CARDINALS CORNER
Kliff Kingsbury expects Kyler Murray, Hollywood Brown to play vs. Chargers
Nov 25, 2022, 2:54 PM | Updated: 6:18 pm
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray tosses a pass to WR Hollywood Brown on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Tempe. (Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)
(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)
TEMPE — Could it finally be the week? When DeAndre Hopkins, Kyler Murray and Hollywood Brown all take the field on game day?
For the first time all year, the trio is healthy enough to start when the Arizona Cardinals face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
When looking at Murray, who missed the past two games with a hamstring issue, it all came down to getting him back to full go.
Check.
“Looks good, looks that way,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Friday when asked if Murray was playing Sunday. “He’s had a good week, he had some full-speed reps today and looked sharp. We’re excited.”
“We had talked about (holding him out until the bye), but obviously he was anxious to get back and he feels great,” the head coach added. “He feels 100%. If there was anything less than that we would have maybe waited, but he feels full go so we’re going to get him going.”
Brown (foot), on the other hand, looked like he could have made the Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City given his practice load and the burst he had on the field.
Kingsbury feels good about Brown’s chances at suiting up this week on game day. Fellow wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, meanwhile, is planning on seeing both Brown and Murray suit up in Week 12.
“Obviously having Hollywood Brown out there helps,” Hopkins said when talking about the Chargers secondary on Friday. “Just stretching the field, he does some special things that you can’t coach.
“For us, it’s about being precise. Obviously, not having Kyler out there two games. Not a lot of practice, so just being precise for him.”
The next move in Brown’s revival in the offense is for the Cardinals to activate him off the injured reserve/designated to return list before the game.
It’s not all good news, though, with wide receiver Greg Dortch considered a game-day decision with a thumb injury that required an MRI.
Kingsbury said the ailment is more of a pain tolerance than anything else and it will come down to if he can catch or not on Sunday.
If he can’t go, Kingsbury feels comfortable rolling out recently signed Pharoh Cooper or Andre Baccellia.
Cooper returns to the fold after playing under Kingsbury in 2019. Baccellia has played in five games this season for Arizona.
“Those guys have been in the offense before and they understand it,” Kingsbury said.
