GLENDALE, Ariz. — The game was over, but the Arizona Cardinals had one final chance to cut the margin, to make it more respectable, to at least leave State Farm Stadium on a decent note.
Kyler Murray rolled right. He had no chance. The Seattle pass rush caught him almost immediately. As the Arizona quarterback tried to escape, he lost his left shoe. Murray fell to the turf. Time expired. The Seahawks celebrated a 30-18 win. The Cardinals (6-7) dropped their third game in a row.
Running back James Conner picked up Murray’s shoe and handed it to him. The quarterback stood for a few seconds, watching players from both sides come together at midfield. Murray then started walking toward the other end of the stadium. He felt like he had let down his teammates. His walk reflected the emotion.
Nearly a month ago, the Cardinals entered their off week in first place in the NFC West, flexing the confidence that comes from a four-game win streak. Smart voices within the sport started to mention Murray as a potential MVP candidate, a quarterback finally finding his place. But the NFL is a cruel place. Greatness is difficult to sustain. As Arizona slumped, the MVP talk faded, replaced by a question that has dogged Murray throughout his six NFL seasons.
Is he the right guy?
Holding the shoe in his left hand, Murray embraced teammate Trey McBride, who had caught seven passes for 70 yards. He greeted a Seattle coach. Photographers hustled in front of Murray, squatted and snapped photos. More than halfway to the locker room, Murray leaned over and removed his right shoe. He walked the rest of the way in socks.
On Nov. 10, after Arizona dominated the New York Jets, coach Jonathan Gannon opened his postgame news conference by discussing the Cardinals’ fast start and effort in all three phases. He called Murray the “best player on the planet” that afternoon, and with the Cardinals facing an off week, Gannon realized the opportunity that awaited his team. “The season starts now,” he said. The final stretch. Meet the moment.
It has not gone as planned. After the off-week, the Seahawks beat up the Cardinals in Seattle. The following week, the Cardinals led Minnesota nearly all game before losing in the final minutes. This turned Sunday’s rematch with division leader Seattle into a must-win of sorts. As unpredictable as the NFC West has been, the Cardinals could not afford another loss to the Seahawks. After Arizona took a quick 7-0 lead, the Seahawks (8-5) scored 17 consecutive points. Fourteen stemmed from Murray interceptions, two passes thrown on consecutive possessions.
In his postgame news conference, Gannon took responsibility, as he always does. He said the Cardinals spotted Seattle too many points. He was proud of how his team battled back from a 27-10 deficit, but it wasn’t enough. “I got to find some answers to get us going a little bit because we haven’t played great here the last couple weeks,” Gannon said. “That falls on me.”
As the head coach talked to news reporters, Murray met with position coach Israel Woolfork in a side room off the main locker room. The two usually meet after games, dissecting what just happened, but this meeting lasted longer. Murray had completed 25 of 38 for 259 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle. The first touchdown pass, a 41-yarder to Michael Wilson, was among the best throws he has made this season. Over the three-game skid, Murray has thrown three touchdown passes and five interceptions. He also has faced heavy pressure, getting sacked eight times. Murray dropped to 7-13 in games in December.
Gannon said he liked how Murray responded after throwing the early picks. He added that the quarterback’s ball security needed to improve, “but that’s not just him. That’s all 11.” Asked about the criticism Murray faces, Gannon reminded reporters that Murray is a main reason the Cardinals have played meaningful games this winter. He does not worry about the quarterback’s confidence, nor his performance.
Later in the Arizona interview room, Murray was asked twice about the interceptions, particularly the first when it appeared he didn’t see middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV dropping in coverage. “It’s on me,” he said, avoiding detail. “Just put it on me.” Asked again minutes later about the Jones play, Murray didn’t bite. “Yeah, I saw him,” he said. “Again, you can just put it on me.”
Murray said he believes in the Cardinals locker room wholeheartedly. He does not feel the need to play Superman, something he is capable of doing, going off-script and making crazy plays. “Just play within the offense,” Murray said of the solution, “like we were doing the majority of the season.”
The Cardinals aren’t dead. After this difficult three-week stretch, they face New England and Carolina, which should offer a late-season opportunity to get right. But they’re going to have to play much better. Murray knows it starts with him.
“It sucks, obviously, when you put yourself in this position,” he said of the Cardinals. “But at the end of the day, we got to show up again. We got another home game next week. Put our best foot forward when it comes down to it.”
(Photo: Rick Scuteri / AP)
