After having his 2022 and 2023 seasons marred by injury, it was reasonable to ask whether Kyler Murray would ever play up to the $230 million contract extension he’d signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Between a torn ACL and general on-field malaise, the Cardinals had been stuck at four wins each of the last two seasons and trapped in what appeared to be an arduous rebuild.
2024 has added some much needed optimism in Arizona. While Murray couldn’t rally his troops for a Week 1 victory in Buffalo, he dazzled the Los Angeles Rams with a combination of electric scrambling and downfield accuracy en route to a 41-10 blowout win seven days later. That included several big plays that made Murray look like a star once more. None may have captured him at the peak of his powers quite like this 18-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Higgins:
KYLER MURRAY ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 😱
📺: #LARvsAZ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/gfHzqbrZ0w— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
It looked good from the broadcast booth. It looks even better from right on top of the action.
Your morning @K1 scramble 🍳 pic.twitter.com/j5bmrRj3pE
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 18, 2024
Murray put the Rams defense in a blender, but no one felt that more than Los Angeles rookie Jared Verse, who the Skycam rings up for two missed tackles on the play. Instead, the mercurial quarterback broke free for his fourth touchdown pass of the season en route to a perfect 158.3 passer rating and an emphatic win over a division rival.
