The idea of rust being a factor for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals was certainly on the table for Sunday’s game against the Bears. It was on the table for good reason. The Cardinals had yet to win after the Bye-Week under Kliff Kingsbury. They had not won at all after the Bye-Week since 2016. Not to mention, Kyler Murray and Deandre Hopkins had missed the previous 3 games. It had been 38 total days since Kyler and D-Hop had last played a football game. To top it all off, it was a frigid day on the shore of Lake Michigan at Soldier Field.
The best part, none of that seemed to matter. Clearly it was not Kyler’s most dynamic day in terms of passing. He only threw 15 passes for 123 yards. However, he still had 2 passing Touchdowns, including a dime of a throw to Hopkins in the first quarter on 4th down. The conditions called for a more run-heavy game. James Connor rushed for 75 yards and Kyler rushed for another 59 yards with 2 more touchdowns on the ground.
It was not the crispest game the Cardinals have played this season. Andy Dalton helped their cause by throwing 4 total interceptions and giving tremendous field position to Arizona. However, in the end the Cardinals had another game scoring over 30 points (their 9th such game of the year) and won their 7th straight game on the road (all by double digits).
The main takeaway is that Kyler is back and he is healthy. As great as Colt McCoy played in Kyler’s absence, this team will only go as far as Kyler takes them. For that, Kyler needs to be as close to 100% healthy as possible. This game showed that Kyler is back with little to no rust. He appears rested and rearing to lead this team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
The Arizona Cardinals have the chance to effectively clinch the NFC West next Monday with a win against the Rams. Additionally, they have a chance to clinch a playoff birth for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals got the monkey off their back by beating the Rams earlier this year, which should give them confidence heading into this week. They are the team leading the pack and the Rams are the team attempting to find their way in the NFC playoff picture. If the Cardinals can correct their home games woes this season, there is no reason we shouldn’t be celebrating a Cardinals playoff birth with eyes on thee #1 seed in the NFC this time next week.
As Kyler goes, the Cardinals go. And the Cardinals look ready to go.