Rookie Kyler Murray breaks Cardinals QB rushing record
Dec 15, 2019, 3:25 PM | Updated: Dec 16, 2019, 7:22 am
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray broke the Arizona Cardinals’ franchise record for rushing yards with a two-yard rush in the third quarter of his team’s Week 15 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Murray surpassed Hall of Fame quarterback Charley Trippi’s 501 rushing yards set in 1951 for the Chicago Cardinals.
The rookie sits at 504 rushing yards this year with two games remaining.
On Sunday at State Farm Stadium, Murray got the best of fellow Oklahoma product, Heisman-winning quarterback and 2018 No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield. Arizona led 21-10 at the half Sunday at State Farm Stadium behind 207 total yards from Murray.
By the buzzer of the 38-24 win over the Browns, Murray had completed 19 of 25 passes for 219 yards and added eight carries for 56 yards, including a 35-yard burst on the final play of the first quarter to begin what became his team’s second scoring drive of the game.
“O-line played great, obviously the running backs ran the ball well. For me personally, just trying to get the receivers the ball and allow them to do what they do and make plays, and they did that,” Murray said. “I think if I take care of the ball, that just allows us to be in a great position. Our defense played well today, backed us up all day, and I think we just played really good complementary football, which is what you have to do.”
Kyler Murray. Playmaker. 🔥#CLEvsAZ
(Via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/pLqvysWZGt— PFF (@PFF) December 15, 2019
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“I thought I had a chance (to score),” Murray said of the run. “The safety had an angle on me, that’s why I had to cut it back, but we executed that play well.”
Murray’s final throw of the first half caught tight end Dan Arnold, who was making his first appearance for Arizona, in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
The Cardinals went 90 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown drive on the opening possession of the game, then used a Patrick Peterson end zone interception of Mayfield to stave off the Browns on the ensuing drive.
The two teams traded punts, then traded touchdowns before Murray threw an interception that allowed Cleveland to pull within 14-10 via a field goal with 5:23 left in the first half.
His second half was cleaner, as Arizona rode a four-touchdown rushing performance from Kenyan Drake to pull away.
“(Murray) knew the previous weeks we took a lot of negative plays and coming off that bye weren’t playing as in rhythm as we had been previously and needed to get our rhythm back,” Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “He had his best week of practice and I had a feeling he was going to play really well and be efficient, and he was for most of the game.”
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