Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s 2-point scramble helps force OT vs. Raiders
Sep 18, 2022, 4:38 PM | Updated: Sep 20, 2022, 12:48 pm
Despite trailing the Las Vegas Raiders for most of Sunday afternoon, quarterback Kyler Murray breathed some serious life into the Arizona Cardinals offense.
After struggling to find consistency throughout the matchup, Arizona’s offense manufactured a nine-play, 54-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown by Darrel Williams.
But it was the way the Cardinals got to the goal line that got people talking.
Staring at 4th-and-4 on the Raiders’ 25-yard line, Murray aired one out to wide receiver Hollywood Brown.
The wideout did the rest, making a one-handed circus catch around a defender before being ruled down on the 1-yard line.
HOLLYWOOD making it look EASY.@Primetime_jet x #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/6m8ViZyJam
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 18, 2022
Then came the two-point try.
Looking to make it a one-score game, Arizona turned to Murray once more to convert. And that he did.
Turning a blown play into points, Murray went into video-game mode, making multiple defenders miss before running it in himself to trim Las Vegas’ lead to just eight.
The play took an unreal 20.8 seconds from snap to score. Murray traveled a total of 84.9 yards. Per Next Gen Stats, it’s the most distance traveled by an offensive ball carrier on a two-point conversion attempt in the service’s history.
Kyler Murray traveled 84.9 yards on his successful two-point conversion scramble, the most distance traveled by an offensive ball-carrier on a two-point conversion attempt in the NGS era (since 2016).#AZvsLV | @AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/tGeZvMgjdn
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 18, 2022
“The defensive linemen were so tired,” offensive lineman Justin Pugh told Cardinals sideline reporter Paul Calvisi postgame on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. “I was just looking in their eyes and they’re like trying to run back and forth.
“They have no idea where he was at. we’re just trying to set up and shield and Kyler just made an unbelievable play. You get the ball in his hands and magical things are going to happen.”
From there, the Cardinals looked reenergized, with the defense making a stop to give Arizona one last shot at taking things to overtime.
Starting at their own 27-yard line, the Cardinals drove down to the Raiders’ 3-yard line with a little help from a Las Vegas holding call in the end zone.
And much like the two-point conversion, Murray turned to his feet once more, turning a 4th-and-3 into points.
A successful two-point conversion try later and Arizona did not look back as it headed into overtime, securing the 29-23 victory behind a Byron Murphy Jr. fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
“Our guys just refused to lose,” Kingsbury told Cardinals sideline reporter Paul Calvisi after the game on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. “Kyler I thought went into that mode where he’s like, ‘Just give me the ball and I’m going to make it all happen’ and he did. He has that ability and just really proud of his effort.
“Had some tough plays that didn’t go our way but he never blinked and kept wanting the ball in his hands. The stat line isn’t as great as he’s going to have in his career but it was one of the best games he’ll probably ever play based on competitive spirit.”
