Kyler Murray frustrated yet encouraged by Cardinals’ loss to Lions

GLENDALE — Don’t get it twisted. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is not about moral victories. If they don’t show up in the win column, they’re not for him.

But while Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions moves his team to 1-2 on the year, Murray is keeping his head up knowing the Cardinals went toe-to-toe with a playoff contender despite leaving so much out there.

“Losing’s frustrating, but honestly, I’m encouraged because I know what could have been in that game and I know how things didn’t go our way,” Murray said postgame. “I’m excited, because of the opportunity out there. That’s a good football team and we had a lot of opportunities to make something happen and win that game. … I’m excited for the road ahead.”

“I know what this team’s capable of and that’s the exciting part. That’s all it comes down to,” the QB added. “I know what we’re capable of and the level we have in that locker room. We just didn’t make enough plays today. I know those plays are out there to be made and we will make them.”

The most glaring issue for the Cardinals offense Sunday afternoon was the lack of an established rushing attack after entering the week as one of the top ground threats in the NFL.

Starter James Conner was nowhere near his typical workload, registering just nine carries for 19 yards and no scores. He also had an eight-yard catch.

When Conner has gotten fewer than 10 carries in a game, Arizona is a dismal 2-7.

It wasn’t just him, though, as Arizona’s run game recorded only 77 yards on 18 attempts. Forty-five of those yards came courtesy of Murray.

And with the run game sputtering along, the onus was on Murray that much more to make something happen through the air.

Unfortunately, Murray couldn’t replicate — or get close to — his perfect passer rating from a week prior, throwing for 207 yards, a touchdown and one interception on 61.8% passing.

That pick marked another one of those opportunities Murray and the Cardinals couldn’t cash in on.

Down 20-10 early on in the third quarter, the Cardinals were threatening to put points on the board with a second-and-three look on Detroit’s 36-yard line.

But instead of picking up the first down on short yardage, Murray opted to go for it all in the form of a jump ball in double coverage to rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

The force job didn’t pay off, with safety Kerby Joseph corralling the pass for an interception in the end zone. Even with just a field goal, the Cardinals could have made it a one score game that drive.

Kyler Murray said the Cardinals’ Week 3 loss to the Lions was just about not executing.

He also said it was “probably not the right time” to force the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. on his interception. pic.twitter.com/z9ELSeKsA7

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 23, 2024

“We did it quite a few times today and we just didn’t connect and that’s the game,” Murray said of his connection with Harrison. “If you’re going to come up and play man one-on-one, we got to beat them one-on-one. We did it sometimes, just didn’t do it enough.

“I didn’t have a blemish on my record throughout the three games and to throw it up, that one stung, especially since I felt like we were going to score on that drive,” the QB added. “To end it like that, it sucks.”

There was at least one play, though, that wasn’t on Murray or any other Cardinals for that matter.

What first looked like a Mack Wilson Sr. pick-6 ended up being a dead play due to the two-minute warning.

Upon further review, it appeared the Lions snapped the ball just before the clock hit 2:00. But with the play already blown dead by the officials, head coach Jonathan Gannon could throw the challenge flag.

Instead, he watched Detroit rebound from the near turnover for a touchdown.

“I was so in my own zone that when stuff like that happens, I’m usually surprised by it,” Murray said. “I didn’t really understand what was going on at the time … but it is what it is. You can either be frustrated about it or move on.”

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