Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray ranked as top 10 explosive rusher for Next Gen Stats

Even though Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has only 59 carries this season, Next Gen Stats (NGS) ranks him in a fifth-place tie for most explosive rusher this season.

The Cardinals’ quarterback has had some fumble issues this season but has made the most of his rushing attempts otherwise. His 6.1 yards per carry on 6.6 attempts per game are both the second-highest of his career.

As a result, NGS gave Murray an explosive score grade of and 81 — tied with running backs Nick Chubb and Kenneth Walker.

Murray has reached a top speed of 15-plus mph on a staggering 72.9 percent of his carries this season. For context, Justin Fields ranks second in the NFL at 51.6 percent (min. 50 carries) and is the only other player to reach that speed on at least 50 percent of his rushes. Murray’s speed has led to some big gains as well, as he ranks fourth in the NFL with +2.8 rushing yards over expected per carry (min. 50 carries).

The fourth-year quarterback is Arizona’s leading rusher through nine games this season, putting up 60 more yards on 11 fewer carries than running back Eno Benjamin.

If the Cardinals hope to save their season, they’ll need Murray to stay healthy and maintain his consistency as a runner.

However, it’ll be tough to do that this week against the Los Angeles Rams, as Murray turned up on the injury report with a hamstring injury.