ARIZONA CARDINALS

Cardinals offense slow out the gate in Kyler Murray’s first career start

Sep 8, 2019, 2:58 PM

(Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)...

(Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It wasn’t the start most Arizona Cardinals fans had in mind to start the Kyler Murray era.

Heading into the locker room down 17-3 to the Detroit Lions, the Cardinals offense couldn’t find much success early on.

As a team, the Cardinals mustered just 58 yards of total offense and three first downs, while Murray finished the opening half throwing for 41 yards and an interception on 6-of-16 passing. He was sacked twice, added six yards on the ground and had three balls batted down.

The Lions didn’t give the team much breathing room in the first quarter.

Starting consecutive drives inside their own 10-yard line, Murray and the offense sputtered deep in their own territory.

In nine plays of offense over the two drives combined, the team managed just nine yards and a lone first down.

The early struggles were capped off on the second drive, as a scrambling Murray committed his first turnover of the season, throwing an interception.

The second quarter didn’t provide much relief, either.

The Lions, who were held to zero points in the first quarter, found their footing in the second, adding a field goal and a deep touchdown pass to give Detroit a 10-0 advantage.

The Cardinals continued to fall behind offensively.

Netting just 30 yards on 17 plays, the Cardinals could not get the offense rolling, settling for a field goal deep in Lions territory near the end of the half.

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