National Football League

Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray enters NFL MVP conversation with hot start

Published Sep. 19, 2021 11:06 p.m. ET

The Kyler Murray Show is getting rave reviews so far in 2021.

And thanks to a fortunate escape Sunday, Murray's heroics have the Arizona Cardinals off to a 2-0 start as one of the league's most pleasant surprises.

Arizona escaped a barn-burner with Minnesota in Week 2, holding on for a 34-33 victory after Vikings kicker Greg Joseph missed a 37-yard field goal that would have won the game on the final play. But despite the Cardinals' defensive shortcomings, Murray was virtually unstoppable Sunday.

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The third-year quarterback threw for 400 yards on 29-for-36 passing, with three TD passes. The only blemishes on Murray's day were his two interceptions.

He was the singular catalyst behind a number of his team's biggest plays, including this dart on the run to Rondale Moore to close the first half:

That pitch-and-catch was good for 77 yards, but it might not have been the best thing Murray did all day.

How about this perfectly placed completion after he threw the ball off his back foot amidst a zero-blitz?

Or him buying time with an effortless display of patience and pocket savvy for his team's first TD of the afternoon?

Murray is looking like he has taken a giant leap forward in the early part of the season.

Through two games, he has thrown for 689 yards with a completion rate of 73.1% and seven TD passes. His passing yards and touchdown totals both rank second league-wide, and he has put up gaudy numbers while remaining uber-efficient, with a quarterback rating of 119.3.

Murray's the only quarterback with five passing TDs and two rushing scores so far this season, and he is one of just three QBs with a 400-yard game under his belt.

The Cardinals are better for it. Fueled by Murray's heroics, Arizona has been one of just two teams to score more than 30 points in each of its matchups. The Cards are also one of three squads to win two games against 2020 playoff teams.

Arizona currently shares first place in the NFC West with the Rams (2-0) and 49ers (2-0), and with the division sporting an overall record of 7-1, this race should go down to the wire.

If Murray continues to play this well, he also has a good chance to be part of the MVP conversation down the stretch.

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