Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, Kliff Kingsbury explain televised spat on TNF

The Arizona Cardinals had to burn their final timeout of the first half while on the New Orleans Saints’ 2-yard line as the play clock was going to expire.

Quarterback Kyler Murray came back to the sideline hot, and the broadcast caught him yelling at head coach Kliff Kingsbury on his walk over. Online lipreaders deduced that Murray was telling Kingsbury to calm down.

The TNF cameras picked up some K1 frustration after the Cardinals burned their last timeout of the half. pic.twitter.com/59iY5Nvmsg

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) October 21, 2022

Murray continued after he reached the sideline, and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins — in his first game back from suspension — stepped in between the two as a peacemaker.

“I mean, that was just one of those things on the field,” Kingsbury said postgame. “We had a difference of opinion.”

Hopkins put his arm around Murray as the conversation cooled.

Murray said postgame that Kingsbury was animated on the sideline and he wanted his head coach to calm himself.

“He’s really animated over there on the sidelines sometimes, so it’s ‘calm down, we’re good, we’re gonna make it right,'” Murray said. “We ended up scoring so that was good. That’s all I was saying, ‘chill out.'”

Kingsbury told reporters that he likes showing emotion and that those exchanges with Murray are a positive. He felt that as competitors intensity drives the two forward.

Thursday was not the first time Murray and Kingsbury have engaged in a spirited conversation during a game, but Murray said he did not feel that it affected him or his head coach.

“Doesn’t faze me, I don’t think it fazes him,” Murray said. “I think it was just, like I said, we’re just trying to win. In the moment type of thing, after that we’re good.”

The Cardinals responded well, scoring a touchdown on the very next play. Rookie running back Keaontay Ingram punched the ball in for his first career touchdown.

The Cardinals benefitted from a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns at the end of the half and went into the break up 28-14.

The Cardinals won the game 42-34.

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