Gannon says Kyler Murray is the Cardinals’ starting QB when healthy. Should he be?

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett put together an impressive afternoon filling in for an injured Kyler Murray in a 31-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

As far as Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is concerned, though, the starting role is still very much Murray’s when healthy.

“He’s the starting quarterback,” Gannon told reporters postgame, leaving little up to the imagination.

Sticking with the franchise quarterback which Gannon and Co. hitched their wagon to in 2023 isn’t all that surprising. Murray is the incumbent signal caller and making a pretty penny after all.

But after watching Brissett go to work against a legit Colts defense that was allowing less than 20 points per game, a conversation should at least be had.

Now, before we dive into anything, Brissett is not the answer for the future of the franchise. He’s in Year 10 and is a backup for a reason.

In the short term? That’s another story.

Completing 27 of his 44 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns to one interception, Brissett clearly had the trust of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to air it out. The veteran hung around the pocket and delivered even when Colts pressure was bearing down.

The end result was the best day Arizona has had offensively this season behind 400 yards of total offense, a 64% third-down conversion rate (9-of-14) and 25 first downs.

For comparison, the Cardinals entered play this week averaging 288.6 yards of total offense and 20.6 points per game. They were 39.7% on third down.

Brissett also spread the love around, with eight Cardinals recording at least one reception. Doing so opened up the door for more explosives, with six different pass catchers recording at least one snag of at least 20 yards. That’s one area of the Cardinals offense that has been lagging greatly.

Before Sunday’s game, Arizona had just seven passing plays of at least 20 yards through the first five weeks of the season.

The other part of the equation? Arizona’s run game wasn’t all that great with just 88 yards and a score on 24 carries.

Brissett was getting it done even when the Colts had a good idea of Arizona’s game plan.

“I thought the guys stepped up and made plays when it was time for them to make plays” pic.twitter.com/j5jGRoGefY

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 12, 2025

“I came to the sideline. I don’t know if it was Kyler or (Kedon Slovis), he was like, ‘I can see you see it,'” Brissett told reporters postgame. “It just goes back to the preparation. A lot of the things that you talk about the whole week and you prepare for it and it just came to fruition. I thought the guys stepped up and made plays when it was time for them to make plays.”

The conversation between Brissett and Murray unsurprisingly spread like wildfire given the former’s undeniable impact on Sunday.

And given Murray’s updated injury diagnosis, fans could get another sampling of the Brissett-led offense to help formulate their opinions.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there’s a possibility Murray misses more than just one game with what is a version of a Lisfranc injury.

If Brissett goes out and competes well against a tough Green Bay Packers team next week, the temperature around Arizona’s starting quarterback situation is only going to increase heading into the bye week.

Remember, the tape doesn’t lie.

Related

Rapid reactions: Cardinals' upset bid on the road falls short vs. ColtsCardinals' near-upset of Colts brings new kind of problem to ArizonaJacoby Brissett, Cardinals nearly stun Colts in Week 6 lossCardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. leaves Colts game with concussionCardinals' Travis Vokolek carted off with neck injury vs. ColtsJeremiyah Love listed as RB2 on Cardinals’ 1st depth chart of preseason