THE STORY: Jets linebacker Quincy Williams looked as if he was shot out of a cannon, and drilled Kyler Murray from behind, rocking the Cardinals quarterback and sending Murray’s helmet flying across the grass.
How Murray held on to the football was hard to fathom. Even Murray admitted after the game Sunday, “I don’t know. I was thinking the same thing,” although technically, Murray did briefly lose the ball underneath him as he hit the ground.
When Murray got up after the play, he wore a small smile. He wasn’t hurt. He didn’t get up slowly. He did hand the ball to James Conner for a 7-yard gain on the next play, then stood in the pocket before finding Trey McBride for 13 yards and then throwing a beautiful 9-yard touchdown fade to Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Jets hit Murray as hard as they could have. Yet it was a small speed bump in Murray’s dominant performance in the Cardinals’ 31-6 obliteration of the Jets at State Farm Stadium Monday.
The Cardinals are 6-4, and head into their bye week alone atop the NFC West with seven games to play riding a four-game winning streak.
“I was kind of confused,” Murray said, chuckling while recalling the play. “I was standing up one moment and I was on the ground the next moment.
“I don’t know how my team took it, I don’t know how my guys took it, but for me, to continue to fight and put the ball in the end zone, that’s all my mind was on. I could care less about the hit.”
Murray completed his final 17 passes in a row, a franchise record, breaking the mark of 16 straight by Carson Palmer set over two games in 2017. He completed 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and the TD, ran in two more touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over. He became the first player in NFL history to complete at least 85 percent of his passes for at least 250 yards and also rush for two touchdowns.
The hit he took was but a blip.
“I think you saw the stat line,” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “The quarterback was the best player on the planet today.”
Murray wasn’t the only one. Tight end Trey McBride continued to shine, including an electric third-down conversion that included yet another highlight hurdle. Running back James Conner was held to 33 yards rushing, but he had 80 yards receiving and the Cardinals still outrushed the Jets, 147 to 79.
Offensively, the Cardinals piled up 28 first downs in a complete performance. It didn’t even need to be that good, since the Cardinals held the Jets (3-7) without a touchdown, the third straight home game the Cards have done that – the first time the franchise achieved that since 1926.
Aaron Rodgers, who only had 151 yards passing, didn’t even surpass the 100-yard mark until less than 10 minutes remained in the game.
“We just try to do better every week,” defensive lineman Naquan Jones said. “We want to be resilient. We want to make teams earn every inch. Now we just have to keep it going.”
Rodgers – who called the game “just disappointing” — will eventually make the Hall of Fame. Whether Canton eventually calls Murray is a discussion for far down the road, but playing like he did Sunday certainly adds to his argument of being top five in the league right now.
“I just saw (Kyler’s) helmet gone and my first thought was, ‘I gotta get him up,'” left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. said. “He didn’t say anything. I think most people in his situation would’ve been complaining, would’ve been in their feelings. He just got right back up, he put his helmet on, and we kept rolling like nothing happened.”
Said running back James Conner, “It juiced us up.”
Murray downplayed his own play on Sunday. He said he only got the ball into the hands of his teammates where they could be effective, and he again – sack excluded – looked ultra-calm in the pocket.
“I have no secret sauce for getting in the zone,” Murray said. He emphasized he only made the simple plays.
That meant for a second straight game the Cardinals played out the string in the fourth quarter without a worry. It meant backup quarterback Clayton Tune played for more than four minutes of game clock so Murray could get out of the game.
It meant the Cardinals are playing exactly the kind of football they want to be playing 10 games into the season. Even if the quarterback briefly had to deal with getting blasted.
“I’m kind of glad it happened,” Murray said. “Felt good. … I don’t get hit too often. It was kind of an adrenaline rush. It’s a physical, violent game. I appreciate it.”
The Cardinals, in turn, appreciated everything Murray did for them on Sunday.
