game, the Cardinals proved they can be a good team

Updated Sep. 16, 2024 7:39 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray recently turned 27, but he brushed off a suggestion during preseason camp that he might be creeping toward veteran status in the NFL.

“I'm still young,” he said, grinning.

Not really. But honestly, that's a very good thing for the Arizona Cardinals.

Now in his sixth season, the former No. 1 overall pick is at the top of his game. His performance in Sunday's 41-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams was one of the best of his career. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 59 yards.

He's making great decisions. He's making great throws. He's got a solid offensive line blocking for him. He's got a second-year coach in Jonathan Gannon who believes in him.

Life is pretty good these days.

“Great game," Murray said on Sunday. "Marvelous work out there. Great team effort on offense, defense and special teams. We had a great week of practice. I expect to come out here and play like this when you’ve prepared and you’ve got a great feel for it.”

Murray wasn't the only player who had a big day. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his first two NFL touchdown passes and had 130 yards receiving. James Conner ran for 122 yards.

The Cardinals (1-1) are a work in progress, but the win was an important step against an NFC West rival that's given them loads of trouble over the past decade. The Cardinals had lost nine straight at home to the Rams.

For a franchise that endured back-to-back 4-13 seasons in 2022 and 2023, it was a positive sign.

What's working

The Cardinals' defense isn't filled with a lot of well-known names, but it cobbled together an effective performance. Arizona put pressure on Matthew Stafford with five sacks after having just 33 last season, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL. They're very good at safety with Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson and have a strong group of linebackers, led by Kyzir White and Mack Wilson.

What needs help

The Murray-to-Harrison combination looks like it could be dynamite as the two touchdowns showed on Sunday. But there are still some chemistry issues to work out. All of Murray's four incompletions came on Harrison targets. Both players say they're just now beginning to understand how to best play with each other.

“We left a lot of meat on the bone,” Gannon said.

Stock up

Edge rusher Dennis Gardeck had one of the best games of his career with three sacks, providing the kind of consistent pressure on an opposing quarterback that the team has sorely missed over the past year. The 30-year-old is a fan favorite in the desert, making the team in 2018 as an undrafted free agent after playing in college at Sioux Falls (South Dakota), a Division II school at the time. He worked his way up, beginning as a special teams ace before developing into a starter.

Stock down

Receiver Greg Dortch had a quiet day with two catches for 11 yards, but that's mostly because Murray has so many options that someone is going to be left out each week. Baker got turned around on one of the Rams' few big gains, losing the ball in the air before recovering to make the tackle.

Injuries

Gannon said the Cardinals came out of Sunday fairly healthy. Rookie DL Darius Robinson (calf) has to miss at least two more games before he's eligible to come off injured reserve.

Key number

31 — The 41-10 final score was the biggest margin of victory for the Cardinals since 2016, when they beat the Rams 44-6.

Next steps

The Cardinals host another tough opponent in the Detroit Lions on Sunday. It's the second game of three straight at State Farm Stadium.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

share

in this topic

Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals

National Football League

James Conner

Kyler Murray

Los Angeles Rams

Arizona Cardinals