GLENDALE, Ariz. — Maybe it was because Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray came back three plays after getting his helmet knocked off on a sack to throw a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder touchdown to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Maybe it was because Murray had two rushing touchdowns — waltzing into the end zone after a masterful play-action on one and slithering between two New York Jets defenders on the other.
Maybe it was because he completed 17 straight passes to set a Cardinals record. Maybe it was because Murray became the first player in NFL history to complete 85% of his passes with 250 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Or maybe it was because of all of it that coach Jonathan Gannon heaped a world’s worth of praise on Murray after he led the Cardinals to a dismantling of the Jets 31-6 on Sunday at State Farm Stadium for their fourth win in a row and their fifth in the past six games.
“I think the quarterback was the best player on the planet today,” Gannon said. “And, so, kudos to him.”
There was little Murray did wrong Sunday under an open roof during a perfect fall afternoon. Even a fumbled snap in the second quarter went his way, when the officials called the play dead, and the down was replayed. After he missed a pass to tight end Trey McBride in the end zone late in the first quarter, Murray didn’t miss again.
He ran in a 1-yard touchdown on the next play after the Cardinals stacked the offensive line to the right with three extra blockers and then left guard Evan Brown pulled to the right to add a fourth, making the Jets crash on the line, thinking running back James Conner had the ball and was going to his right. Except Murray pulled off the play-action fake and ran it in to the left untouched.
From there, Murray was 12-for-12 for 99 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter, 4-for-4 for 61 yards in the third and 1-for-1 for 6 yards in the fourth.
“The guys did a hell of a job up front,” Murray said. “My job was just put the ball in their hands and let them do what they do and try to get completions and that’s what I did today. I try to just keep it as simple as possible and the guys, they made plays.
“They made plays for me all day and it’s great to go out there and feel the way we felt today to be able to execute. It felt like no matter what they did, we had a good day today offensively.”
Murray completed 91.7% of his passes, the second-highest percentage in Cardinals history, behind only Kurt Warner’s 92.3% in Week 2 of the 2009 season. It was the first time Murray has completed 90% of his passes in the NFL, and the fourth time he has reached 70% in a game this season.
Wide receiver Zach Pascal said Murray’s consistency is trickling down to the rest of the team.
“You can’t ask for much better than that,” left tackle Paris Johnson said. “To have him back there under complete control of the game and his rhythm, that’s exciting to have, especially up front.
“I know all five of us were happy to have him in his rhythm, being able to make plays on his feet and in the air.”
When asked if this is the best he has played in a while, Murray hinted at why he’s having these types of performances.
“I told you this is the best I felt,” Murray said. “Obviously, the game being taken away from you and being in a system like this, the attention to detail, I say it all the time with [offensive coordinator] Drew [Petzing], the way he communicates it, there’s no gray area.
“We’re on the same page and Year 2 being in the system, I just feel good. The game slowed down. Obviously, it’s my sixth year in the league, so I just continue try to take it one day at a time and continue to play well.”
Part of Murray’s success Sunday was due to him not having to do it all, Gannon said. But when Murray had the ball, Gannon descried him as “electric.”
“When he has the ball in his hands, as a defensive guy, anytime he gets a snap you’re hanging onto your you-know-what,” Gannon said. “And I thought he was lights-out today.”
Murray also showed a side of him that people don’t often see. On first-and-10 from the Jets’ 21, he got blindsided by Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams on a sack that caused Murray’s helmet to pop off. At first, the sight was scary, leaving the crowd of 64,030 uncertain of what had just happened. But the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year popped back up, put his helmet on, gave a thumbs-up and carried on without missing a beat.
Murray said he was initially confused after the hit because he didn’t see Williams coming, but while he was on the ground he knew he had to keep the ball secured. Even after the game, Murray still didn’t know how he held on to the ball.
“It happened so fast,” he said.
But Murray said he liked the hit.
“I’m kind of glad it happened,” he said. “It felt good.”
He later clarified: “I don’t get the opportunity to get hit like that many times. I don’t want to get hit like that many times, but it juiced everybody up in a sense and I’m glad nothing bad came out of it. So, yeah, it was a good thing.”
Gannon said it’s not a “good look” when the quarterback gets hit that hard, but said the way he rebounded, throwing a dart to McBride two plays later and then the touchdown to Harrison on the play after, spoke to Murray’s toughness.
“Just talks about his resiliency and his playmaking, his mental stamina, his competitive stamina, his mental toughness,” Gannon said. “Guy’s a baller, man.”
Showing that side of him was another facet of the play for Murray, right tackle Kelvin Beachum said.
“He’s always been a competitor, but I think being able to see that live and in person, many people haven’t seen that out of him,” Beachum said. “So being able to see that is special.”
The Cardinals head to their bye week at 6-4 before the final seven games, including four NFC West contests. ESPN Analytics has their strength of schedule ranked as the fourth easiest in the NFL.
Gannon said: “The season starts now.” And Murray added that Arizona is “not satisfied.”
The offense is headed upward, Beachum said.
“I think there’s still meat left on the bone, to be honest with you, but I think we’re trending in the right direction,” he said. “I think this is a great place for us to be currently going into the bye, knowing that we still can clean up some things and then we got to get ready to go on this push competing for division title and finding a way to put our name in the pot to be in the playoffs.”