National Football League

Can Kyler Murray keep up the magic?

Published Sep. 19, 2022 5:35 p.m. ET

Co-Host, SKIP & SHANNON: UNDISPUTED & THE SKIP BAYLESS SHOW

Kyler Murray was dazzling in the Cardinals' comeback overtime victory over the Raiders on Sunday.

The Pro Bowl quarterback made a pair of miracle plays on two-point conversions, using his legs to get into the end zone on one and completing a pass in a tight window to A.J. Green on another. The latter tied the game at 23 with no time remaining, sending the game to overtime, where the Cardinals won on a Raiders fumble that turned into a scoop-and-score.

Murray finished the game with 277 passing yards and added 28 rushing yards, two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and an interception.

Still, despite the dazzling display from Murray, which included running the ball into the end zone as time expired prior to the two-point conversion, FOX Sports' Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless weren't overly impressed with his performance in Sunday's game.

Sharpe noted that Murray's first-half struggles put the Cardinals in a 20-0 hole while citing the injury issues that Murray has previously had as the season wears on.

"He only passed for 53 yards in the first half, with zero points," Sharpe said on Monday's "Undisputed." "Here's the thing that's concerning: We haven't even gotten to the halfway point [of the season]. What have we seen in Kyler Murray's career once we've gotten to the halfway point? His numbers [go down]. His body starts to [get hurt]. He gets dinged. He gets nicked.

"I'm not ready to say ‘Kyler's back!' or ‘The Cardinals are back!’ Talk to me in Week 12 and see if Kyler Murray's still healthy and [playing well]."

Over the past two seasons, Murray has performed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league in the first half of year. With Murray's MVP-level performance during those stretches, the Cardinals sat atop the NFC West heading into the second half of the season. Both times, Murray and Arizona faltered, missing the playoffs in 2020 and losing in the first round of the postseason in 2021.

Sharpe also believes Sunday's game turned into a matchup that suits Murray's strengths. He wants to see how Murray performs in a different setting, too.

"This was backyard football," Sharpe said. " … It just got to a situation where he had to play backyard football. He ran the play [on one of the two-point conversions] 80 yards and the play took 20 seconds. I've never ever seen a play take that long to happen.

" … He takes off running and he goes over here, then he goes over there — it's like, really? This is NFL football and we've got a guy out here playing like it's Pop Warner, like it's peewee. But that's what he does. That's what he's capable of doing. … But his health and his size are still a concern for me."

Bayless agreed with Sharpe's assessment of Murray, adding, "There's no man on Earth that's better at backyard football than Kyler Murray."

Bayless added that although Murray has a video game-like talent, it's not built to last an entire 17-game regular season and potentially, through the playoffs.

"What do I know about Kyler? I love him," Bayless said. "He should've been the first pick of the draft. He's made the last two Pro Bowls. But I cannot defend what's happened down the stretch over two straight years. It mainly happened because he's stout, but he's small.

"If you're going to run as much as he does, you're going to take too many licks and you're going to get nicked. You're not going to be quite as electric down the stretch. So, you're not going to be able to make any plays like you are right now because he's fresh."