Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray returns from ACL injury
Kyler Murray is expected to start his first game of the season this weekend as quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals after recovering from a serious knee injury.
The Cardinals (1-8) host the Atlanta Falcons (4-5) on Sunday. Although Murray is expected to play in Week 10, the Cardinals are +1.5 favorites at home against the Falcons.
The Falcons are one of the worst betting teams in the NFL this season, going 2-7 against the spread. Considering the Cardinals have won just one game this season, their betting record is 4-5 ATS.
Murray suffered a non-contact knee injury against the New England Patriots in December and underwent reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL in January.
"I'm kind of deadpan," Murray said at a recent press conference.“Don’t try to get too high, try to get too low. It’s been a long, long 10 months.”
Murray takes over for the Cardinals after a six-game losing streak. The Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 after losing close games in their first two games of the season. The win against Dallas was their first and only win of the season.
The Cardinals shook up the team this offseason. They fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury and parted ways with general manager Steve Keim. They hired former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to replace Kingsbury. They also hired Monty Ossenfort as their new general manager.
Cardinals QB Shuffle
The Cardinals changed quarterbacks before the start of the regular season. Veteran Colt McCoy started two preseason games before the Cardinals went in a different direction at quarterback. The Cardinals traded McCoy with the Cleveland Browns before the season began and acquired Josh Dobbs.
Dobbs went 1-7 as a starter before the Cardinals traded him to the Minnesota Vikings after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles.
Rookie Clayton Thune is the backup quarterback behind Dobbs. Thune made his first start in Week 9 after Dobbs was traded to the Twins. Thune struggled in his NFL debut last week as the Browns beat the Cardinals 27-0.
Thune will return to a backup role in Week 10, with Murray set to start.
Without Murray, the Cardinals offense ranks fifth in the NFL, averaging 16.8 points per game. Their offense through the air is averaging just 162.7 yards per game, which ranks second in the NFL.
The New York Giants recently lost quarterback Daniel Jones to an ACL injury and are the only team averaging fewer passing yards (155.0) than the Cardinals.
Murray is desperate to return to the starting lineup and justify his hefty salary. Before the start of the 2022 season, Murray signed a five-year contract extension worth $230.5 million.
Murray excited to retire from injured reserve
Murray gets a chance to play his first game under Gannon. Former head coach Kingsbury and Murray clashed multiple times during their tenure.
“We see things the same way,” Murray said of Gannon. "The competitive spirit is there and he loves the game. I know he loves the game. He understands the game. We just agree."
Gannon wants fans to be cautious and not expect Murray to look like his old self in his first game.
We have to be prepared and understand that it may not look like Keller, and he has good expectations for that," Gannon told reporters Monday.
In his first four seasons at Arizona, Murray started 54 games and compiled a 25-31-1 record. Over the course of his career, Murray tallied 84 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing touchdowns.
Before his injury last season, Murray threw for 14 touchdowns and 2,368 yards in 11 games. He had a completion rate of 66.4% and threw seven interceptions. He also rushed for three touchdowns.
Murray threw for at least 3,700 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his first three seasons. In 2020, Murray had the best season of his career with 3,971 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. He also scored 11 rushing touchdowns and gained 819 yards on 133 carries this season.
The Cardinals selected Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a two-sport star in Oklahoma and was also drafted by the Oakland Athletics. He decided to join the NFL rather than languish in the A's minor league system.
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