Kyler Murray has looked like a real weapon through these first two weeks and has a lot of offensive firepower around him to help. Whether this is Kliff Kingsbury’s “air raid” scheme or Kyler Murray making magic, can this be sustained? Let’s find out.
What We Already Know
This Cardinals offense has been spectacular and a lot of fun to watch through the first two weeks. Kyler Murray looks like an early MVP cantidate, DeAndre Hopkins is still one of the elite receivers in the game, Christian Kirk looks like a legit deep threat, Rondale Moore is the gadget weapon we were all hoping to see, and A.J. Green still looks like an above average threat. I wouldn’t say Kliff Kingsbury is calling “perfect” games but I don’t think his play calling is as bad as years prior. This is an offense that, on paper, can get into a close shoot out with almost any offense in the league. The Cardinals are so much fun to watch and have taken out “high caliber” opponents in the Vikings and the Titans, but can they sustain these entertaining victories?
My Concerns
There are three real concerns I have. The first being this offensive line. The Titans and Vikings have decent but not great pass rushing units and Kyler has been sacked five times and hit eleven times. This is a little bit concerning on paper but it gets really concerning when you consider that Kyler is scrambling and improvising a lot plus he is a 5’10” super athlete who is one of the hardest players to tackle in the game. If Kyler is taking this amount of hits through just two games, he could be injured or physically beat down by week seven. Secondly, this is a poor rushing attack for the Cards. Part of this is again credited to the offensive line but Chase Edmonds and James Conner aren’t turning heads themselves. They aren’t bad per say but they aren’t enough to lean on if the passing game is taken away. Which brings me to my third point. The Cardinals have played two below average cornerback rooms. These miracle scramble plays have been made possible by blown coverages and D-Hop is obviously going to bully any cornerback who isn’t elite. What happens when they have to face Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams in week four or Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome in week six. Those are just two of the elite cornerback rooms they’ll have to face.
Conclusion
This is without a doubt one of the most complete wide receiver rooms in the league. DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, A.J. Green, and even Andy Isabella all make up a unit with an overwhelming amount of versatility, speed, experience, and reliability. Kyler Murray looks better than what Cardinals fans could’ve hoped for after taking him first overall in 2018. However, unless this offensive line can sturdy up or a trade is made for a feature RB1, this Cardinals run game cannot thrive. Along with the fact that any above average secondary can take away the majority of Kyler’s “miracle” plays. Plus we need to hope Kliff doesn’t go back to his old ways and set this Cards team up for failure. I really hope Kyler can prove me wrong and take this Cards team far but it is only week two and until I see the Cards stun the Rams and Browns in week four and six respectively, I will hold strong with my reservations. Until then, sit back, relax, and enjoy the Kyler Murray show down in the desert.
