GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray, eyes up, football in right hand, felt pressure from the right and moved left. The Arizona Cardinals quarterback had running back James Conner open 10 yards in front of him. Murray, however, saw something greater.
He faked a pass to Conner and ran toward the sideline. The only defender between Murray and the end zone was Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson. Murray quickly recognized this for what it was — a mismatch.
“Yeah, if I beat him, I know I should be good,” he said.
It’s rare when an athlete can see a play before it happens, especially at this level. Maybe a receiver knows he will score when he catches a pass at the 15-yard line. When Murray made his move on “Monday Night Football” at State Farm Stadium, he was just inside midfield.
He has done this before. Called his shot. Making it clear that he knows what is about to happen before everyone else. This includes the Los Angeles sideline he was about to run alongside, the defenders on the field and even his teammates. It has to be among the most incredible feelings in sports.
For the 20th time in his career, Kyler Murray has rushed and passed for a touchdown for the Arizona Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/vmd0igQiWD
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) October 22, 2024
After Arizona’s 17-15 win, Murray was asked what it’s like to take off and run, knowing no one on the field will catch you, not from behind and not from across the field. “Yeah, um, it was a good feeling,” said the quarterback, who quickly pivoted and mentioned how great it felt just to put the ball in the end zone.
Murray has his flaws. They have been discussed for most of his six NFL seasons. Some are legit, some are not. But when he takes off, holding the ball out, tauntingly, maybe even carelessly (we’ll discuss this in a second), it’s one of the more exciting plays in the game.
“It’s wild, man,” Arizona linebacker Kyzir White said.
Colson, 6 feet 3 and 247 pounds, darted right, trying to cut off Murray before he turned the corner. He’s no slouch. Leading up to April’s NFL Draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote that Colson moved well laterally and that he accelerates quickly to mirror and make plays outside the numbers.
Not this time.
Colson lunged at the quarterback, sticking out his right hand, but missed. Murray turned the corner. Once he saw this, Conner headed toward the Arizona sideline. He knew it was over. Just to be certain, Murray looked to his right, analyzing the rest of the Chargers’ defense, calculating if it could reach him before he reached the end zone. No chance. Home-run trot. Forty-four yards. The Cardinals took a 14-9 lead with 14 minutes left.
It was an amazing show of athletic ability. It was not textbook, however. When he escapes the pocket, Murray has a habit of holding the ball with one hand away from his body. During his prime, Walter Payton did this, dancing among defenders, the football secured only by the strength of his right hand. Michael Vick often did the same with his left hand.
Coaches have railed against this practice since the days of leather helmets. In 1958, popular coach and scout Andrew Kerr said there’s only one way to carry a football. “And that’s with the point in the palm of the hand,’’ said Kerr, who’s in the College Football Hall of Fame. “And when a back is hit, he ought to hug the ball with both arms.”
In 1981, Alabama coach Bear Bryant gave the media a ball-carrying clinic during his weekly news conference. Bryant picked up a reporter’s tape recorder and demonstrated, holding the device close to his body. He said a football should be carried like a watermelon, not a loaf of bread, pointing out that a loaf of bread cannot be squeezed.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon probably agrees with this. Earlier this season, he was not thrilled when rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., extended his right arm, trying to push the football across the goal line (Harrison succeeded). Asked after Monday’s game about Murray’s habit of holding the football with one hand, Gannon had the perfect response.
“Until he fumbles I’ll let him ride,” he said.
Reporters laughed.
“We do (discuss it with him),” Gannon continued, “but, yeah, that was a pretty spectacular play.”
Murray was later asked if coaches throughout his career have tried to get him to hold the ball tighter. He was also informed of Gannon’s response.
“It’s kind of a … what he said,” Murray said, referring to Gannon’s comments. “Usually, when I’m in traffic, I’m going down anyway so there’s not many opportunities for me to fumble the ball — knock on wood. But, yeah, I know I’m in space — you know, spatial awareness — and if it allows me to run a little faster, then I feel like in-game (Gannon) really can’t tell me what to do on that one.”
James Conner had 19 carries for 101 rushing yards against the Chargers. (Joe Camporeale / Imagn Images)
He said that with a smile. It was a fun night for the Cardinals. Conner not only rushed for 101 yards, he chased down a Los Angeles defender who had intercepted a Murray pass and stripped the football. (Evidently, Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart wasn’t holding the ball tightly, either.) The defense played well, keeping the Chargers to five field goals and nothing more. Chad Ryland kicked the winning field goal from 32 yards.
Arizona improved to 3-4, winning a game it had to have. Murray once again reminded everyone that when he is in the open field, he is among the league’s most dangerous playmakers — regardless of how he holds the football.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)